1520Columns and arches in the cloister of Coira Castle

Lasa’s marble was employed for the decoration of some of Val Venosta’s castles during the Renaissance. The arched cloister on the first floor of Coira Castle is a focal point within the residential structure for both artistic and historical reasons, besides architectural ones.

The arches rest on 16 Lasa marble columns, each different from all the others. The cloister, which was not originally painted, has been decorated as we now see it a mere sixty years after its construction, in 1580.

Additional decorations created with Lasa’s marble may also be found in other castles and fortresses of the Vinschgau: castle of Coldrano, castle Taranto, castle of Montani di Sopra and Schlandersburg castle.