The treasures of San Martino in Rio

Address and contects

Corso Umberto I, 22 - 42018 San Martino in Rio
0039 0522 636726 - Office
0039 0522 636740 - Museum
museo@comune.sanmartinoinrio.re.it
Museo dell'Agricoltura e del Mondo Rurale

The Museum of Agriculture and the Rural World is located inside the Estense Fortress of San Martino in Rio, in the rooms on the ground floor and in the basement for an exhibition area of about 845 square metres.

Guided tours

Estense Fortress + Museum of Agriculture

Sundays and holidays: 10.00 a.m. - 11.15 a.m. - 3.30 p.m. - 5.00 p.m.

During the week: upon reservation and at times to be agreed on (no later than two days before the visit).

Prices

€ 5.00 - full
€ 2.50 - Reduced (children aged 12 to 18, university students, people over 65 and groups over 10 people)
Free - Children up to 12 years, disabled and their helpers

Following the measures of containment and social distancing, the entrance is allowed to a maximum of 14 people per tour
new rules

How to get there

San Martino in Rio

By car
When coming from Reggio Emilia (15 km), take National Road SS468 travelling in the direction of Correggio. At Fazzano, take the Provincial Road (SP) and follow signs to San Martino in Rio.
From the exit Carpi of the A22 motor-way (8 km), follow the signs to San Martino in Rio.

By bus
Public transport service bus bus No. 41

Historical notes

The San Martino in Rio Fortress is the seat of the cultural activities of the Municipality.
A recent restoration has given value to interesting Renaissance frescoes.
The Fortress hosts one of the most important ethnographic museums in the region: dedicated to agriculture and traditional crafts, it is divided into different thematic sections (hemp derivatives, weaving, milling and dairy art).
Already belonging to the Canossa family, the fortress underwent destructions such as the one by Federico Barbarossa and various reconstructions up to its present appearance, which partly dates back to the XV century.
It passed to the Roberti from Reggio, since 1501, to a marquis branch of the Este and then, from the second half of the XVIII century, to the Rango d'Aragona.
The quadrangular structure maintains a single square corner tower intact, with Ghibelline crenellations and the swooping defensive apparatus of the machicolations.
Inside, the most representative rooms consist of the ogival St. John chapel (XV century) and some rooms (noble apartment) with painted chests, frescoes and stuccoes from the XV-XVIII centuries.
The Estense Fortress now hosts the Museum of Agriculture and the Rural World, the Coppelli Art Gallery, the Civic Library, the Historical Archive and the Open Archive for Henghel Gualdi.