Pieskowa Skala (Poland)

With its hilltop location and spectacular architecture, the castle at Pieskowa Skała is the very definition of picturesque. But as well as dominating the valley below with its fortified structure, it is also houses a remarkable garden featuring gorgeous flower beds surrounded by box hedges. Something else that makes the castle worth visiting is its interior courtyard with its two-tiered arcades. In fact even I, as someone who normally doesn't find castle interiors especially impressive, was struck by the richness of the decoration and furnishings in this "little Wawel".

Although it still retains its medieval fortified castle structures, including its outer wall, Pieskowa Skala Castle was actually rebuilt at the end of the 16th century in the mannerist style: an aestheticized style dating from the end of the Renaissance and which is very widespread in the Lesser Poland region. There are therefore two main aspects to the castle: defensive and aesthetic; and this is particularly true of its central tower, with its arcaded terraces and its trompe-l’œil paintings.