Torrechiara

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.Castello di Torrechiara The castle was built between 1448 and 1460 by Pier Maria II de' Rossi, the fourth count of San Secondo. The fortress shows the influence of the Sforza-Visconti castles (Sforza, Visconti-Sforza Castle (Novara)). In 1894, it was described as "the two walls, the curtains planted on an exact square, and the four towers draw together like a cyclopean pyramid very pleasing to the eye and, in fact, very elegant" by archaeologist and art historian Corrado Ricci.[1] The castle has been managed by the Polo Museale dell'Emilia Romagna since 2015.[2]

Castello di Torrechiara
Castello di Torrechiara
Facade detail

History

The castle was built for two purposes; as a defensive fortification and as a noble residence for de Rossi's beloved long-time mistress, Bianca Pellegrini d'Arluno.[3] Bianca was buried in Torrechiara after her death, around 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.[4]

The castle changed hands many times over the centuries. Finally, in 1911, the castle was declared a national monument[5] and the following year it was purchased, unfurnished, by the Italian State, who opened it to the public.[6]

An moderate earthquake of about 5.2 magnitude,[7][8] struck the region on December 23, 2008. It caused significant damage to the castle, in particular to the external walls of the tower of San Nicomede, and to the battlement. Some of the rooms were immediately closed to the public. In 2009, structural renovations were completed. 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.[9]

Architecture

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:

  • Torre di San Nicomede, with the chapel of the same name. It guarded the plain towards Langhirano
  • Torre del Giglio ("Lily Tower"), so called because it bore Bianca Pellegrini's coat of arms.
  • Torre della Camera d'Oro ("Tower of the Golden Chamber"), with the bedchamber of Rossi and Pellegrini.
  • Torre del Leone ("Lion Tower"), facing north, which is the keep of the castle. It takes its name from Rossi's coat of arms.

Interior

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.

In media

Scenes of the 1985 film Ladyhawke were shot at the castle.[10]

Nearby attractions

Other sights include the church of St. Lawrence and the Abbey of Santa Maria della Neve.

Festivals and events

The Courtyard of Honour of the castle is the setting for the Torrechiara Festival, dedicated to the great soprano Renata Tebaldi.

References
  1. "Castello di Torrechiara". beniculturali.it.
  2. "Castello di Torrechiara". beniculturali.it.
  3. ""Pier Maria Rossi's Fair Pilgrim: Bianca Pellegrini and the Construction of Signorial Power"". McCall, T. Nov. 2014.
  4. "Castello di- Torrechiara". beniculturali.it.
  5. "Apertura straordinaria 1 maggio 2014". beniculturali.it.
  6. "Coretto di Torchiara". culturaitalia.it.
  7. "Earthquake strikes northern Italy". uk.reuters.com.
  8. "Macroseimic survey of the December 23, 2008 earthquake". Quaderni di Geofisica.
  9. "Torrechiara, here is the "new" castle after the restoration". gazzettadiparma.it.
  10. "Ladyhawke - Filming Locations". imdb.com.

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