The Women's Castles in Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia

The itinerary begins at the legendary Castle of Canossa, a place symbolic of the events surrounding Countess Matilda of Canossa. Here, in the bitterly cold January of 1077, Emperor Henry IV—following his excommunication and the rebellion of his noble subjects—arrived as a penitent to seek from Pope Gregory VII, who was then a guest of Matilda of Canossa, to have his excommunication revoked and his powers restored, remaining for three days in the snow, outside the castle walls, barefoot and clad only in woolen garments.

The Great Countess served as the mediator and guarantor of this “spectacular ritual,” which history and the world have enshrined as “The Forgiveness of Canossa .”

Curiosity
Among those present at the “humiliation” was another female figure: Bertha of Savoy (1051–1087), the Emperor’s wife.

More than a century earlier, in 930, Adalbert Atto, Matilda’s ancestor, had offered refuge within the walls of this very castle to Queen Adelaide, who was being persecuted by King Berengar and would later become Empress of Europe.

Tip
Don’t miss the Naborre Campanini National Museum to learn more about the history of the castle and its surrounding area.

Next to the Canossa cliff, set against a backdrop of reddish ophiolite, stands the fortress of Rossena along with the nearby Rossenella Tower, a defensive outpost of the Canossa family within the fortified system of the Enza Valley.

Here, in the chambers of Rossena Castle, the ghosts of the protagonists of the ancient legend of Everelina—the daughter of a vassal of Matilda of Canossa—roam. To escape marriage to a man she did not love, she chose to die by throwing herself off the cliff. Even today, the rocks at the foot of the castle walls remind passersby of this tale of love and death that the villagers have been retelling for centuries.

In more recent times, other women left their mark on the castle, which had by then become a residence: Maria Luigia, Duchess of Parma, and Princess Adelgonda of Bavaria, wife of Francesco V d’Este, Duke of Modena.

Beatrice was a princess of royal descent: her father, Frederick, was Duke of Lorraine, while her mother, Matilda, was the daughter of the Duke of Swabia. Having lost both her parents, she was taken in at court by her aunt Gisella, wife of Emperor Conrad II.

In 1038, she was married to Boniface of Tuscany, and three children were born of this union: Beatrice, Frederick, and Matilda—the only one to reach adulthood and destined to become one of the most famous figures of the medieval West.

Upon her husband’s death in 1052, Beatrice remarried Duke Godfrey of Lorraine, known as “the Bearded,” and together they ruled the Margraviate of Tuscany and the estates inherited from Boniface for 24 years.

The castle of Bianello is deeply linked to the figure of Beatrice of Lorraine, who purchased it in 1044: this transaction represents the first certain record of its existence.

Curiosity
Quattro Castella owes its name to the four hills on which four castles once stood: today, only Bianello remains intact.

The castle, which over time was transformed into an aristocratic residence, still retains elements of its original structure and a 14th-century painting depicting Matilda with a pomegranate flower and the motto “tuetur et unit.”

The route continues through the Parma area along Provincial Road 665, which leads from Parma to Langhirano. Against the undulating backdrop of the vine-covered hills stands the imposing yet graceful silhouette of Torrechiara Castle.

A romantic 15th-century manor with both medieval and Renaissance features, it was built by Pier Maria Rossi for his beloved Bianca Pellegrini, whose love story is celebrated in the “Camera d’Oro” (Golden Chamber) attributed to Benedetto Bembo: a pilgrim, Bianca, travels through the count’s estates, from the mountain fortresses to the grand palaces on the plains; Love, blindfolded, pierces the two young lovers, condemning them to an undying passion.

To know
It took just twelve years, from 1448 to 1460, to build it, thus creating one of the most spectacular castle complexes in Italy and, perhaps, in Europe.

Tip

Take the time to explore the halls and the tower: the panoramic view of the surrounding hills and vineyards offers a unique experience.

To fully appreciate the interiors, check the opening hours and any available guided tours.

The Rocca of Sala Baganza witnessed the events of Maria Luigia, wife of Napoleon, empress of the French and Duchess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla, who lived there with her two children in the nineteenth century. Very important for the local defensive system already between the 15th and 16th centuries, the castle now houses the Wine Museum in the cellars and allows you to dive into the noble atmosphere of the past with visits to the Farnesian Garden and to rooms that hold prized frescoes and sixteenth-century and eighteenth-century decorations.

Centuries before Maria Luigia, the manor had already seen another great woman as a protagonist: Donella de' Rossi, born around the year 1435 to Antonia Torelli and the Magnificent Pier Maria Rossi, count of Berceto and marquis of San Secondo. In 1454 she married the Earl of Sala, Giberto III Sanvitale, in a famous and controversial union, the result of an attempt at alliance between the two families, bitter opponents in political and territorial rivalries.

In August 1482, taking advantage of the absence of Giberto III and his son Bernardino, engaged in the defence of the Rocca of Oriano, Amuratte Torelli, a cousin of Donella, attacked the Rocca of Sala, unexpectedly finding the obstinate opposition of the countess, decisive not only for the battle but also for the future fate of Sanvitale, who, thanks to this act of courage, maintained the uncontested dominion over the area for over a century and a half.

Must see

The atmospheric cellars of Rocca Sanvitale are home to the Wine Museum, an exhibition and sensory experience dedicated to the wines of Parma.

Considered one of the first emancipated women of the “Modern” era, the Marquise Giacoma Pallavicino is the protagonist of a truly fascinating story closely tied to Scipione Castle.

An important female figure of the Renaissance and the daughter of Bernardino Pallavicino of Zibello, she married at a very young age in 1529 to her much older cousin, Giangerolamo Pallavicino of Scipione. From this “political” marriage—which was imposed on her to strengthen the bond between the two branches of the family—a story full of twists and turns unfolded.

Left alone following her husband’s murder at the hands of her cousins, Giacoma—who had no children—found herself battling family conspiracies and at the helm of a castle, personally managing—an exceptional feat for the time—an enormous estate.

The young widow defied convention by deciding not to remarry and repeatedly expressing to Ignatius of Loyola her desire to join the Society of Jesus. Rejected, as was to be expected, simply because she was a woman, she went on to found the “Spiritual Company of Young Women” on her own, dedicating her life to helping the most vulnerable—particularly unmarried young women and children—to whom she bequeathed all the proceeds from her estates.

Curiosity

Her troubled family history and her struggles were chronicled by art historian Katherine McIver in the influential book *Women, Art, and Architecture in Northern Italy*, where she is described as one of the earliest examples of an emancipated woman of the “Modern” era.

It was the beautiful Princess Maria Ruspoli Gramont who transformed Vigoleno Castle into an incredible social hub, befriending intellectuals, actors, and musicians of the caliber of Gabriele D'Annunzio, Max Ernst, Anna Pavlova, Alexandre Lacovleff, Jean Cocteau, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Elsa Maxwell, and Arthur Rubinstein. All were guests at the castle.

Even between the two world wars, Maria Ruspoli Gramont lived for many years in Vigoleno. A stone embedded in the castle’s terrace garden commemorates her admirable restoration work. However, her lavish and eclectic lifestyle and the castle’s restoration cost her the fortune she had inherited from her first husband, the elderly Duke Antoine XI Agenor de Gramont: in 1935, after squandering her wealth, she returned to France and married François Victor Hugo (1889–1981), the writer’s son. However, this marriage was not a happy one either and ended in divorce.

Curiosity

In 1933, the Surrealist artist Max Ernst spent a vacation in Vigoleno at the princess’s invitation: there he painted “The Embalmed Forest” ( oil on canvas, 162x253 cm), now housed at the Menil Collection in Houston: a frottage in which the perfect fusion of the greens, yellows, and blues of the plants in the foreground with the azure and emerald green of the sky creates a mystical and unsettling atmosphere.

Another woman protagonist this time of a story of blood, intrigue and passion. Legend has it that the ghost of the beautiful Laura Della Vigna, who with her lover Sergio was beheaded here, still wanders around the prisons of the Rocca Viscontea in Castell'Arquato.

In 1620, in fact, Cardinal Sforza condemned to death the alleged conspirators of his Lordship, the brave Sergio Montale and his servant Arturo Galatti known as Spadone; but the two prisoners are made free to flee by the jailer's daughter, the beautiful Laura, who steals the keys from her father and runs away with them. Of the three, discovered and captured by a rejected lover of the young woman and murderer of her father, only Spadone will be able to get away and subsequently avenge the unhappy couple, however, ending his days in the prisons of the Rocca.

To choose restaurants, producers, accommodation and various services, you can visit the food & wine product network on the website of Tourist Destination Emilia.