There are places that ooze stories, mysteries, and magic. They are usually ancient castles, full of secret passages, majestic rooms, halls for celebrations and torture, where tales of heroism, betrayal, and revenge linger in the air. Surely, one doesn’t think of them as the homes of eccentric doctors who, with their strange ideas, conquered half the world. And so, precisely because it defies all classic expectations, the visit to Rocchetta Mattei becomes a way to be amazed and discover a piece of local history unknown to most, but full of charm and magic!
The History of Rocchetta Mattei
As soon as you arrive in the village of Grizzana Morandi, it’s impossible not to notice it. The Rocchetta rises on a hill in the Emilia Apennines, standing out against the sky with its exotic shapes so unusual in the Italian landscape.
The first impression is that you are facing a medieval castle, conquered and remodeled by the Moors to make it more similar to the architectures familiar to them. But then we remember we are in the heart of Emilia Romagna, not Andalusia, not a land that was the scene of conquests by Arab populations. So how did this castle get here? When was it built? And above all, who built it?
The Rocchetta we can admire today, with all its details, is a unique place in Italy— the concrete realization of a dream that will convince you that magic is possible!