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The
Rocca Sanvitale or
Sanvitale Castle, is a fortress residence located in the town of
FontanellatoFontanellato is a small town in the province of Parma, in northern Italy. It lies on the plains of the River Po near the A1 autostrada, about 20 kilometres west of Parma towards Piacenza....
, near
ParmaParma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its architecture and the fine countryside around it. It is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, northern
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
. Construction of the
moatedA moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
block, accessible through a drawbridge, was begun in the 13th century, mostly completed by 15th century, with embellishments continuing through to the 18th century. It is prototypical of the urban castle-houses of the turbulent towns of Northern Italy.
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thumb
The
Rocca Sanvitale or
Sanvitale Castle, is a fortress residence located in the town of
FontanellatoFontanellato is a small town in the province of Parma, in northern Italy. It lies on the plains of the River Po near the A1 autostrada, about 20 kilometres west of Parma towards Piacenza....
, near
ParmaParma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its architecture and the fine countryside around it. It is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, northern
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
. Construction of the
moatedA moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
block, accessible through a drawbridge, was begun in the 13th century, mostly completed by 15th century, with embellishments continuing through to the 18th century. It is prototypical of the urban castle-houses of the turbulent towns of Northern Italy. Until the 1930s it was the home of the descendants of the Count of Sanvitale.
The crenelated walls and asymmetric towers are surrounded by an arcaded town. Adjacent to the castle are gardens and a courtyard. One of the rooms has an optical system in place that projects to an inside wall a view of the town through mirrors and a prism. Rocca Sanvitale is now a museum.
The most famous works inside are the frescoes of
Diane and Acteon painted in 1523-24 by
ParmigianinoGirolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola , also known as Francesco Mazzola or more commonly as Parmigianino or sometimes "Parmigiano", was a prominent Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and his native city of Parma...
for the Count Galeazzo Sanvitale and his wife, Paola Gonzaga.
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