One of the most spectacular and best preserved in Italy and the kingdom of a love story...#tuttitaly
Torrechiara Castle stands on the hills near Langhirano, 18 km from Parma. It was built by Pier Maria II de 'Rossi between 1448 and 1460 on the ruins of the original fortress of Torchiara.
Pier Maria II de 'Rossi personally intervened in the
design of the defensive structures.
We note its defensive character thanks to the triple walls and the four massive corner towers.
However, the castle's purpose was also to become an elegant love nest for the Count and his mistress Bianca Pellegrini. Among other things, it is thought that Ottaviano, son of Bianca Pellegrini, whom Pier Maria II de 'Rossi wanted to make an heir to the Castle, was the biological son of the count.
To decorate the interior rooms, the count turned to the most influential artists of the area, including Benedetto Bembo, who in 1462 painted the most famous room of the castle, namely the Golden Room, in Gothic style.
The Golden Room was probably born as a bedroom and private study of Pier Maria II de Rossi. We find paintings celebrating the love between the two lovers. It is the only example in Italy of a cycle of medieval paintings centered on glorifying courtly love between two real characters.
The two characters would be the count and Bianca Pellegrini, represented in the various scenes. The count's power is also described, underlined by the representation of his numerous castles in the Parma area.
The castle's exterior is covered with bricks, and the interior is rich in sumptuously frescoed rooms with naturalistic, fantastic, and grotesque themes.
This castle is considered one of Italy's most remarkable, spectacular, and best preserved. In fact, since 1911, it has been an Italian national monument.
The Castle was also used in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries as the set of some scenes in various films, including "Condottieri," directed by Luis Trenker in 1937, "The Tragedy of a ridiculous man," directed by Bernardo Bertolucci in 1981, and "Ladyhawke" directed by Richard Donner in 1985.
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