Discovering Correggio

Introduction

A fascinating tour through the streets of Correggio’s historic centre, which can be explored entirely on foot, taking in stately homes, Renaissance churches and sites linked to the great painter Antonio Allegri, known as Correggio.

Itinerary 1 – The historic centre between art and ruling families

You enter the town through the ancient Porta Reggio, near the charming Church of the Madonna della Rosa (1626), commissioned by Prince Siro.
Along Corso Mazzini, the elegant main thoroughfare of the town centre, lies a square dominated by the “Rinaldo Corso” National Boarding School (formerly a Dominican convent, dating from 1561) and the 16th-century Church of San Giuseppe.
Via Bernieri leads to Piazza Garibaldi, with the 17th-century Church of San Sebastiano. A short distance away, along Via Borgovecchio, you will find the Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia and the famous Casa del Correggio, rebuilt in the 18th century on the site of the Allegri family’s original home.
Continuing on, you can admire the Art Nouveau tower, a relic of the early 20th century, until you reach Piazza Carducci, the site of the former Porta Modena.
Returning to Corso Mazzini, you come to the Palazzo Municipale (the town’s administrative centre since 1783), flanked by Palazzo Cattini with its historic public clock and the Monumento ai Caduti (1923), the work of sculptor Leonardo Bistolfi.
In Piazza San Quirino stands the monument dedicated to Antonio Allegri, created by Vincenzo Vela, next to the majestic Basilica of San Quirino, built between the 16th and 17th centuries on the site of the ancient medieval castle.
The route continues towards the Renaissance Palazzo dei Principi, now home to the Library, the Historical Archives and the “Il Correggio” Civic Museum, flanked by the Teatro Comunale Bonifazio Asioli.
Among the final stops: the remains of the Rocchetta (now a Youth Hostel), the former 19th-century railway station and, along Via del Carmine, the Convento delle Cappuccine with the Church of Santa Chiara.
The return journey takes you past the Gothic Church of San Francesco (1467–1485), a site linked to the Da Correggio family and the painter Antonio Allegri.

Itinerary 2 – Un giorno a Correggio

An ideal itinerary for discovering the city’s noble, Renaissance spirit in a single day.
The tour begins in Corso Cavour, the aristocratic heart of the city where the palaces of the Da Correggio family once stood, and leads to the Santa Chiara complex, now a monastery of the Poor Clares.
A detour leads to the splendid Church of San Francesco, a late Lombard Gothic masterpiece, which once housed important early works by Antonio Allegri, now preserved in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister and the Uffizi Gallery.
We continue towards the Teatro Comunale, housed in a former stately palace, and the monumental Palazzo dei Principi, the city’s largest Renaissance building and now a cultural hub.
In Piazza San Quirino, you will find the monument to Antonio Allegri and the Basilica dedicated to the patron saint. Crossing Corso Mazzini, lined with elegant arcades, you arrive at the Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia, which once housed works now also held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Finally, Via Borgovecchio, with its low medieval arcades, leads to the Casa del Correggio, now home to the Correggio Art Home.

How to get there

By car

• A22 Modena–Brenner motorway: take the Carpi exit, then follow the SS468 southwards
• A1 Milan–Bologna motorway: take the Reggio Emilia exit, then follow the SS468 northwards

By train

Nearest railway stations:

• Reggio Emilia (Milan–Bologna line, approx. 20 km)
• Carpi (Modena–Verona line, approx. 7

By Bus

Connections from railway stations via SETA bus services.