Tour of the Meli Lupi Castle in Soragna:
20 kilometres south of Parma stands the magnificent castle of Torrechiara. Over the past five centuries, the castle has remained virtually unchanged in appearance. It is one of the most famous examples of Italian castle art. The location of Torrechiara is also extremely picturesque, with beautiful hills and vineyards all around. But the castle is interesting not only for its towers. It was built by a famous military leader for his mistress, and there is a romantic story behind it all.
The castle was built by Count Pierre Maria de Rossi II. The count was born in 1413 in the castle of San Secondo near Parma. He became a famous condottiere. Condottiers were military leaders who commanded a band of mercenaries.
Pierre Maria was not an ordinary commander, but a very famous military leader. It was not for nothing that he earned the nickname the Magnificent. Rossi successfully defeated the Venetians on the side of Milan, supporting the Dukes Visconti and then Sforza. At the height of his power, the Count built several castles. One of them was the castle of Torrechiara.
What does love have to do with it? Pierre Maria married at the age of 15 the maiden Antonia, daughter of the rather famous condottiere and Count Guido Torelli. Antonia’s mother was of the Visconti family, owners of Milan. Things got quite bad in the marriage when Pierre Maria met a beautiful maid of honour, Bianca Pellegrini, at the Visconti court in Milan. They met in Milan and both were not free, but their love rebelled against the proprieties of the time and they lived together in the castle of Torrechiara until their deaths.
Pierre Maria began building the castle of Torrechiara in 1448, 8 years after meeting Bianca. The castle was completed in 1460.
The count bequeathed the castle to Bianca’s son and her lawful husband formally. The castle was taken away during the war with Milan. It changed hands for a long time until it settled in the possession of the Sforza family in the mid-16th century. In 1909, the Sforza’s sold the castle.
The new owner sold the entire interior of the castle. Two years later Torrechiara was taken over by the state.
The castle stands on top of a 278 metre high hill in the Val Parma valley. The castle is a square with strong towers and walls. The castle was once surrounded by three walls. The first one was at the foot of the hill (not preserved). The second one surrounded the village. The walls were partially rebuilt in the 16th century. There were also two defence moats with lifting bridges. All the towers have their own name. The highest one is the Lion Tower. It is named in honour of the coat of arms of the Rossi family. Another tower is called the Lily Tower – in honour of the Bianchi family coat of arms. The tower on the right with the gallery is the Golden Tower. It is so named because inside it is the famous Golden Room.
The interior is luxuriously painted with 16th century frescoes in the “grotesque” style, imitating the ancient Roman frescoes of Nero’s Golden House in Rome. On the first floor, visitors can admire the Golden Room, with 15th-century frescoes on the walls and on the vault telling the love story of Pera Maria and Bianchi.
