Rocca dei Rossi is a castle located at piazza Mazzini #12 in the town of

San Secondo Parmense San Secondo Parmense ( Sansecondino: or ; Parmigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about northwest of Parma. San Secondo Parmense borders ...

province of Parma The Province of Parma ( it, Provincia di Parma) is a province in the Emilia–Romagna region of Italy. Its largest town and capital is the city of Parma. It is made up of 47 ''comuni''. It has an area of and a total population of around 450,000 ...

, in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

. A different ''Rocca dei Rossi'', also known as ''

Castello di Roccabianca The Castello or Castle of Roccabianca, also called ''Rocca dei Rossi'', is a castle built in the town of Roccabianca, province of Parma, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy. It was built and decorated in 1460 by the lord of San Secondo, Pier Maria ...

'', is located in the town of

Roccabianca Roccabianca (Parmigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about northwest of Parma. Roccabianca borders the following municipalities: Motta Ba ...

History

The castle was built on an elevated land in 1513 by Pier Maria I de' Rossi, father of Pier Maria II, to defend the fortified borough of San Secondo, which had been a family fief since the 12th century. The ''rocca'' sites on the opposite shore of the

Taro river The Taro (Latin ''Tarus'') is a river in Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. It is a tributary of the Po and is long. It flows almost entirely in the province of Parma, west of the city Parma. The Taro flows into the Po near Gramignazzo, a fraz ...

than the borough, and also used its water to fill a defensive moat. The stronghold was later turned into a luxurious manor decorated with 16th-century frescoes by local artists. The last heir of the Rossi family donated the castle back to the Municipality of San Secondo, and henceforth was used as Town hall until 2007. The manor is open to tours of its architecture and artwork all year.

Castle

Only the northwest wing and the northeast façade remain of the 16th century structure. During the last part of the 19th century, a large part of the castle was destroyed. The

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

courtyard, the main staircase and the reception hall, and the frescoes on the piano nobile remain. In 1983, an earthquake caused considerable damage to the building, requiring extensive restructuring. Today, guided tours of the castle are held regularly with performers dressed in historic costumes. In the first week of June, the Rocca provides the stage for a traditional Palio of San Secondo, contested among the various ''contrade'' of the town, and the theatrical representation of the marriage between

Pier Maria III de' Rossi Pier Maria III de' Rossi (1504 – 15 August 1547) was an Italian general and nobleman, the second marquess and seventh count of San Secondo. Biography Born at San Secondo Parmense, he was a member of the local Rossi noble family, the son o ...

and Camilla Gonzaga, originally celebrated on 13 February 1523.

Art

In the 16th century, the Rossi castle was decorated with frescoes depicting secular themes by prominent disciples of

Giulio Romano Giulio Romano (, ; – 1 November 1546), is the acquired name of Giulio Pippi, who was an Italian painter and architect. He was a pupil of Raphael, and his stylistic deviations from High Renaissance classicism help define the sixteenth-centu ...

, including by

Baglione Giovanni Baglione (1566 – 30 December 1643) was an Italian Mannerism, Late Mannerist and Baroque, Early Baroque painter and art historian. He is best remembered for his acrimonious and damaging involvement with the slightly younger arti ...

Orazio Samacchini Orazio Samacchini (20 December 1532 – 12 June 1577) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance and Mannerist style, active in Rome, Parma, and his native city. Biography He was born and died in Bologna. A close friend of Lorenzo Sabbatini, ...

, il Bertoja, Procaccini and Paganino. The extravagant decoration was due to a wish by the Rossi not to appear inferior to the new lords of Parma, the Farnese. Main artworks include: *''The Hall of Bellerophon''. Beyond the courtyard and the main staircase, this grand hall houses the most important equipment for the San Secondo Palio. On the ceiling is a fresco of

Bellerophon Bellerophon (; Ancient Greek: Βελλεροφῶν) or Bellerophontes (), born as Hipponous, was a hero of Greek mythology. He was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles", and his ...

killing the

chimaera Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes , known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish, or rabbit fish; the last three names are not to be confused with rattails, Opisthoproctidae, or Siganidae, respectively. At ...

, a monster with the heads of a lion, of a dragon and of a goat, representing the fight between Good and Evil. * The Hall of Justice, completely frescoed by

. *''

Aesop Aesop ( or ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales cre ...

’s Gallery'' and ''The Hall of Fables'' show frescoes illustrating popular fables, including "The Fox and the Wild Pig", "The Fox and the Lion", "The Dog and the Rooster" and "The Wolf and the Lamb". *''The Hall of the Golden Donkey'' has 17 paintings from

Apuleius Apuleius (; also called Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis; c. 124 – after 170) was a Numidian Latin-language prose writer, Platonist philosopher and rhetorician. He lived in the Roman province of Numidia, in the Berber city of Madauros, modern-day ...

' ''

Golden Ass The ''Metamorphoses'' of Apuleius, which Augustine of Hippo referred to as ''The Golden Ass'' (''Asinus aureus''), is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety. The protagonist of the novel is Lucius. At the end of the ...

''. The story runs counterclockwise around the room starting at the bottom strip and concludes at the center of the vault.

Sources

External links

Official websiteAdditional Rocca dei Rossi Info
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 15th century Castles in Emilia-Romagna Buildings and structures in the Province of Parma Museums in Emilia-Romagna Historic house museums in Italy San Secondo Parmense *