Rocca fifteenth-century, is one of the largest and best preserved complexes in Italy. There is a meeting room for 30 to 60 seats and weddings and gala dinners are celebrated (in agreement with the Superintendence for Architectural Heritage of Emilia-Romagna and Bologna).
Castello di Torrechiara History
The castle of Torrechiara stands on the hills for centuries cultivated with vineyards of the homonymous village, near Langhirano, in a strategic position that allows you to perfectly dominate the entire valley below where the river Parma flows.
Built between 1448 and 1460 by the count of San Secondo, Pier Maria de 'Rossi II, it had to have both a defensive function controlling the plains he accesses from Liguria and Tuscany, both to act as a noble residence for him and his beloved Bianca Pellegrini from Arluno. The building that shows strong influence of the Sforza-Visconti castles, thus blends defensive and residential structures.
The complex, composed of the manor and the ancient village, is built on a walled platform placed on a terraced hill and is bordered by a double moat with drawbridges; Although subject to various restorations and enlargements, it retains the imposing bulk of the late Middle Ages, with its square-shaped towers connected to each other by a double wall with Ghibelline battlements.
The interior of the castle is richly decorated with frescoed rooms, mainly with fantastic, naturalistic and grotesque themes and the names of the rooms recall the main theme of the fresco.
The most famous of the rooms is undoubtedly the splendid Camera d'Oro, frescoed by the painter Benedetto Bembo, considered one of the highest artistic expressions of international Gothic present in Italy: the room celebrates the triumph of the love of the two young gentlemen of the place, but also mythological and historical figures with which Pier Maria shared virtues and values: Hercules and Samson, symbols of physical strength, and Terence and Virgil symbols of intellect and culture.
The castle is home to numerous events and festive shows, including the Torrechiara Festival and is often used, for its excellent conservation and unique atmosphere, as a movie set of films such as Ladyharke by Richar Donner.
The restaurant "Taverna del Castello" in the manor, has a structure that can accommodate 120 guests inside and as many outside in the summer garden, surrounded by beautiful scenery that runs along the walls of the castle. Renowned for its quality - present in the most prestigious guides in the industry, from Veronelli to Michelin - has for decades been a destination for tourists and loyal customers looking for a restaurant divorced from the stress of the city and a cuisine that combines the Parmesan tradition with gastronomic novelties .