Meli Lupi Castle is located in the town of Soragna, 33 km from Parma, founded by the Marquises Bonifacio and Antonio Lupi, is the luxurious residence of the princes of Meli Lupi who still live there. The castle was built in 1385 by the Marquises Bonifacio and Antonio Lupi, who received the land from Charles IV. The Lupi family (later the Meli family was related to them) ruled the small state of Soragna since the 13th century. The castle has been owned by the ancient Meli Lupi family (the family name means “apples” and “wolves” and these motifs are reflected in the family coat of arms). The eldest son in the family always received the title of prince. The last of the heirs of Italy’s influential family
Meli Lupi is 74-year-old Diofebo IV. He has the official title of prince, a very high rank in the hierarchy of titles, higher only than king. Prince Diofebo VI welcomes visitors to his home and shows the rich rooms decorated with original Baroque furniture and magnificent frescoes by the artists Nicola Dell’Abbate, Cesare Baglione, Ferdinando and Francesco Galli Bibiena.
Meli Lupi Castle in Soragna is not at all like the classical castles we think of, it has no crenellated walls and numerous towers. The castle in Soragna is located in the centre of the town, it is heavy in appearance, has a classic rectangular shape with a courtyard and its facade resembles an ordinary house. But it is this castle that impressed us the most and this is primarily due to the fact that it is a private castle, where the owner, Prince Diofebo IV, still lives. The castle has a splendid interior, it has an endless number of rarities of real historical value and here history, art and the life of a family that has lived here for more than 600 years have merged into a single whole.
You will see the Hall of Grotesques (fantastic subjects painted in the 16th century on the walls and on the vault), the Hall of Arms, the Red Hall, the Gallery of Ancestors. On the first floor, the Baroque Apartment, the large and small galleries show visitors high quality furniture and jewellery telling the history of the dynasty. The Poets’ Gallery leads to the belvedere, which overlooks the private English-style garden surrounding the castle on three sides.
All the furniture is real, the 16th-17th century frescoes and the mouldings, especially in the hall of the Apotheosis of the dynasty by Meli Lupi, show the fine taste of the client.
The castle is also haunted by a ghost, nicknamed Madonna Cenerina – Cassandra Marinoni, wife of Marquis Diofebo II, who was stabbed with a dagger in the second half of the 16th century. It is said that her ghost still roams the halls of the castle in search of solace, and is often accompanied by unusual apparitions. Prince Diofebo VI tells of how she helped him on more than one occasion during difficult moments in his life.
