A walk from the town to the Este delights
From the town centre to Rivalta Palace (Via dei Combattenti) and beyond, through Corso Garibaldi, Via Ariosto, Viale Umberto I and the Parco del Crostolo, a pleasant walk that takes you through the landscape into this part of the town.
Itinerary: km. 5.5
Duration: 2.23 hours, on foot
Difficulty: easy
Length: 12 km
Periods: spring, summer, autumn
Operational Procedure: on foot, by bicycle
Rivalta Palace is a historic residence located in the village of Rivalta, a few kilometres away from the town centre of Reggio Emilia. It belonged to the Duchess Carlotta d’Orléans and her husband, Prince Francesco, son of the Duke Rinaldo I of Este. It was actually the Duke, in 1722, who decided to have this “Little Versailles” built, first commissioning the work to Ferraroni, then to Bolognini. The construction of the palace ended around 1733, whereas the park saw continuous decorations in the following years.
Between 1740 and 1760 the palace enjoyed its greatest period of splendour, with grand festivals that had its harmonious architecture and landscape as a background. The decay of the palace started in 1796 with the fall of the Este dominion. Now only the south wing remains, that was at that time allocated to the administrative and service personnel.
