Between the Po river and the Apennine mountains south of Parma and Piacenza lie a series of wonderfully preserved castles that demand the traveler's attention. This is also the main production area for Parma hams (almost all are produced here) as well as Parmigiano cheese and Colli di Parma wines. You can't go wrong on a visit here.
The best preserved castle is called Torrechiara. The castle is almost unchanged since the 15th century, when it was built by Pier Maria Rossi upon the ruins of a fortress house 80 meters above the valley floor. The entry charge of 3 Euros makes it a bargain. Every room awash in "grotesque" frescoes, my favorite being those in the Salon degli Acrobati (Acrobat's Room), where naked acrobats perform impossible feats of fantasy atop lions. In other rooms, fantasy scenes combining animals, plants and people are strung out over every surface. A note in one of the rooms remarks that the term "grotesque" derives from "grotto-esque", referring to the works found in ancient grottoes such as those attributed to Titus and Traianus Thormae.
After your visit, you may wish for a little refreshment. There is an excellent bar/restaurant in the borgo just outside the castle walls called Taverna del Castello. On a recent visit we had an excellent meal here starting with the local Culatello (a cured ham like prosciutto crudo, but consisting of just the center muscle of the ham) followed by a delightful baby chicken dish and a stuffed rabbit with plums and pancetta. The Taverna has rooms to rent, many with an excellent view of the countryside below, at rates of 95 Euros for a double, 65 Euros for a single (2004 prices). There is also a bar featuring the regional wines of the hills of Parma.
Taverna del Castello
Via del Castello 25
Torrechiara - Parma
Telephone: 0521 355015
Fax: 0521 355849
Web: www.tavernadelcastello.it
Tips for visiting other castles of Parma and Piacenza
There is a tourist office inside the Castle of Torrechiara. Stop in and pick up the brochure titled "Castelli del Ducato di Parma e Piacenza." It comes in either Italian or English versions. This is without a doubt one of the best tourism brochures ever written. It will give you a map and information on the 19 castles of the region, as well as information on "The Card", which gives you a Euro discount on each castle you visit. A card costs 2 Euros.On the back of the brochure is a two page list of all the places you can stay within ancient walls or inside old villas and monasteries. Near the fortress of Castell' Arquato and Vigoleno is the Conservatorio Villaggi, for example, an ex-monastery turned into a hostel, open on holidays from April to May, then continuously from June until November. Phone 0523 805245 (add 001 39 when calling from the US) for information.
For general information regarding this region, see the Associazione Castelli del Ducatto de Parma and Piacenza website, www.castellidelducato.it.
Castle Lodging
Here are some places where you can live like a king and queen, or maybe an abbot.Castello di Rezzanello
Castello di Vigoleno
Relais FontevivoCistercian Abbey with rooms and restaurant
Touristic and Cultural Events at the Castle of Torrechiara
Torrechiara Festival - Court Feast, Village Life, 20th of June, 2004Feast of Fools - Crazies' Fair (First Sunday in September) featuring acrobats, musicians, jugglers, men on stilts, and crazy inventors.
Prosciutto Festival (last week-end of August)
European Heritage Days (End of September)
