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Torrechiara Castle (Italian : Castello di Torrechiara) is a 15th-century castle near Langhirano, in the province of Parma, northern Italy. It sits atop a terraced hill south of the city of Parma, in a strategic position overlooking the Parma River in the valley below. The castle was commissioned by Pier Maria II de' Rossi, the fourth count of San Secondo, and built between 1448 and 1460. The fortress shows the influence of the castles of the House of Sforza, particularly Visconti-Sforza Castle. The castle is managed by the Polo Museale dell'Emilia Romagna since 2015.[ dead link ]
The castle was built as a defensive fortification and as a noble residence for de Rossi's mistress, Bianca Pellegrini d'Arluno. [1] Bianca died in Torrechiara around the year 1480. Pier Maria retired to Torrechiara in 1482, where he died later that year. They were both buried in the castle, in the Oratory of San Nicomede in the north-east tower. [2]
The castle changed hands many times over the centuries until it was declared a national monument in 1911. [3] The following year, it was purchased, unfurnished, by the Italian State, which opened it to the public. [4]
A moderate earthquake of about 5.2 magnitude struck the region on December 23, 2008, causing significant damage to the castle, in particular to the external walls of the tower of San Nicomede, and to the battlement. [5] [6] Some of the rooms were closed to the public for structural renovations, completed in 2009. The oratory of San Nicomede was renovated on the ground level, where the collapsed roof slab had been rebuilt in the early 19th-century. On the main floor of the castle, the original Sala della Sera was rebuilt and restored, then placed at the end of the row of the Aurora, Meriggio and Vespro rooms. The castle reopened in July 2014. [7]
The castle, of medieval origins but largely rebuilt in 1448–1460, has four rectangular towers, connected by a double line of merloned walls. The inner court is called Cortile d'onore ("Courtyard of Honour"). The towers are the following:
The interior features numerous rooms decorated with fantastic, grotesque or naturalistic elements. On the first floor, together with the Salone dei Giocolieri ("Jugglers Hall"), is the Camera d'Oro ("Golden Bedchamber"), one of the most famous examples of bedchamber artistic decoration in Italy. The fresco cycle in the lunettes portrays Bianca Pellegrini running through her and Rossi's lands, searching for her lover: the paintings are attributed to Benedetto Bembo. The chamber opens onto a panoramic loggiato.
Scenes of the 1985 film Ladyhawke were shot at the castle. [8]
Other sights include the church of St. Lawrence and the Abbey of Santa Maria della Neve.
The Courtyard of Honour of the castle is the setting for the Torrechiara Festival, dedicated to the great soprano Renata Tebaldi.
Pesaro is a comune (municipality) in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, after Ancona. Pesaro was dubbed the "Cycling City" by the Italian environmentalist association Legambiente in recognition of its extensive network of bicycle paths and promotion of cycling. It is also known as "City of Music", for it is the birthplace of the composer Gioachino Rossini. In 2015 the Italian Government applied for Pesaro to be declared a "Creative City" in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. In 2017 Pesaro received the European City of Sport award together with Aosta, Cagliari and Vicenza.
The province of L'Aquila is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region. It has borders with the provinces of Teramo to the north, Pescara and Chieti to the east, Isernia to the south and Frosinone, Rome and Rieti to the west. Its capital is the city of L'Aquila.
The Castello Sforzesco is a medieval fortification located in Milan, Northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later renovated and enlarged, in the 16th and 17th centuries it was one of the largest citadels in Europe. Extensively rebuilt by Luca Beltrami in 1891–1905, it now houses several of the city's museums and art collections.
Felino is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 90 kilometres (56 mi) west of Bologna and about 13 kilometres (8 mi) southwest of Parma. As of 2011 it had a population of 8,621.
Langhirano is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 90 kilometres (56 mi) west of Bologna and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Parma.
Montecchio Emilia is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northwest of Bologna and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) west of Reggio Emilia.
San Ginesio is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of Ancona and about 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of Macerata. As of December 31, 2004, it had a population of 3,872 and an area of 77.7 square kilometres (30.0 sq mi).
The Castle of Rocca Calascio is a mountaintop fortress or rocca in the municipality of Calascio, in the Province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy.
Rocca dei Rossi is a castle located at piazza Mazzini #12 in the town of San Secondo Parmense, province of Parma, in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna. A different Rocca dei Rossi, also known as Castello di Roccabianca, is located in the town of Roccabianca.
Bianca Riario was an Italian noblewoman and regent, Marchioness of San Secondo by marriage to Troilo I de' Rossi, and regent of the marquisate and county of San Secondo for her son Pier Maria during his minority between 1521 and 1522. She was the eldest child and only daughter of Caterina Sforza by the latter's first husband, Girolamo Riario, a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV.
The Castello or Castle of Roccabianca, also called Rocca dei Rossi, is a castle built in the town of Roccabianca, province of Parma, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy.
Pier Maria Rossi or Pier Maria II de' Rossi was an Italian condottiere and count of a region around present San Secondo Parmense. His properties included the castle of Rocca dei Rossi. He was known as "the Magnificent".
Visconti Park was the private park of the Visconti and Sforza families, lords, and dukes of Milan. Located in Lombardy, northern Italy, it extended between the Pavia Castle and the Pavia Charterhouse. It covered an area of about 2,200 hectares (22 km2) and was encircled by walls about 25 kilometres (16 mi) in length. It was founded in 1360 by Galeazzo II Visconti and enlarged by his son Gian Galeazzo. Its decay began in 1525 with the damages inflicted during the Battle of Pavia. Today, the park's area mainly serves agriculture purposes, while some portions are nature reserves.
Troilo I de' Rossi was an Italian condottiero and the first marquess of San Secondo.
Giovanni de' Rossi was an Italian condottiero and the fifth count of San Secondo. He was nicknamed 'il diseredato'.
Guido de' Rossi was an Italian condottiero.
The Visconti Castle of Abbiategrasso is a medieval castle in Abbiategrasso, Lombardy, northern Italy. It was among the first Visconti castles built according to their typical quadrangular layout. In the 14th and 15th centuries, it was one of the preferred residences of the duchesses of Milan of the Visconti and Sforza houses. Today, the castle's surviving part serves as the seat of the municipality of Abbiategrasso.
Benedetto Bembo was an Italian painter and miniaturist.
The Abbey of St Mary of the Snows is a Benedictine Monastery and church, located in a rural spot on Via Badia #28 in the frazione of Torrechiara and its castle, in the town limits of Langhirano, Province of Parma, Italy. The monastery is affiliated with the monastery of San Giovanni Evangelista, Parma.