Guided tours of the Montecchio Emilia Castle
Address and contacts
How to arrive
By car
From Reggio Emilia take the Province Road to Montecchio Emilia.
By train
From the Reggio Emilia Railway Station take the train of the route Reggio Emilia-Ciano d'Enza until Barco, then suburban bus No. 94.
By bus
From Piazzale Europa take the suburban bus No. 94.
Historical information
Halfway between Reggio Emilia and Parma, south of the Via Emilia, on the right bank of the Enza river, stands the Castle of Montecchio Emilia. Owned by the municipality, it dominates the town centre and is certainly one of the most interesting Matildic fortified buildings in the province. The date of the foundation of the Castle is unknown, but it already existed in 1114 according to a Matildic placitus, and called "Castrum vetus" in 1259. Its first nucleus probably already existed in the X century a.C. The Fortress was, in the XIII century, the subject of bitter disputes between the Bishops and the Municipality of Parma. Then the Vicedomini and important families belonging to the Visconti and Este lords took turns in the domain of the Castle. In 1426 Montecchio Emilia passed definitively under the control of the Este family and, due to its considerable strategic importance, in 1562 it was elevated to the status of Marquisate. Until the unification of Italy - with the short exception of the Napoleonic period - Montecchio followed the fate of the Estense Duchy. For centuries and until 1960, the fortress was used as a district prison.
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