Ferrovie Emilia Romagna
Tper
Trenitalia

Railway station

Railway line

Reggio Emilia - Sassuolo
Reggio Emilia - Reggio Ospizio - Bosco - Pratissolo - Scandiano - Chiozza - Casalgrande - Dinazzano - Villalunga - Veggia - Sassuolo Radici

Information

800 198 637 - Information about trains
840 00 216 - Information about urban and suburban buses: call center Seta www.setaweb.it

The service is active Monday-Saturday from 07:00 a.m. to 07:00 p.m.; Sunday from 08:20 a.m. to 05:00 p.m.

Timetable of extra-urban routes

Transport service

Phone

840 000 216 - Contact Center Seta (Monday-Saturday from 07:00 a.m. to 07:00 p.m.; Sunday from 09:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m., closed on weekday holidays)
840 151 152 - Railway Call Center

Tickets can also be purchased in the tobacconist shops (tabaccheria).

Here are the maps of the 32 Municipalities of the local editorial staff of Reggio Emilia:

Altitude: 93 m
Inhabitants: 19.980 (updated to December 31, 2022)
Post code: 42013
Weekly market day: Thursday
Hamlets: Dinazzano, Salvaterra, San Donnino (Villa Spalletti), Sant'Antonino, Veggia

Contacts

0039 0522 998511 - Town Hall
Town Hall of Casalgrande

How to get there

Casalgrande

By car
From Reggio Emilia exit of A1 Motorway: National Road SS467 in the direction of Scandiano-Sassuolo.
From Reggio Emilia take National Road 9 in the direction of Modena, turning right at Rubiera to Casalgrande (National Road 486).

By train
From Reggio Emilia Railway Station: Reggio Emilia-Sassuolo local train service.

By bus
From Reggio Emilia, Piazzale Europa: bus No. 96 or 68.

Location

Casalgrande is a municipality in the foothill area of the Province of Reggio Emilia to the south west of the administrative centre, on the left bank of the River Secchia.
It was a predominantly agricultural territory until the 1960s; from the 1970s it has formed part of the biggest and most important ceramics district in Italy, together with Sassuolo, Fiorano Modenese and Castellarano.

Reasons to visit

Casalgrande maintains its historical part to the south of the main road, around the old castle, which was perhaps already existing in 1200.
What now remains of the Castle (at Casalgrande Alto) is a fortified palace dating to the XV century, with two square towers, machicolation-based defences and remains of battlements. The small town corresponds to the historical name of Boglioni, where the more recent town centre has developed.

Keeping fit

For activities in the open, a walk in the La Riserva park should not be missed; it is a natural green area used as local park with an altitude ranging from 150 to 384 metres above sea level.
The La Riserva park has a rich and varied vegetation with a network of small paths created inside it, thanks to local volunteers, going in different directions for a length of almost four kilometres and which lead to three stopping points called "Fontanina”, “Martinella” and “Quagliodromo La Riserva”.
There is also the Secchia Park in Villalunga, where events and festivals also take place.

Entertainments

The De Andrè Theatre is a cultural centre and meeting place with theatre, dance and music programmes.

Events

Casalgrande Jazz Festival - Half of July
Jazz concerts with the participation of important national and international musicians.

September Festival - Second and third week of September
Concerts, performances, sports tournaments and exhibitions.

In the vicinity

There are notable examples of rural and noble settlements in the neighbourhood of Casalgrande and in the nearby villages.
Not to missed among these is a tour of Villa Spalletti dating back to the XVII-XVIII centuries, surrounded by a fine park; in the district of Salvaterra is the Castle built in the XII century; the Dinazzano tower (XIV century) stands on a hill; it is the only remains of an important fortified estate, from which is a beautiful view of the Reggio Emilia and Modena plain.

Anyone traveling along the Pedemontana road which leads from Reggio Emilia to Sassuolo, near the Casalgrande Padana production centre, can find two spectacular new landmarks which interrupt the hilly landscape of Reggio Emilia: the Casalgrande Ceramic Cloud, the first Italian work designed by the Japanese Kengo Kuma and the Casalgrande Ceramic Crown by architect Daniel Libeskind, a monolith as tall as a five-story building.

Useful links

• The castle of Casalgrande
• Where to stay in Casalgrande
• Where to eat in Casalgrande
• All files of Casalgrande

Via Franceschini, 11 - 42013 Casalgrande
Phone 0039 0522 980126
Mobile +39 348 4450480
corte@cortespalletti.net

Opening times

Available for visits upon request

How to get there

By car
From Reggio Emilia exit of A1 Motorway: National Road SS467 in the direction of Scandiano/sassuolo.
Alternatively from Reggio Emilia take National Road 9 in the direction of Modena, turning right at Rubiera for Casalgrande (National Road 486).

By train
From Reggio Emilia railway station: Reggio Emilia/Sassuolo local train service

By bus
From Reggio Emilia, Piazzale Europa buses n. 96 or 68

Historical notes

It belonged to the Marquis Carlantonio Giannini, Secretary of State to the Duke of Modena, an important position in the House of Este. When the Giannini family died out the property and the villa were sold to the Trivelli family. At the beginning of the 19th century the Spalletti family inherited the property, to whom it still belongs. The present structure of the villa, the park, and the various annexe buildings are the result of a series of restructuring projects carried out starting in the middle of the 19th century, when the villa was transformed to its current layout. The villa has a tripartite façade with a joining body at the two square-tower wings that are placed slightly forward.
The façade is marked by four pilaster strips with capitals and surmounted by a scroll pediment with a central clock and “acroteri”. On the roof is a tower with a railed balcony around it.
The villa is surrounded by a large park with woods, sheds, ponds, greenhouses, stable (recently restored to use for conferences and ceremonies), and an oratory dedicated to “Mater Pietatis,” built towards the end of the 19th century.
The large English-style park was designed by the renowned botanist and landscapist Achille Villoresi, director of the Royal Park of Monza (1868). Among the other buildings on the estate are the farm buildings enclosing a courtyard, the land agent’s house, and a shooting lodge.
In 1887 Villa Spalletti was the seat of the “great manoeuvres of the Italian Army.” The King and Queen of Italy, along with their entire General Staff, were guests at the villa in that occasion.

via Castello

42013 Casalgrande

A marble slab removed from the tower in 1704 and bearing the legend, "Liutprandi rege felicissimo" has led to the hypothesis that the castle was founded by the Lombard king Liutprandi, in the first half of the 7th century.
Modern historians believe the inscription to be the fruit of beguiling legend, and agree in attributing the building of the castle to the Guidelli family. Although the family were lords of the territory in the 8th century, the typology of the buildings suggests a later date but does not exclude the existence of a pre-existing building.
From 1335 the castle was under the dominion of the Fogliani family who despite family disputes maintained control of Casalgrande until 1409. In that year Nicolo' d'Este, having decided to punish the alliance between Carlo Fogliani and his enemy Otto Terz, stormed and conquered the stronghold in Casalgrande.
Casalgrande, together with Dinazzano, Salvaterra, and Montebabbio, were given
four years later to Alberto della Sala, a nobleman of Ferrara, by the Marquis of Este. In 1444 the Este family repossessed Casalgrande and in 1452 they gave it in fiefdom to Feltrino Boiardo, lord of Scandiano. Rivalry between the Este family and Ottavio Farnese during the course of the 16th century had negative repercussions on the destiny of Casalgrande. In fact the castle was besieged in 1557 by Spanish troops led by Farnese and, assisted by a fire accidentally started in the castle's ammunition, he managed to storm the stronghold and set fire to the defenceless castle. Despite the violence of the attack the resistance opposed by the castle's defenders was memorable.
After this disaster Count Ottavio Thiene, whose family ruled the castle until 1622, commissioned new fortifications following the style of the pre-existing building. In the years following the castle was ruled by the lords Marchesi Enzo and Cornalio Bentivoglio until 1643, by the Estensi Family, and by the Marquis Giambattista de Mari who governed from1750 to 1777. At his death the fiefdom of Casalgrande retuned to the Ducal chambers. Purchased in 1782 by Giovanni Grulli, it was ceded by him to Taddeo Croce for half the sum he paid.
The last owners of the buildings comprising the castle and the castle village of Casalgrande are the Grimaldi family, whilst the comune owns the East door and the Pretorio Tower.
The remains of the tower consist in a rural 15th-century court of elliptical shape, of which part was used for military residential purposes and part for agricultural use. The fortified residence has two square towers with window slits connected by a central building. The entrance tower has remains of crenellations and a door with grooves for a drawbridge. At the centre of the tower, which can be entered from the large courtyard with central well, there is a worn coat of arms on the wall. This tower in past times had a bell, now to be found in the tower of the parish church, which was used to warn the inhabitants of the "castrum" of imminent dangers. Outside, on the old path which led to the village below, can be seen the Oratory of San Sebastian, built in 1479 and now used as a hay-barn.
The building is on a simple plan with a double-pitched roof supported by a cornice of eaves in brickwork laid out in a saw-tooth pattern. Inside, wooden beams are visible and an interesting altarpiece with cherubs is conserved.

Route with many different roads, with paved roads, gravel, dirt tracks and cobblestone into the city centres. Low difficulty.
You can follow the route entirely or only some parts.

Route length: 33,6 km.
Difficulty: low. The route is designed upon mainly country roads and low-traffic areas. Pay attention to crossroads and roundabouts.

Pay particular attention on these segments:

- Casalgrande: via Berlinguer. Estimated segment length: 200 metres.
- Scandiano (in the town of Arceto): Via per Casalgrande/SP66. Estimated segment length: 900 metres.
- Rubiera: all the town centre.

route description

As Giacomo Leopardi (one of the most famous poets of Italian Literature) said: "But sitting and gazing out, endless spaces beyond, and supernatural silences I can conjure up, and that deepest quiet, in which the heart comes neigh to fear".

From the highest point of Casalgrande Alto Castle we can really understand what Leopardi felt, sitting there on that lonely hill that overlooked everything.
From the Casalgrande hill we can admire all the immensity of the Pianura Padana, so silent from up here yet so bustling once we descend into it. In some clear days, stretch our eyes until the Alps, on the other side.
This route crosses all the Reggio high plain, starting from Casalgrande and ending in Correggio, the main centre for the Reggio Lowland.

We start then from the town centre of Casalgrande, heading north and plunging ourselves into the Great Plain. After some kilometres among country roads and farmhouses, we pass near Villa Spalletti Trivelli, scenic location now used for weddings, located into the small hamlet of San Donnino di Liguria. This amazing villa of the 17th century was built by Spalletti family, originally from Southern Switzerland and restored during the 1800s, with the creation of the wonderful English Garden, still visible today. In 1887 this villa hosted the Royal Family of Italy, with the King Umberto I of Savoy and Queen Margherita.

Continuing on the road flanking Tresinaro Stream, we now arrive in Rubiera, last Reggio municipality before the Province of Modena. Turning right we merge on the cyclable network that brings to the Natural Reserve of Secchia River, vital place for migrating birds and wildlife for the whole Pianura Padana. If you want to discover more about this strategical area, you can visit Corte Ospitale in Rubiera, information center for the Secchia Park with environmental education excursions, infographics, interactive experiences and so much more.

Our route then continues near La Garzaia (The Heronry), main birdwatching spot for the entire park, admiring a plethora of endemic and migrating birds.

Overpassing the Curiel Lakes, we now are into the Municipality of Campogalliano (Province of Modena), here we cross the bridge over the A1 Motorway and the High Speed railway. Once down from the bridge, we continue in parallel to the National Routes onto the service road and, turning right, we continue our route in the middle of the Plain.

We now reach San Martino in Rio, with the mighty Rocca Estense (Estense Castle). If you want to stop by, the Agriculture Museum (located inside the Rocca) deserves a visit.

Exiting from the town, we then arrive in Correggio, small capital of the homonymous County before and Dukedom after. This is the ending point of our route. The main landmark surely is the Palazzo dei Principi (Princes' Palace), home of the public library and of the museum dedicated to the famous painter Antonio Allegri, also known as Il Correggio, who was born here. Other monuments that deserve credit are Asioli Theatre, San Francesco Church, and the medieval fortress.

Our route ends here, the mountains and the hills where we started our journey are nowhere to be seen, there is only a line dividing the ground and the sky. In windy clear days though, those same mountains peep out from that line, demonstrating that they are always there, at the end of this endless space.

how to arrive

It is possible to follow the entire route or starting from one of the many passage points, following GPX tracks (for GPS devices or apps supporting this files), KML (for Google Earth) or the PDF map.

Reaching Casalgrande:

- by car: from Reggio Emilia onto SP66 to Scandiano and SP52 to Casalgrande/Sassuolo.

- by train: from Reggio Emilia FS with Regional Train of Trenitalia TPER to Sassuolo Radici on Reggio-Sassuolo line,  Casalgrande station.

Reaching Rubiera:

- by car: from Reggio Emilia onto SS9 Via Emilia to Rubiera and Modena

- by train: from Reggio Emilia FS with Regional Train of Trenitalia TPER to Bologna Centrale/Rimini/Pesaro/Ancona on Milano-Bologna line, Rubiera station.

Reaching San Martino in Rio:

- by car: from Reggio Emilia onto SS722 Tangenziale di Reggio and SP468R di Correggio

- with public transportation: from Reggio Emilia Autostazione - P.le Europa/CIM take bus no. 41 of SETA Lines to Correggio, arriving in San Martino in Rio/Via Roma bus stop.

Reaching Correggio:

- by car: from Reggio Emilia tramite SS722 Tangenziale di Reggio and SP468R di Correggio

- with public transportation: from Reggio Emilia Autostazione - P.le Europa/CIM take bus no. 43 di SETA to Rolo, arriving in Correggio

route tracks

Map in PDF (opens PDF)

Track in GPX (for GPS devices and GPX-supporting apps)

Track in KML (for Google Earth)

Ingredients

300 g of our pastry
300 g of dried fruit
300 g of sugar beet
A cup of liquor
A pinch of baking powder
4 whole eggs
2 teaspoons of coffee
20 grams of cocoa
1 cup of espresso

How to do

Roll out the pastry and line a mold of 28 cm, then chop the nuts in a mortar and mix in a bowl the eggs, one at a time and dried fruit, add the remaining ingredients and mix until blended. Pour the mixture over the pastry and bake at 170 ° C for 40 minutes.

Theatre

Possibility to rent the theater space. For agreements call the telephone number 0522 1880040 during the ticketing hours.

How to get there

Casalgrande

By car
From Reggio Emilia exit of A1 Motorway: National Road SS467 in the direction of Scandiano/sassuolo.
Alternatively from Reggio Emilia take National Road SS9 in the direction of Modena, turning right at Rubiera for Casalgrande (National Road SS486).

From Reggio Emilia railway station Reggio Emilia/Sassuolo local train service

Distance from Reggio Emilia: 17 km