Welcome to TORRECHIARA

Welcome to TORRECHIARA

Thank you for coming to Torrechiara. The local group of entrepreneurs has developed this page to share usefull information for your visit, in the hope of making you feel at home in our village

Torrechiara is the north-west entry to the Unesco Appennino Tosco-Emiliano Biosphere Reserve

Even before the construction of the present Castle, Torrechiara has always guarded the Parma Valley.  It is one of the more important stops along Via dei Linari Path  which begins from Fidenza and goes as far as Toscany where joins the Francigena Way.  Only 12 km south of Parma, Torrechiara is an area that can answer to many interests be it cultural, naturalistic, gastronomic. Here you will find opportunities for tours, accommodations, hikes but more importantly a chance to learn about the true - and less known - Italy.

The Via di Linari Path is part of Emilia Romagna Region project on experiential tourism. 

The Castle

Torrechiara Castle is happily situated south of Parma city, where the plain stops and the Apennines begin to raise. It was built on a strategic position, guarding the surrounding Parma Valley and its hills cultivated with grapevines for centuries. It is without doubt one of the best preserved example of Italian fortified architecture. It was built between 1448 and 1460 at Pier Maria Rossi’s will, the great Count of San Secondo, perhaps by adapting existing structures. He wanted a Castle able to guard the course of river Parma and the lands that used to grant access to Tuscany and Liguria already belonging to his family. He also built a house for his beloved Bianca Pellegrini d’Arluno.

The Castle joins together features of defence typical of fortresses but also rich decorations more typical instead of noble mansions, as it is common for the buildings created under the influence of the Sforza and Visconti family.

 

 

 


Siamo Qui