THE CASTELLETTO

Alongside with the construction of the Castle, Maximilian had the small “Gartenhaus” built in the park. It is also known as the “Castelletto”, as it imitated the eclectic exterior of the main residence on a smaller scale.
An occasional residence for Maximilian and Charlotte from 1859 until 1860, the Castelletto boasts a remarkable scenic location: it overlooks the small harbour of Grignano and is preceded by a parterre area, graced by trees and a fountain in the clearing in front of the greenhouses.
It has a square-based plan, with a terrace, turret and entrance pergola, and the surviving decoration on the second floor features numerous similarities with that of Maximilian’s first residence in Trieste: Villa Lazarovich, which the archduke rented in 1852 from Nicolò Marco Lazarovich, arranging it according to his personal taste.
Many of the furnishings of this villa, located on the hill of San Vito, and still existing at 23 of Via Tigor, were brought to Miramare by Maximilian’s express order. Echoes of Maximilian and Charlotte’s tragic story also resonate in the Castelletto: here, between late 1866 and early 1867, doctors closely watched over Charlotte, who was suffering from the first signs of a worrying mental illness.
In the 1930s, when the Dukes of Savoy-Aosta resided at the Castle, the Castelletto became a museum open to the public, who could admire the castle furnishings that Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta did not include in his apartments.