The Castle

After Matilda's death the castle and the feud remained in the hands of Count Raniero and then passed on to various feudal lords. Over the centuries the castle was subject to much reconstruction and transformation. In 1481, the entrance door fell into the underlying moat, then in 1558 the castle was badly damaged, the tower partly ruined and shortened, and thereafter called "torre mozza" or the cut-off tower. The castle was subsequently rebuilt and made fit for habitation but was probably of little distinction.
However it was transformed into a palatial residence with gardens, fountains and sculptures by the last feudal lord of the Este San Martino line, The Marquis Carlo Filiberto II. This reconstruction work is mentioned in several documents in the municipal archives, where it is recounted that 500 carts were necessary for the transport of stone, bricks, quicklime and sand. In order to transport the water necessary for the fountains, the Marquis constructed an aqueduct spanning 13 arches drawing water from an area called "La valle". In 1777 the castle was again restored and modified by the feudal lord Gaudenzio Valotti; at his death passed into the hands of Duke Ercole III of Modena who stripped it of all valuable decoration and transported these to his villa in Mugnano. After the arrival of the French and the suppression of the feudal system, the castle was sold to the Canevazzi family and then to the Casali family who are the owners to this day. July 20, 1944 the Germans set fire to the castle in an act of reprisal and left it in ruins. It was not until 1974 that the owners renovated the castle following the guidelines of the Superintendent for Historic buildings, freeing the walled up crenellations and restoring the building to its original appearance.

How to get there:
From the Reggio Emilia exit of A1 Motorway: follow National Road SS 147 in the direction of Scandiano, then take the Province Road for Castellarano.
Public bus transport service.