Discovering Correggio

Information

42015 Correggio

Route description

We enter Correggio from what used to be Porta Reggio (city gate approaching from Reggio). Close by is the Church of the Madonna della Rosa (Our Lady of the Rose), commissioned by Prince Siro in 1626. Walking along Corso Mazzini, on the left, is a small square flanked on the northern side by the Convitto Nazionale “Rinaldo Corso” (“Rinaldo Corso” Boarding School), formerly a Dominican convent erected in 1561, and the Church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) dating back to the 17th century. Follow Via Bernieri all the way until you reach Piazza Garibaldi and the Church of San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian), completed in the middle of the 17th century. At the other end of the square, take Via Borgovecchio, along which you can see the front of the Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia (Our Lady of Mercy). Continuing along Via Borgovecchio, at the end of the portico on the left, is the so-called Casa del Correggio (home of the famous painter Antonio Allegri, known as “il Correggio”), reconstructed between 1754 and 1755 on the site of the original house. At the end of the street, you can admire the Torrione, the Art Nouveau building constructed at the beginning of the 20th century. Through Via Carlo V, you reach Piazza Carducci (formerly Porta Modena, the city gate approaching from Modena). Turning into Corso Mazzini again, on the right, you can admire the Municipal Hall building, the premises of the municipal council since 1783. From Corso Mazzini, looking west, you can see Palazzo Cattini, which nearly closes in the first half of the street, so that it looks almost like a square. This part is overlooked by the imposing public clock built in 1783, at the base of which is the war memorial, a fine work produced by Leonardo Bistolfi in 1923. Opposite the Municipal Hall is the Istituto Bellelli, a 19th century building, and Palazzo Cantarelli (1762) next to it. After walking the length of Via Antonioli, you reach Piazza San Quirino to find the fine Monument to Antonio Allegri made by the sculptor from Ticino Vincenzo Vela, placed in the square in 1880. Surviving bulwark of the ancient Castle of Correggio (14th century) is a vivid reminder of the old castle boundary and is  the bell-tower of the Basilica of San Quirino, which dates back to the late 16th century. On leaving the church, you take Corso Cavour and reach Palazzo dei Principi (Princes’ Palace), which now houses the city’s cultural institutions (Library, Historical Archives, and the “Il Correggio” Civic Museum).Next to the Palazzo is the Municipal Theatre, dedicated to the musician from Correggio Bonifazio Asioli. At the end of Corso Cavour on the left, you can see the remains of the Rocchetta (Little Fort), which is now the premises of the Youth Hostel. At the end of Corso Cavour, you reach the building of the former train station (19th century) which is now the headquarters of the municipal police. Retracing your steps down the Corso, you take Via Carmine on the left, where you can see the Convent of the Capuchin Nuns (17th century), with the annexed Church of Santa Chiara (1666), still home to the nuns devoted to Saint Clare. Walking down Via Cairoli, you reach the Church of San Francesco, built between 1467 and 1485. Via Roma takes you back to Corso Mazzini, from which you can easily return to the starting point of the tour.

How to get there

Correggio

By car
Driving along the A22 Modena-Brennero motorway, exiting at the Carpi tollbooth and following the directions for Correggio (then following the SS468 towards the south);
using the A1 Milan - Bologna motorway, exiting at the Reggio Emilia tollbooth and following the signs for Carpi-Correggio (taking the SS468 in a northerly direction).

By train
The closer railway station to Correggio are Reggio Emilia (about 20 km) and Carpi (about 7 Km)

By bus
From Piazzale Europa - Reggio Emilia, bus n. 43 or 82