Castellarano Fortress

The village's fortified gates

The Rocchetta di Castellarano represents the ancient and evocative complex of fortified gates that once granted access to the Castle and the medieval village.
The structure we admire today is the result of continuous layers of interventions over the centuries, which enriched both its appearance and function.

A public heritage property owned by the Municipality of Castellarano, the Rocchetta served as a defensive outpost, controlling the main access routes to the town.
To enter the village, one had to cross the Main Gate (Porta Maggiore), which faced present-day Piazza XX Luglio and was originally preceded by a drawbridge.
Once through the gate, visitors entered the Parade Ground (Piazza d’Armi, now Piazzale Cairoli), where the military garrison under the command of the Captain of the Fortress guarded the town's safety.

From the Rocchetta, referred to in historical documents as the "Castelletto" or simply the "Porta", a circuit of town walls featuring a rampart walkway (still partially visible today) extended to encircle the entire hill.
The complex's irregular layout is built around three main towers: the Drawbridge Tower (Torre Levatoia), the Chaplain Tower (Torre Cappellana), and the Rose Tower (Torre della Rosa), under which opened entrances originally protected by portcullises.
Completing the layout is a singular seven-sided turret located in the northeast corner.

Of particular interest is the vault of the Chaplain Gate, decorated with 17th-century frescoes.
Notable among them is a depiction of the Madonna della Ghiara with the Infant Jesus, flanked by Saint Pancras and Saint Macarius the Bishop.
The fresco visible today is a replica installed during restoration works led by the local Pro Loco association in the 1970s; the original is preserved inside the town hall.

The Rocchetta reflects the complex's multiple historical and functional phases, transitioning from a military structure to an urban space.
When the walls lost their defensive purpose, the Parade Ground transformed into a marketplace, residential area, and storage hub.
Here stood the Pavaglione (merchant loggia), the public salt warehouse, and a passage to the Monte di Pietà (pawnshop).
For a long time, the Rocchetta itself was used as a private residence.

Following restoration works carried out in the 1980s, the Rocchetta can now be visited along straightforward, evocative itineraries that showcase the main historical features revealed by the restorations:

• The defensive moat, once fed by the waters of the Castellarano Stream.

• The three historic gates:

  • Porta Maggiore with the Drawbridge Tower

  • Porta Cappellana, which leads into Via Mulino

  • The inner gate toward the Castle, topped by the Rose Tower

• Piazzale Cairoli, the former Parade Ground designed as a space for control and defense.

• The charming six-arched loggia, overlooking the moat and the square.

• The rampart walkway, which runs along the bastions of the Drawbridge Tower, crosses the loggia, and leads to the hanging garden.