The Castle of Contignaco was built by Adalberto Pallavicino, an exponent ofone of the most ancient feudal families of Parma. The main purpose of the fort was defensive: to protect the saltworks located in Salsomaggiore and Salsominore.
Long contested among the various descendants of the Pallavicino, in 1315, after a bloody battle, the castle was conquered by the Aldighieri of Parma. From this moment on the trunk of this family is grafted a new branch, called the Aldighieri di Contignaco.
The ownership of the manor ensures many benefits, deriving not only from the domination of the surrounding lands, but above all from the strategic control of the salt pans.
The Aldighieri will continue in their lucrative trade of salt, putting themselves under the patron of the Sforza to whom they assure “fidelity, friendship and servitude”, until 1537, when Gian Matteo Aldighieri, married to Caterina Rossi di SanSecondly, he dies without leaving male children. Thus the branch of the Aldighieri of Contignaco is extinguished and the Ducal Chamber of Milan passes every right on the fief to a branch of the Pallavicino family that will take the name of Sforza -Pallavicino.
Subsequently the Castle became the property of the Sissi Terzi, then of the Farnese Ducal Chamber.In 1762 Filippo di Borbone sold it to the Marquises Ponticelli di Sasso (Garfagnana), in the person of the court archist Silvestro Antonio Ponticelli. The manor belongs to the Ponticelli still in 1834. After being owned by the captain Alberto Leva, it was bought at the end of the nineteenth century by Luigi Boschi, bisavolo of the current owner.
1) Guided Tours – duration approximately 50 minutes
The visit includes an external path and an internal one.
External path
The Castle is surrounded by beautiful specimens of oaks, cedars, cypresses and laurels.Remarkable is above all an ultra-secular oak tree, with a trunk of over two meters in diameter, placed at the entrance of the Castle courtyard and classified among the monumental trees of the Emilia Romagna Region.
Internal path
Visit the various rooms (including the Hall of the Louvers, Sala degli Stemmi, Sala del Camino) and the small prison at the foot of the tower.
2) Guided tour with experience Tasting of wines produced by the winery that has its headquarters in the Castello di Contignaco
TEL. +39.0524.57.32.87 / 320.60.66.721 / 320.61.26.424
E-MAIL: castello.contignaco@gmail.com
Do you have any questions? Do not hesitate to write us for any questions or information.
info@portalesalsomaggiore.it