12 Nov Torrechiara Castle
The enchanting love nest built by Count Pier Maria Rossi in the mid-15th century for his lover Bianca Pellegrini, and stunning set of the film featuring the love story between Captain Navarre and his Lady Hawke, Torrechiara Castle, nestled in rolling hills embroidered with vineyards, is an incredibly evocative sight for people travelling from Parma to the ancient “Prosciutto valley” and an artistic gem in a class of its own, a perfect union of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Pier Maria Rossi, Count of Berceto and Marquis of San Secondo, is certainly one of the most interesting figures of the 15th century, often compared to Lorenzo the Magnificent.
He combined his gifts as valiant military commander with those of a sophisticated humanist and learned intellectual. A lover of music and poetry with a keen interest in astrology, mathematics and architecture, he was probably the architect of Torrechiara Castle’s complex project. He had military success during the long time he spent at the Milan Court as captain at the service of the Viscontis first and then of the Sforzas, but he could not escape Cupid’s fatal arrow! In Milan he met Bianca Pellegrini, a noblewoman, and the two fell madly in love: they were both young, beautiful, sophisticated and…married!
However, in those times ‘marriage’ and ‘love’ rarely coincided in aristocratic circles. Their respective spouses had to accept the situation, and the distance between married state and passion in this instance did not cause tragedies in the Dante style. It resulted, instead, in an increased number of castles built by Pier Maria Rossi: while San Secondo Castle remained his wife’s official residence, in honour of his beloved Bianca Count Pier Maria Rossi built Roccabianca Castle, in one of his estates in the Parma lowlands, and above all the spectacular Torrechiara Castle, where the two lovers’ passion endured until the end of their days.
This jewel of military architecture is powerful and “gentle” at the same time, harmoniously combining the massiveness of the fortified structure with the elegance and refinement of forms typical of residences: the very long, thin corbels decorating the angular towers, slender and light over the masculine base of the fortress, conceal their defensive use and draw attention to their abstract beauty. Inside, the visitor is met with a plethora of frescoed rooms, including the magnificent Gold Room, considered one of the highest expressions of international Gothic painting in Italy: the room celebrates the triumph of the two young aristocrats’ love, as well as the prestige of the Rossi family in the Parma territory, through the imaginary journey of Bianca, “pilgrim” for love, through the vast estates and lands of the fief. This superb masterpiece, attributed to Benedetto Bembo, is an iconographic document that is invaluable for the minute precision with which it describes the castles and the area. It draws visitors in with its dynamic, almost “cinematic” succession of scenes, with the protagonist advancing gracefully through the Apennine crags, under a sun that pierces the cobalt sky with its flaming golden rays.
The gold that we can still be seen in the stars’ glow, in the vegetation and in the brocade of the clothes, once covered completely the clay tiles that adorn the lower part of all the walls, flooding the room with light, and giving it its name. That magic is now only evoked as a memory in the sober and stripped red tiles, some of which feature the hearts of Bianca and Pier Maria intertwined in a “digne et in aeternum” (worthy and eternal) embrace. The frescos in the other ceremonial rooms of the castle, many of them painted by Cesare Baglione and his school, are also of very high quality: the rooms of Jupiter, of the Angels, of the Landscapes, the Coat of Arms room and the magnificent Acrobats room.
The whole castle complex, which in addition to these inestimable rooms includes fascinating service areas such as the kitchens and the stables, is distributed over two floors surrounding the prestigious Honour Courtyard, today the venue of important summer shows and events. The castle structure has a vast and interesting underground network of dungeons, open to the public on special occasions; recent renovations have also made accessible to the public the original, scenic castle walkway. The castle today is a national monument protected by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities. Once inside the massive fortified walls surrounding the castle, an experience not to be missed is a walk around the delightful medieval village. The original structure of the ancient dwellings enclosed within the castle walls has been preserved intact.
FREE ENTRY ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH
WHERE Torrechiara – near Langhirano
HOW paid entry.
Cash only, full price € 4, reduced price € 2 (Italian state school teachers, 18-25 year olds),
free for people with disability, EU citizens under 18 We recommend that school groups and large groups notify the Ticket Office in advance (tel. fax +39 0521-355255)
New Torrechiara Castle opening times
From 1 April to 1 July 2018: open to the public from 8:10am to 1:50pm, Monday to Saturday.
Sunday and holidays from 10:00am to 7:30pm
The ticket office closes half an hour before closing.
