Located on a hill overlooking the valley of the Parma Watercourse, this enchanting castle was the scene of the love story between Bianca Pellegrini and Pier Maria Rossi, retraced in the splendid Golden Chamber (about 1460, attributed to Benedetto Bembo).

Set in a pastoral landscape, between vines and the bed of the watercourse, the tour of the castle and the village of Torrechiara plunges us into the Romanesque: it is easy to imagine hearing the hammering of horses’ hooves and the rustle of the lively life of the ladies and knights. To deepen knowledge of the territory, it is possible to tour the Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria della Neve, the Parma Ham Museum in Langhirano, the wineries and the ham production plants located in the surroundings.

 

A castle erected in the 14th century and still belonging to the Meli Lupi family, it is one of the most sought after residences in the region and certainly the richest in original furniture and objects.

Nowhere like in Soragna you can breathe the air of an ancient family, rich in history and tradition.

It is advisable to devote a whole day to the village of Soragna to tour, besides the castle, the Synagogue and the  Jewish Museum Fausto Levi , the Church of Saint James the Major, the Parmesan Museum and the Museum of Peasant Civilization

 

The “Little Versailles of the Dukes of Parma” was the summer residence of the Farnese, Bourbons and Marie-Louise of Austria. Today we can visit the rooms of the noble floor, the private apartment of Duke Ferdinand, the Ducal Chapel of Saint Liborius and the park.

The complex, which is being restored, is of all castles that which is most related to the history of the duchy and the city of Parma. It is rich in histories and anecdotes fed by the personages who lived there, such as the Duchess Babette, the Duke Ferdinand de Bourbon, the Duchess Marie-Louise. Here is a curiosity: did you know that the great fountain of the Ducal Park of Parma used to be in the garden of the Palace of Colorno a century ago? And what destiny had the Palace after the Unity of Italy? Come and discover the reason for this curious move during a tour that will surely surprise you.



 

Famous for its beautiful moat, the castle that belonged to the Sanvitale houses two jewels: the “Optical Chamber” located in a tower and, on the ground floor, the small room decorated with frescoes of Parmigianino representing scenes from the life of Diana and Actaeon, taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The quintessential 16th-century painting, the remarkable artistic quality of these works and the complexity of their interpretation never ceases to enchant visitors and academics.

To complete the tour, we cannot miss a stroll through the characteristic alleys of the village or having visited the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary which dates back to the 17th century and whose 1615 wooden statue of the Virgin has been the subject of great devotion and pilgrimages for more than four centuries.

 

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