HISTORY
The Palazzo was built in 1723 for Johannes Redolfi. Around 1850 Baron Giovanni de Castelmur (1800-1871), a descendant of the Castelmur family from the nearby Castelmur Castle bought the Palazzo as well as the ruins of Castelmur Castle in Bondo. Giovanni was the son of a wealthy Marseille pastry shop owner, who after becoming a successful businessman returned to his family's ancestral village. At the age of 30 he became a property owner in the village, though it is still unclear how he managed to acquire his fortune or title. In 1840 he married his cousin Anna Castelmur (1813-1892) from the nearby village of Vicosoprano.
In 1850 Giovanni and Anna began the expansion and renovation of the old structure. Under the direction of Milanese architect Giovanni Crassi Marliani the exterior was redone in a Moorish inspired Neo-Gothic style. The brick front façade is flanked by two large towers, both the façade and towers crowned with machicolations and corbels. The older parts of the mansion were decorated with paneling and wall paper. The new additions were decorated in the Louis Philippe style with Rococo and Biedermeier elements. The walls are covered with ornate murals and silk wallpaper. Many of the ceilings were covered with trompe-l'œil paintings by Gaspare Tirinanzi and wall paintings by Zaverio Tessera. The Palazzo was surrounded with an English garden and a 2 m (6.6 ft) tall wall.
Both Giovanni and Anna were patrons of the arts and philanthropists who supported many organizations in the region. As the couple never had children, after Anna's death the Palazzo was inherited by other relatives. In 1961 the heirs sold the castle and surrounding lands to the local government of the Circolo di Bregaglia. The local government converted it into a museum. On the second floor is the Archivio Storico, an archive that stores and researches documents relating to the Val Bregaglia region. Additionally on the second floor there is a permanent exhibit dedicated to the history of Graubünden's pastry bakers, a tribute to Giovanni's upbringing Wikipedia
ARCHITECTURE
The Palazzo's architecture is a hybrid of styles. When Giovanni Castelmur (1800–1871) purchased the patrician Redolfi mansion, originally built in 1723, he added a facade flanked by towers in Lombard/Venetian gothic style; this was completed in 1854. The successful combination of old and new along with the luxurious furnishings are the work of various Milanese craftsmen such as engineer and architect Giovanni Crassi-Marliani, stonemason Giovanni Pedrazzini and painter Gaspare Tirinanzi. The remaining artisans came from the neighboring Lombardy region.
The interior design of the Mansion, although more opulent, is consistent with the exterior architectural style of the building. With the exception of one room, the wood paneling in the rooms located in the original Redolfi structure, are varnished or wallpapered. In the newer part of the Mansion, there is a lovely dining room, living room, red and green wallpapered bedroom and four small tower rooms. The walls and ceilings of certain rooms are decorated with wall paintings; the trompe-l'oeil are particularly stunning.
CURRENT SITUATION
The Palazzo Castelmur in Coltura near Stampa belongs to the Bregaglia municipality. In 1961, the heirs sold the Castelmur property to the community and it was turned into a museum.
