Timetable of extra-urban routes
Suburban bus service.
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
It is also possible to purchase tickets at tobacco shops.
Here are the maps of the 32 Municipalities of the local editorial staff of Reggio Emilia:
Reggio nell'Emilia
Albinea
Bagnolo in Piano
Bibbiano
Boretto
Brescello
Cadelbosco Sopra
Campagnola Emilia
Campegine
Casalgrande
Castellarano
Castelnovo Sotto
Cavriago
Correggio
Fabbrico
Gattatico
Gualtieri
Guastalla
Luzzara
Montecchio Emilia
Novellara
Poviglio
Quattro Castella
Reggiolo
Rio Saliceto
Rolo
Rubiera
San Martino in Rio
San Polo d'Enza
Sant'Ilario d'Enza
Scandiano
Vezzano sul Crostolo
Altitude: 27 m
Inhabitants: 8.511 (updated to December 31st, 2022)
Post Code: 42024
Patron Saint: Sant'Andrea (November 30)
Weekly market day: Monday
Hamlets: Cogruzzo, Meletole, San Savino
0039 0522 485711 - Town Hall
Town Hall of Castelnovo di Sotto
Castelnovo di Sotto
By car
A1 motorway, exit Terre di Canossa-Campegine: follow signs to Castelnovo di Sotto-Poviglio.
A22 motorway, exit Reggiolo: follow signs for Guastalla and Gualtieri. It is possible to reach Castelnovo di Sotto from Gualtieri through the districts of Santa Vittoria and Meletole.
By bus
Daily service from Reggio Emilia, Piazzale Europa: bus No. 93.
The Municipality of Castelnovo di Sotto is located 15 km from Reggio Emilia, to the north west.
The first document referring to the existence of the town dates back to 980 AD.
It is a brief reference to a sale of land occurring in “Castronovum”.
The town then formed part of the lands of vassals to the Canossa family.
It later passed to the Da Correggio family. Before this date, between 800 and 900 AD, the area had been invaded by the Hungarian Gauls.
This appears to be the period when the first castle was built - an extremely simple construction.
In 1200 it became a genuine fortress which, over the time, acquired the characteristics associated with a noble seat.
This was the home of the Da Correggio family until 1800.
Castelnovo then passed to the Visconti family and to Ottobono Terzi.
The shifting fortunes of history saw the area under the rule of either the Da Correggio or Este family up to 1600.
In the middle of the XVII century Castelnovo di Sotto passed to the Gherardini of Verona when the Duke Francesco d’Este sold the lands in 1652.
The rule of the Gherardini ended with the coming of the French.
After the end of the Napoleonic period the town passed to the Este family which maintained their power up to 1859.
It became a free municipality after the Unification of Italy.
The town centre is characterized by the long main street of the town with porticoed houses and the IX-century Fortress which reveals its castle-based origins.
The Beata Vergine della Misericordia Church contains XVII-century canvases from the Po River valley, including the Birth of the Virgin by Lionello Spada and the Crucifixion by Palma the Young.
In February during the Carnival period when a very important event is held: the “Castlein” Carnival, with a parade of floats and masks, famous all over the country.
The Carnival mask Museum, a documentation and research centre, with antique metal moulds and original plaster models, and the Old Corking machines Museum, with almost 300 old corking machines (from 1600 to 1950) and items of historical interest associated with wine bottling.
Carnival - February
Parades of gigantic floats, masked groups, musical performances and gastronomic events.
Horse Festival - Second Sunday of April
Games and attractions in the square, fun fair, market stands.
Sant'Andrea Festival - Last weekend of November
Open market, funfair, sports and recreational events, exhibitions.
Via Repubblica, 2 - 42024 Castelnovo di Sotto 0039 0522 682018 - Mr Silvano Perseguiti
Museo delle Tappatrici d'epoca
Everyday upon phone arrangement only.
Free entrance
Castelnovo di Sotto
By car
A1 motorway, exit Terre di Canossa/Campegine: follow signs for Castelnovo di Sotto/Poviglio.
A22 motorway, exit Reggiolo: follow signs for Guastalla and Gualtieri. Castelnovo di Sotto can be reached from Gualtieri through the districts of Santa Vittoria and Meletole.
By bus
Daily service from Reggio Emilia, Piazzale Europa bus No. 93
The corking machines are the tools used to cork the bottle of wine that means, in this area, mostly Lambrusco e Malvasia, the most bottled, well known and 'drunk' wines of the Province.
The Museum gathers more than 300 corking machines from different times and places and it is an authentic rarity in Italy.
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Piazza IV Novembre, 1 - 42024 Castelnovo di Sotto 0039 0522 485736-485740-682533 - Town Council/Culture Department
cultura@comune.castelnovo-di-sotto.re.it Carnival Mask Museum
The tour of the Museum has to be booked in advance, by calling the Culture Department. Possibility of free tour at the opening times of the Town Council, or guided tour of the staff of the association "Al Castlein". Extraordinary openings are usually scheduled during the Carnival days, S. Andrea Festival (November 30) and the Horse Festival (second Sunday of April).
Free entrance
By car
A1 motorway: Terre di Canossa-Campegine exit: follow road signs to Castelnovo di Sotto-Poviglio.
A22 motorway, Reggiolo exit: follow road signs to Guastalla and Gualtieri. It is possible to reach Castelnovo di Sotto from Gualtieri through the districts of Santa Vittoria and Meletole.
By bus
Daily service from Reggio Emilia, Piazzale Europa: bus No. 93.
The Museum hosts a unique cultural heritage made of 222 pieces, gathered in Castelnovo di Sotto because of the presence of the factory of masks (founded by Prospero Guatteri in 1810 and active until 1933), well known since the beginning of its activity for the high quality of the products realized and the skills in exporting the masks in several European countries.
]]>Via Canonica, 3 - 42024 Castelnovo di Sotto
Phone 0039 0522 682907
San Francesco Pastoral unity
See the indication to reach Castelnovo di Sotto
According to some historians, Adalberto Canossa, Lord of Castelnovo, ordered the original church to be demolished in order to replace it with a bigger one.
His successor, Teodaldo, subsequently raised it to the status of a parish church. In 1631, thanks to a request by the parish priest, the Pope granted the church the status of a Rural Deanery, whereupon it was separated from the district of Campegine. Demolition works on the old church started in 1650, in order to build a new and bigger temple of worship on the same site. The 1832 earthquake caused the collapse of the attic, which was subsequently reconstructed together with the façade. While the church has no architecturally significant features, it reflects the architectural canons of minor religious buildings in the 18th century.
Piazza Prampolini - 42024 Castelnovo di Sotto
Phone 0039 0522 485711 or 0522 683780 - Municipality
See the indication to reach Castelnovo di Sotto.
The oratory, which subsequently became the current church, was dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin to replace the previous one that had collapsed and works were completed in 1598.
Starting at the beginning of 1600, the church interior was decorated, by some of the major Italian artists of the period, including Lorenzo Franchini (Our Lady of the Rosary, 1602), Palma il Giovane (The Crucifixion, 1614), and Lionello Spada (Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, 1616).
Between the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th centuries, four out of the seven altars have been embellished with frontals in polychrome scagliola.
Following the 1806 earthquake, the façade was raised. The façade paintwork is attributed to the scene-painter from Reggio Emilia Cesare Cervi and dated to the year 1869.
Despite the abundant use of conventional decorative features such as garlands, niches, corbels, and false parameters, the building is nevertheless well-structured and harmonious as a whole.
The false entrance hall on the side of the current Via Gramsci is quite striking, in contrast to the upper part of the façade which is softened by a pre-existing window and false niches.
The angle of the façade turned toward the right enhances the lengthened perspective of the church front.
The "Church of the Madonna" is the property of the local Council of Castelnovo Sotto.
From the mid-1990s, the church has provided the venue for several cultural initiatives, including exhibits and classical music concerts sponsored by the Council. The church is used for specific religious functions such as weddings and rites dedicated to the Madonna.
Piazza IV Novembre - 42024 Castelnovo di Sotto
+39 0522 485711 - Municipality
info@comune.castelnovo-di-sotto.re.it
The castle is visitable upon previous arrangement only
See the indication to reach Castelnovo di Sotto
The "castle moat" or "The Moat of the Citadel" can be easily identified on an ancient map; a circular hollow whose contour formed a boundary and protected the small fort of Castelnuovo, built in 1318 by Giberto Correggio, and which now encircles the town centre. A second ditch separated the village from the fort and was used as a second line of defence. Although the fortifications date from the 1300s, an anonymous account attributes the building of a fort named "Castelnovo" to Sigifredo da Lucca in the year 897.
Dominion of Castelnovo, with the death of its lord, was inherited by Atto Canossa. The illustrious family started on a building project to better equip the fort and make it more impregnable. The Canossa sovereignty lasted until Arrigo IV stripped the countess Matilda of her power and ceded the castle and its lands to the brothers Pietro and Giberto of Corrreggio, who possessed other dominions nearby. These two feudal lords modified the castle, enlarging it and improving its appearance, and also began work on land reclamation in the area around the castle village.
The following years were punctuated by dramatic events for Castelnovo: besieged in 1305 and taken by the troops of Azzo I d'Este, lord of Ferrara, then subject to even more violent attack by the soldiers of Giberto Da Correggio. Forced to capitulate after 24 days of fighting the fort was again taken and razed to the ground.
Having re-occupied the stronghold, Giberto in 1318, ordered the building of a new castle on the old foundations. A memorial stone bears testament to this cruel era with the initials "S.I." written on a shield which is wrapped in the traditional coverings once used. This plaque, commissioned by Da Correggio to commemorate the help he received from the bishop of Parma, Obizzone I San Vitale and from his brother Pietro, in the struggle against the Lombards, can now be found at the entrance to the castle. During the 1300s the castle was several times destroyed and rebuilt owing to insistent sieges and attacks by the troops of Gonzaga. In 1345 an earthquake further damaged the fort.
The powers of the Da Correggio sovereignty were interrupted several times in the following century owing to their uncertain political allegiances during the conflicts between various sovereignties of the time.
In1479 the territory of Castelnovo was sold to Duke Ercole I, who began work on reinforcing the castle, developing the defensive apparatus and adding draw-bridges to the two main entrances. The Duke also renovated and improved the noble living quarters.
The castle remained in the hands of the Estensi family until the year 1652 when Duke Francis I gave it in fiefdom to the Gherardini family of Verona who made it their permanent residence. Their dominion of Castelnovo lasted until 1796, but was interrupted from 1707 to 1709 by the Franco-spanish forces, enemies of the Estensi, who occupied the castle and forced the feudal lords to move to San Polo.
Via Prati Landi, 42024 Castelnovo di Sotto
Ufficio Cultura, Sport e Tempo Libero (Office of culture, sport, and leisure)
Castelnovo di Sotto Town Council0039 0522 683641
The Observatory is currently open to the public every Wednesday and Friday from 9.00 to 11.30 p.m.
Closed holidays.
Entrance free
Associazione Reggiana Astronomia (A.R.A.) +39 339 8510742
astronomyara@outlook.it
www.astronomyara.org
Castelnovo di Sotto
By car
A1 motorway, exit Terre di Canossa/Campegine: follow signs for Castelnovo di Sotto/Poviglio.
A22 motorway, exit Reggiolo: follow signs for Guastalla and Gualtieri. Castelnovo di Sotto can be reached from Gualtieri through the districts of Santa Vittoria and Meletole.
By bus
Daily service from Reggio Emilia, Piazzale Europa bus n° 93
The observatory is located on the outskirts of the town centre.
Starting from 1972, it was founded in Castelnovo di Sotto, thanks to a group of fervent enthusiasts, including Silvano Pagliarini, the Castelnovesi Astrofili Group (G.A.C.). After a few years from its foundation, this group began to move to create a real astronomical observatory in the Castelnovo di Sotto area. Therefore, a project aimed at this ambitious goal was launched, with requests for help to the citizens, the Castelnovo di Sotto-based companies, the Municipality and the Province.
The answer was prompt and tangible, and in 1977 this group of amateur astronomers could begin to build directly the Castelnovo di Sotto observatory, which was opened to the public for the first time December 23, 1978, dedicating it to the character of Father Angelo Secchi.
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