Castles to visit Italy

To the south-east of the village, a 124-step staircase leads up to the Château de Vernazza. Today, the castle ruins are the only vestige of the enclosure that once surrounded the entire village. A high circular tower, built in the ^13th century, dominates land and sea atop a 70-metre-high rocky spur. From here, there's a breathtaking view of the horizon, the blue expanse of the sea, Monterosso al Mare in the distance, and the village of Corniglia to the left.

Built in 1060, a fortress castle, with its three powerful towers. One of them houses the ethnographic museum of the city.

Overlooking the village, a beautiful fortified castle, restored by Frédéric II in the thirteenth century as part of the fortification program of the coast of Pules. He has now become the headquarters of the merchant navy.

In the tower of this castle, 800 Swiss soldiers were burned alive by French soldiers. After the defeat of Pavia and before being made prisoner, François I found refuge on a farm in the vicinity where a peasant was cooking soup. According to the use of the time, soups were consumed in a bowl with soaked bread. Intimidated by the high rank of the king and wanting to make beautiful figure, the peasants ran to the chicken hen, took two eggs and broke them directly in hot soup. This was one of the most typical recipes of the region, the pavese pavese, which is still preparing today with hot broth, crusts of dry bread and fresh egg.

Medieval (th and th centuries), a square shape, dominates the city.

There is a deviation from the N 484 road, to taste the wine of Baron Ricasoli, the legendary character of the region. Cultivated around the imposing castle of the th century, which also hosts a agriturismo centre, the wine is sold to the Casa vinicola Barone Ricasoli.

Surrounded by the main square, it was built during the th century.

It was built between 1437 and 1446 at the behest of Sigismondo Malatesta, Lord of Rimini, who would have designed the plans and benefited from the advice of the great Florentine architect Brunelleschi. This imposing fortress, the seat of a garrison, also housed the court of Sigismondo and symbolized his supremacy over the city. The castle has undergone major changes during its history and only the central part remains today. If it is not visited, it regularly hosts exhibitions and various events.

The impressive Rocca di Vignola stands on the headland of the Panaro River. Founded by the abbots of Nonantola in the 9th century, it then passed from hand to hand, starting with the bishops of Modena. It was in the 13th century that it became an important stronghold when many disputes existed between the families of Bologna and Modena. The Estensi of Ferrara put an end to these quarrels in the 15th century, when it underwent numerous alterations to be transformed into a stately residence. In the 16th century it became the property of the Boncompagni family who lived there until the middle of the 20th century. The main political and social bodies of the town were developed here: town hall, library... It is now managed by the Vignola Foundation, which is in charge of the delicate work of restoring the magnificent frescoes that decorate most of the walls of the fortress. The latter, a still little-known masterpiece, represents a spectacle worthy of the greatest medieval stages. Unique in their genre, they combine art and military architecture. From the inner courtyard, which can be reached by a drawbridge, you can visit the underground passages, the rooms decorated with paintings, and walk along the parapet walk that connects the massive corner towers.

Opposite the Rocca, Palazzo Boncompagni is an elegant Renaissance palace, built on a project by the architect Jacopo Barozzi, a native of Vignola. Its particularity is its totally suspended spiral staircase.