Tonvin Residence

At the eponymous square in Caldaro village (Kaltern Dorf), characterised by a typical, old-fashioned flair and narrow alleys, there’s a small castle-like building with a charming façade and three beautiful turrets: the Tonvin Residence. Presumably already before 1600 AD a building rose in this place, which was rebuilt in 1696 by the then owner, Dominikus Anton von Tonvin, tax collector for the Earls of Giovanelli from Venice. He gave his name to the manor. The project was realised by the famous builder family Delai from Bolzano, which erected several sacred buildings in the Oltradige area, among them also the St. Joseph Church in San Giuseppe al Lago.

In the 18th century the building was owned by Franz Michael von Schasser, at that time the greatest wine dealer in Tyrol and supporter of the Tyrolean freedom fights. In the central hall of the so-called Piano Nobile, the representative first floor of the Tonvin Residence, the coat of arms of the von Schasser family can still be seen. On the ceiling above, the biblical scene of the battle between David and Goliath is illustrated as a demonstration of the deep faith of the family. Inside, the Tonvin Residence presents itself with beautiful chambers with stuccoed ceilings, timber floor boards and majolica stoves, as well as antique wooden parlours. The private St. Anthony of Padua Chapel, however, is decorated with magnificent ceiling frescoes by Christoph Anton Mayr.

The current owners, the South Tyrolean painter Andrea Varesco and her husband, the former mayor of Caldaro, had the building carefully renovated in the Nineties. It can only be seen from outside. And how to reach the Tonvin Residence? It is located at the Piazza Tonvin in Caldaro village. Nearby there are parking spaces, the Assumption of Mary Parish Church and a bus stop.