It’s the first Sunday in October and also the weekend of the 2016 Open Castles event. Autumn announces its arrival through the perfume of grape clusters ready for the harvest.

We’re in Arcano Superiore, a little village in the hills between Fagagna and San Daniele del Friuli. We enter the castle through the gate tower and start our tour with a stroll around the green spaces.

The falling rain makes the grass even softer and red roses add a lively touch to the colours in the garden. From the crenellated battlements we enjoy lovely views of the valley below.

Built in the first half of the 12th century, the castle is one of the best preserved of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The complex inside the curtain wall includes the castle itself and a number of other buildings, such as the noble family’s chapel dedicated to the Madonna of the Snow. A stone staircase leads to the inner courtyard, a gravel-covered space with an old well and a big magnolia tree.

On the castle’s upper floor are a drawing room and a large state room. At each step, the wooden floor emits eerie creaks which only serve to feed the legend of Countess Todeschina di Prampero, whose ghost is said to haunt the castle.

Our tour ends on the ground floor with a welcome tasting session of organic wines produced by the castle’s estate.

There were several side events, including an exhibition of second-hand books and the workshop of a master mosaicist, who found it easy to recruit pupils from among the visitors.