A Warrior Countess: Sofia of Colfosco, a Da Camino Woman against an Emperor. Legend and History at the Medieval Castle of Vittorio Veneto

They had called her a countess, named her Matron of the Castrum, married her off to a distant cousin… all without asking for her consent. And now, gazing at the estate given to her as part of those absurd, unwanted marriage, Sofia didn’t yet know how to shape her revenge.

There was one thing she did know: who she was — and who she had been. A warrior in the army of her father, Valfredo of Colfosco, at the battles of Cassano d’Adda and Bolchignano. A clear-minded supporter of the papacy, and a faithful Christian.

Sofia knew that revenge could no longer come by striking with a sword, as one did in battle. For those who had forced her into that marriage, who had imprisoned her within those thick walls lashed by wind, punishment would come slowly.

Looking at the beautiful garden before her, the towers, the wide courtyard of the castle, Sofia had understood what her husband cherished most: material possessions. And from there, she knew, she would have to begin to reclaim her identity.

And so, as the new matron of the Castrum of Serravalle, the Countess of Colfosco, Zumelle, and Porcia made her decision. Everything, upon her death, would be given to the Church — just as the castle of Serravalle had been given to her not long before.

To the Church that stood against a barbaric emperor, Frederick, and that for Sofia had been a comfort and shelter from the world’s evils, she would leave her possessions in hopes of securing a place in paradise. But above all, that noble gesture would strike a blow to her husband, Guecellone II, who fought among the ranks of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa against the papacy.

Having secretly donated all the churches under her jurisdiction to the Abbot of Follina — whose order had settled there thanks to her intervention — and having ensured, through her will, that her castles would pass to the bishops of Ceneda and Belluno, Sofia felt lighter.

Nothing bound her to the world of matter anymore; nothing would weigh down her glorious passage into the arms of the Savior.Nothing remained for her but to set out toward Sister Death, alone and far from the husband she so deeply despised.

And it was just before dawn, on a windy February morning, that — accompanied by two handmaidens — she passed through the archway of the Castrum for the last time.Turning back, she cast one final glance at the place that, despite everything, had comforted her during that dreadful, unwanted marriage: the rose garden adorning the outer wall, the tower that overlooked the Meschio River, the ancient trees of the garden…

Those places had given her moments of peace, far from her husband.And it was then that Sofia thought to herself that those walls, that garden, and those towers might one day offer peace, serenity, and solace to anyone who became a guest of the Castrum.

Read Gaia's story