I stayed in a castle for the first time and it wasn't anything like I've seen in the movies. Here are 6 things that surprised me about the experience.

During a recent train trip through four European countries, I booked as many unique accommodations as I could find. One was a 16th-century castle in Italy called Castello di Roncade.

Rapunzel was locked in a tower. Belle fell in love with a beast among enchanted clocks, tea cups, and candle sticks. Cinderella swept the chateau that her step-mom took over. Everything I know about castles comes from fiction.

More specifically, I grew up watching Disney movies about princesses and princes living lavishly or, perhaps more often, being trapped inside grand castles with protective walls and dramatic architecture.

But until recently, I had never seen a castle in real life, aside from the one at Disneyland. 

So when I was looking for one-of-a-kind lodging with my partner during a recent train trip through four countries in Europe, I was excited to find Castello di Roncade outside of Venice, Italy.

I saw the castle on Airbnb, which is known for having an array of unique accommodations, but ended up booking it through the company's website and paid $360 for three nights, including daily breakfast.

I was eager to find out what castles are really like outside of the movies and magical stories. Here's how my stay went, and the surprising things I learned about living a real life fairy tale.

One of my biggest surprises about Castello di Roncade was learning it isn't technically a castle. It's actually a villa, but looks so much like a castle, that it became known as one.

When my partner and I arrived at the castle, I thought Castello di Roncade looked completely authentic with its medieval walls and turrets.

But while speaking to a representative for Castello di Roncade, I learned that it's actually a Venetian villa that was built in the 16th century to be used for an agricultural company with products like fruits, vegetables, and wine.

Originally named Villa Giustinian for the Venetian aristocrat who built it, I was told by the same source that locals often referred it to as a castle because of its walls and towers, which were built for decoration rather than defense. 

In 1930, Baron Tito Ciani Bassetti bought the villa to live in with his family and transformed its grounds into a vineyard and winery, according to the company's website. When the family purchased the property, they decided to change the official name to Castello di Roncade, the representative said. Then, in the 1980s, Vincenzo of the Ciani Bassetti family opened up accommodations in the castle's towers and the main villa, according to the same source.

I was surprised and impressed to find that a villa could look so much like a castle and even gain a formal reputation as one. 

When I arrived, I didn't anticipate that the main building would be under construction.

To me, castles in movies look like they could stand the test of time with their spires and solid walls.

But in reality, according to The Foundation Experts, a restoration and repair company in Canada, old buildings often need to be restored to stick around for hundreds of years.

When we checked in at Castello di Roncade, I expected to see a lavish facade on the main building, but the exterior was under restoration. According to the representative from Castello di Roncade, work was being done to add new plaster on balconies, columns, and arches, as well as attempts to resurface historic artwork that once decorated the facade. 

The same source told Insider that the restoration work began in 2020 and was set to be finished in 2022. But due to some delays, it's taking longer, according to the same source, who added that they hope it will be completed in the spring of 2023.

I was also surprised to learn that there was a working winery on the castle's property.

I previously always thought of castles as a means to protect royalty. But when I booked my accommodation at Castello di Roncade, I learned that the property served a different, more unexpected purpose — it's a working winery with 270 acres of vineyard, according to its website.

When the Ciani Bassetti family bought Castello di Roncade in the early 20th century, they established a winery with the same name, according to a representative for the company.

My stay included a tour of the wine cellar. I've never been on a winery tour before, and don't drink, so I didn't know what to expect. But I found it fascinating.

My tour guide led us and a couple from Colombia, who were also staying on the property, into a dimly lit room full of several rows of gigantic wine barrels  — more than I could count. The air overwhelmed me with thick smells of wine and wood. As I walked down a narrow path between two rows, I was shocked by how massive the wine barrels were. Just one barrel on its side towered over my body. 

I was surprised to find out that this old cellar was built 500 years ago, according to the Castello di Roncade representative, who also said that wine is the castle's main business and produces 400,000 bottles a year. 

I stayed in one of the castle's towers. I thought it was much shorter than the Rapunzel-like building I pictured in my mind when I booked it.

When I booked a room in one of the castle's towers, I wondered if I might feel a little like Rapunzel tucked away at the top of a tall, medieval structure.

But Castello di Roncade's towers were built for decoration rather than defense, and mine was only three stories tall, a representative from the company told Insider. So in reality, it didn't tower high above the countryside like I imagined it would. 

Our room was on the top floor, and while it wasn't positioned as high as I expected, I still had a nice view of the property. I enjoyed waking up in the morning and looking out the window to the sounds of birds chirping. 

I was also surprised by the 16th-century tower's high-tech interior. It had an elevator and energy-saving technology.

Since castles are typically historic, I was surprised by the high-tech features I saw inside my tower.

While the tower was built along with the rest of the castle in the 16th century, the representative from Castello di Roncade told Insider it was restored in 2021 to serve as accommodations for guests. Before that, the tower stored wine, according to the same source.

Inside the building, I expected to walk up three flights of stairs, but the tower had an elevator. I thought this made my stay more relaxing.

Additionally, inside the room, my room key had to be inserted into a slip near the door to use the lights. This is an energy-saving feature I've seen in modern hotels, but I never expected to find it in a castle, and I appreciated it. 

Inside my tower room, I was surprised by how modern it looked. Aside from exposed brick walls and a beamed ceiling, nothing about the room screamed "castle" to me.

Based on castles I've seen in movies, I thought my room would look frozen in time with classical, regal decor like a knight's suit of armor or ancient paintings. But aside from the exposed brick walls and beams, I thought the room looked and felt pretty modern.

This is because the building was renovated in 2021, according to the Castello di Roncade representative, who added that the exposed beams were part of the original building before restoration. 

I also thought my room was larger than most hotels I've booked. The 480-square-foot suite came with two sitting areas, a bedroom with a queen-sized bed, a walk-in closet, and a bathroom.

While my room was recently restored, the representative also told me that other accommodations on the grounds were restored in the 1990s and 2010s. While looking at photos of all the rooms online, I thought that these other rooms included more of the decor I was picturing, like tasseled pillows and sparkling chandeliers. If I stay at Castello di Roncade again, I'll try out one of them. 

While staying in a castle wasn't quite as enchanting as I pictured it to be, I thought Castello di Roncade gave me a unique, memorable experience.

My stay at Castello di Roncade didn't completely match up with the fantasy in my mind of castles I've seen in movies or books I read growing up.

But maybe that's a good thing. 

I stay in unique accommodations when I travel because I want to be surprised during my adventures. I never thought I'd find myself taking an elevator in a tower to explore the grounds of a villa that looked so much like a castle, it was named one. And ultimately, it still felt like staying in a castle to me.

Whenever I reflect on my trips, I find that the unexpected moments become the most memorable. And my stay at Castello di Roncade certainly gave me a lot of surprising moments I won't soon forget.