Of the three towers that were part of the original Carrarese Castle of Este dating back to 1339-1340, two have been preserved: the main tower and the tower of the Refuge.
The third tower, which according to sources was called “of Torment,” stood near the south gate and was demolished in the second half of the 16th century. A trace of medieval masonry remains on the terrace of Palazzo Mocenigo, home to the National Atestino Museum.
The Refuge complex consists of four interconnected rooms: a small courtyard enclosed by walls (called the outer reduced); an inner reduced (or “ravelin”), where the defenders could retreat in case the gate was breached; a lateral tower that has dimensions similar to the other small towers of the castle and connects the Refuge complex to the eastern side of the walls and finally the main tower, which at 29 meters high rises and dominates thanks to the elevation created by the Venetians.
Once used as a defensive structure and housing for the troops of the army, the main tower or ''Tower of the Refuge'' is a rectangular tower, with sides measuring 6.8 meters by 5.5 meters, approximately 29 meters high and with walls 1.50 meters thick. It consists of four floors and a rooftop terrace that offers a panoramic view of the city center, as well as the main tower of the Castle, the villas of Mount Murale (the nearby Villa Kunkler and, higher up, the 17th-century Palazzo del Principe), the village of Calaone, and in the distance to the northeast, the hill of the Rocca di Monselice.
