Torre di Mels (Colloredo di Monte Albano)

Built between 1026 and 1045, the castle of Mels was assigned by the Count of Tyrol, on behalf of Emperor Konrad II, to the Counts of Waldsee, who subsequently acquired the additional title of Counts of Mels. In 1275 Enrico di Mels requested and obtained from the Patriarch of Aquileia the reconfirmation of his ownership of the Mels estate. The castle was burnt down in 1262 and in 1352 it was partially destroyed by Patriarch Nicholas von Luxemburg, in revenge for the killing of his predecessor Bertram de Saint Geniès, who had died at the hands of  a number of Friulian aristocrats including Duringo and Bosso di Mels.  

The original castle probably stood on the hill to the north of the present building. It had a square structure and was surrounded by crenellated curtain walls, a tower and three artificial terraces with a range of fourteenth-century buildings, originally built to reinforce the curtain walls. Of the original castle only the ancient square tower remains, partially reconstructed after the earthquakes of 1976. The nearby chapel of Sant’Andrea, consecrated in 1056, has been much altered and has lost its original appearance.