The Rocca Sanvitale or Sanvitale Castle of Sala Baganza is a fortress/palatial residence located on Piazza Gramsci #1, overlooking the small town of

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

, just southwest of

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

, region of Emilia-Romagna,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It is distinct from the more-visited moated castle of

Rocca Sanvitale, Fontanellato The Rocca Sanvitale, or Sanvitale Castle, is a fortress residence in the centre of the town of Fontanellato, near Parma, northern Italy. Construction of the moated block, accessible through a drawbridge, was begun in the 13th century, mostly com ...

. The structure was initially a walled fortress built in 1477 by Gilberto III Sanvitale. Originally the fortress had a walled internal courtyard with surrounding wings and towers, of which only a single one remains. In 1612 a putative conspiracy to depose

Ranuccio I Farnese Ranuccio I Farnese (28 March 1569 – 5 March 1622) reigned as Duke of Parma, Duke of Piacenza, Piacenza and Duchy of Castro, Castro from 1592. A firm believer in absolute monarchy, Ranuccio, in 1594, centralised the administration of Parma and ...

led to the execution of major feudal lords of the Duchy, including the countess of Colorno,

Barbara Sanseverino Barbara Sanseverino (Milan, 1550 – Parma, 19 May 1612) was an Italian noblewoman. Biography Daughter of Gianfrancesco and Lavinia Sanseverino, she moved to Parma after marrying Giberto IV Sanvitale, Lord of Sala Baganza. In 1585 Giberto died ...

, and her son Girolamo Sanvitale, the Farnese confiscated the properties of the Sanvitale family. They proceeded to refurbish his property, commissioning frescoes from

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, ...

Bernardino Campi Bernadino Campi (1522–1591) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Cremona, who worked in Reggio Emilia. He is known as one of the teachers of Sofonisba Anguissola and of Giovanni Battista Trotti (il Malosso). In Cremona, his extended family o ...

and Cesare Baglione. Adjacent and to the North of the palace is the Assunta oratory, commissioned by Ferdinand of Bourbon in 1795. A villa surrounded by forests, located about a mile Northwest was the Casino dei Boschi, often used in the first half of the 19th century by

Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma Marie Louise (Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Franziska Theresia Josepha Lucia; 12 December 1791 – 17 December 1847) was Duchess of Parma from 11 April 1814 until her death in 1847. She was Napoleon's second wife and as such Empress of the French a ...

. To the south of the Rocca is a walled and geometrically traced grid of paths around a circular pool. This garden was putatively designed by

Ennemond Alexandre Petitot Ennemond Alexandre Petitot (1727-1801) was a French-born architect, mainly active in the Duchy of Parma. Biography He was born in Lyon in 1727, and by 1741, he had joined the studio of the architect Jacques Soufflot. From there he moved to study ...

, the architect for Phillip of Bourbon, Duke of Parma. Petitot designed this as an orchard with fruit trees. In 2009, an attempt to restore its original structure was performed, funded by the Comune of Sala Baganza, by replanting similar fruit trees to those which would have been present in the duchal orchard.Information on the gardens
The site now also houses a museum of local wine production.

References

Sanvitale Sala Baganza Buildings and structures in the Province of Parma Gardens in Emilia-Romagna Duchy of Parma Farnese residences {{italy-museum-stub