Castell'Arquato
Encyclopedia
Castell'Arquato is an Italian town located on the first hills of Val D’Arda in the province of Piacenza
, in Emilia-Romagna
, approximately 30 km from Piacenza and 35 km from Parma
. Places nearby include Bacedasco, Vigolo Marchese, Fiorenzuola d'Arda
, Lugagnano Val d'Arda
, and Vernasca
A medieval town of traditional structure which has maintained its appearance as it was in the early 10th century, the Old Town of Castell'Arquato is a high rock which in other times was strategically important for dominating the valley, now surrounded by the village.
Its structure has led to appearances in movies such as Ladyhawke
. Opera librettist Luigi Illica
, known for his long collaboration with composer Giacomo Puccini
and author of the libretti of such operas as Tosca
, La bohème
, Madama Butterfly
and Andrea Chénier
was born in the borough in 1857.
Castell'Arquato is also in the area of the Colli Piacentini
(Piacenza Hills), an important area for wine production. The most important wines produced in the Colli Piacentini are Gutturnio, Bonarda
, Ortrugo, Malvasia, and Monterosso Val d'Arda.
The first historical news concerning Castell’Arquato (known as la Pieve) appear in the 8th century. Castell'Arquato seems to have been constructed by a "noble and powerful lord named Magnus". Magnus built the squared based castle and a church "In honor Mater Dei" (756-758). At that time Castell’Arquato had a military (Castrum) and an agricultural organisation (Curtis), the Justice Administration (Curia) and the Religious Administration (Pieve).
Before dying in 789 Magnus gave the town, the church of Santa Maria and its goods to the bishop of Piacenza, and Castell’Arquato acquired an important freedom as a Pieve
(pleban church).
The Bishop had the right of direct taxation (fodro) throughout the territory of Castell'Arquato on all the men, nobiles, burgenses, lords with houses and lands in the area and on the clerics of Santa Maria.
From 1204 to 1207 the Bishop of Piacenza Grimerio chose Castell’Arquato as his home. The hamlet became even more independent from Piacenza. The grant of an autonomous government became official in the summer of 1220.
The first document in the historical archive of Castell'Arquato is from 10 August 1220 when the Bishop Vicedomio gave his land in the burg and the territory in Emphyteusis
(a form of fiefdom) to the "burg and to the homines" of Castell’Arquato for 700 piacentian lire. For 200 lire and a small annual fee he gives also "in perpetual investiture all jurisdictions, honors and tithes" of Castell’Arquato, Lusurasco, San Lorenzo and Vernasca.
Castell’Arquato was at the time ruled by a podestà
chosen by the commune of Piacenza from among the most renowned members of the Piacenza's families, serving for a term of three years. The podestà had civil, political and judicial functions.
The podestà's rule ended in 1290 when Alberto Scotti, backed by the Guelph faction, the merchant class and the artisanal corporations, became lord of Piacenza. Castell’Arquato also became a seigniory on its own right. Alberto Scotti allied himself to the Visconti
family and extended his dominion to the territory of Piacenza, while entrusting Castell’Arquato to the podestà Tedesio de’ Spectinis. The alliance with the Visconti
ended in 1302 when the son of Matteo Visconti, Galeazzo I Visconti, married Beatrice d'Este
and shifted the weight of the alliances, starting a period of conflict that brought the Scotti to Milan.
Under the Scotti dominion, Castell’Arquato acquired political prestige and many of the buildings that can be still be seen today, like the Palazzo del Podestà (Podestà's Palace) and the Palazzo di Giustizia (Court of Justice), nucleus of what is today the Palazzo del Duca (Ducal Palace).
In 1304 Alberto Scotti was banished from Castell’Arquato by the city of Piacenza, but came back three years later. After the arrival of Henry VII in 1310 Alberto Scotti ruled the burg, until 1316 when Galeazzo I Visconti besieged Castell’Arquato, which yielded after one year. Galeazzo Visconti allowed the town "special rights": the ability to juridically emancipate itself from Piacenza
and to write laws of its own, the basis of the 15th century statutes.
In 1324 Castell’Arquato was given to the municipality of Piacenza, itself under the dominion of the Church, which governed the burg for twelve years. Piacenza went back to the Visconti
in 1336 with Azzone Visconti, who favored the burg's autonomy from Piacenza, appointing a trusted podestà, Galvagno de’ Comini, and facilitating the fortification of this strategically and militarily important area. He died at the age of 37 years. His successor, Luchino Visconti
was responsible for the construction of the Rocca (starting in 1342), promoted by the municipality of Piacenza.
In 1403 Gian Galeazzo Visconti
gave Borromeo de’ Borromei and his descendants feudal powers over Castell’Arquato, with the related fiscal revenues. Threatened by the powerful family of the Arcilli from Firenzuola, they gave back their rights to the people of Arquato, who gave them to Filippo Maria Visconti
, Duke of Milan. From 1416 to 1470 the town was called Castel Visconti.
In 1438 Filippo Maria Visconti offered the fief to the condottiero Niccolò Piccinino
, under whose government the Municipal Statutes were promulgated, the Statuta et Decreta Terrae Castri Arquati. After his death the village went to his sons Francesco
and Jacopo. After Filippo Maria Visconti's death, his son-in-law Francesco I Sforza
was in 1447 also declared lord of Piacenza
and its area.
In 1541 Pope Paul III
declared the independence of the village, having already initiated the process in 1538. He also visited the Castell'Arquato in the spring of 1543 when he was acclaimed by the population, grateful for the independence from Piacenza also meant economical relief.
The rule by the Sforzas went on until 1707, when the territory of Castell'Arquato became part of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza under the Farnese and later the House of Bourbon
, until its annexion to Italy in 1860.
The current coat of arms reflects these changes, featuring the castle alongside the symbols of Piacenza (red castra
of Sant'Antonino), the Farnese (golden fleur de lis); the Scotti
(6-pointed gold stars) and the Sforza (golden lions).
From this collection a keyboard dance of the renaissance called "Al Milanese" with regal sound:
Province of Piacenza
The Province of Piacenza is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Piacenza.The province has 273,689 inhabitants . Its total area is 2,589 km². There are 48 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Piacenza...
, in Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....
, approximately 30 km from Piacenza and 35 km from Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
. Places nearby include Bacedasco, Vigolo Marchese, Fiorenzuola d'Arda
Fiorenzuola d'Arda
Fiorenzuola d'Arda is a city and comune in Italy in the province of Piacenza, of the Emilia-Romagna region. Its name derives from Florentia . The "d'Arda" portion refers to the River Arda which flows from the Apennines into the valley where Fiorenzuola is situated...
, Lugagnano Val d'Arda
Lugagnano Val d'Arda
Lugagnano Val d'Arda is a comune in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 130 km northwest of Bologna and about 30 km southeast of Piacenza, on the Arda stream....
, and Vernasca
Vernasca
Vernasca is a comune in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 120 km northwest of Bologna and about 30 km southeast of Piacenza...
A medieval town of traditional structure which has maintained its appearance as it was in the early 10th century, the Old Town of Castell'Arquato is a high rock which in other times was strategically important for dominating the valley, now surrounded by the village.
Its structure has led to appearances in movies such as Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke is a 1985 fantasy film directed by Richard Donner, starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film marked the second 20th Century Fox film to be co-produced and co-released by Warner Bros.. The first was The Towering Inferno; this time Warner got the U.S...
. Opera librettist Luigi Illica
Luigi Illica
Luigi Illica was an Italian librettist who wrote for Giacomo Puccini , Alfredo Catalani, Umberto Giordano, Baron Alberto Franchetti and other important Italian composers. His most famous opera librettos are those for La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Andrea Chénier.Illica was born at...
, known for his long collaboration with composer Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
and author of the libretti of such operas as Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
, La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
and Andrea Chénier
Andrea Chénier
Andrea Chénier is a verismo opera in four acts by the composer Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. It is based loosely on the life of the French poet, André Chénier , who was executed during the French Revolution....
was born in the borough in 1857.
Castell'Arquato is also in the area of the Colli Piacentini
Colli Piacentini
The Colli Piacentini is an Italian wine region located at the western end of Emilia-Romagna. In 1967 it was given the Denominazione di origine controllata quality designation. Within its boundaries are several smaller DOCs including Colli Piacentini Gutturnio, Monterosso Val D'Arda DOC,...
(Piacenza Hills), an important area for wine production. The most important wines produced in the Colli Piacentini are Gutturnio, Bonarda
Bonarda
Bonarda is a name applied to several different grape varieties used to make red wine:* Charbono of California is widely grown in Argentina as Bonarda. It originates in Savoie, where it is known as Corbeau or Douce Noir , but is not the same as Piedmont's Dolcetto...
, Ortrugo, Malvasia, and Monterosso Val d'Arda.
History
The origins of Castell'Arquato are uncertain. It is believed that it originated as a Roman military settlement (castrum). During the Roman Imperial Era it developed into a small rural town, thanks to its position commanding the routes from Piacenza and Parma toward the Ligurian Sea (Liguria is at the end of the Piacenza valley).The first historical news concerning Castell’Arquato (known as la Pieve) appear in the 8th century. Castell'Arquato seems to have been constructed by a "noble and powerful lord named Magnus". Magnus built the squared based castle and a church "In honor Mater Dei" (756-758). At that time Castell’Arquato had a military (Castrum) and an agricultural organisation (Curtis), the Justice Administration (Curia) and the Religious Administration (Pieve).
Before dying in 789 Magnus gave the town, the church of Santa Maria and its goods to the bishop of Piacenza, and Castell’Arquato acquired an important freedom as a Pieve
Pieve
In the Middle Ages, a pieve was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended.The Italian word pieve is descended from Latin plebs which, after the expansion of Christianity in Italy, was applied to the community of baptized people...
(pleban church).
The Bishop had the right of direct taxation (fodro) throughout the territory of Castell'Arquato on all the men, nobiles, burgenses, lords with houses and lands in the area and on the clerics of Santa Maria.
The first document in the historical archive of Castell'Arquato is from 10 August 1220 when the Bishop Vicedomio gave his land in the burg and the territory in Emphyteusis
Emphyteusis
The Law of Emphyteusis is a right, susceptible of assignment and of descent, charged on productive real estate, the right being coupled with the enjoyment of the property on condition of taking care of the estate and paying taxes, and sometimes the payment of a small rent.Akin to a system of...
(a form of fiefdom) to the "burg and to the homines" of Castell’Arquato for 700 piacentian lire. For 200 lire and a small annual fee he gives also "in perpetual investiture all jurisdictions, honors and tithes" of Castell’Arquato, Lusurasco, San Lorenzo and Vernasca.
Castell’Arquato was at the time ruled by a podestà
Podestà
Podestà is the name given to certain high officials in many Italian cities, since the later Middle Ages, mainly as Chief magistrate of a city state , but also as a local administrator, the representative of the Emperor.The term derives from the Latin word potestas, meaning power...
chosen by the commune of Piacenza from among the most renowned members of the Piacenza's families, serving for a term of three years. The podestà had civil, political and judicial functions.
The podestà's rule ended in 1290 when Alberto Scotti, backed by the Guelph faction, the merchant class and the artisanal corporations, became lord of Piacenza. Castell’Arquato also became a seigniory on its own right. Alberto Scotti allied himself to the Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
family and extended his dominion to the territory of Piacenza, while entrusting Castell’Arquato to the podestà Tedesio de’ Spectinis. The alliance with the Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
ended in 1302 when the son of Matteo Visconti, Galeazzo I Visconti, married Beatrice d'Este
Beatrice d'Este
Beatrice d'Este , duchess of Milan, one of the most beautiful and accomplished princesses of the Italian Renaissance, was the daughter of Ercole I d'Este and younger sister of Isabella d'Este and Alfonso d'Este....
and shifted the weight of the alliances, starting a period of conflict that brought the Scotti to Milan.
Under the Scotti dominion, Castell’Arquato acquired political prestige and many of the buildings that can be still be seen today, like the Palazzo del Podestà (Podestà's Palace) and the Palazzo di Giustizia (Court of Justice), nucleus of what is today the Palazzo del Duca (Ducal Palace).
In 1304 Alberto Scotti was banished from Castell’Arquato by the city of Piacenza, but came back three years later. After the arrival of Henry VII in 1310 Alberto Scotti ruled the burg, until 1316 when Galeazzo I Visconti besieged Castell’Arquato, which yielded after one year. Galeazzo Visconti allowed the town "special rights": the ability to juridically emancipate itself from Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
and to write laws of its own, the basis of the 15th century statutes.
In 1324 Castell’Arquato was given to the municipality of Piacenza, itself under the dominion of the Church, which governed the burg for twelve years. Piacenza went back to the Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
in 1336 with Azzone Visconti, who favored the burg's autonomy from Piacenza, appointing a trusted podestà, Galvagno de’ Comini, and facilitating the fortification of this strategically and militarily important area. He died at the age of 37 years. His successor, Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo was an Italian theatre, opera and cinema director, as well as a screenwriter. He is best known for his films The Leopard and Death in Venice .-Life:...
was responsible for the construction of the Rocca (starting in 1342), promoted by the municipality of Piacenza.
In 1403 Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti , son of Galeazzo II Visconti and Bianca of Savoy, was the first Duke of Milan and ruled the late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance...
gave Borromeo de’ Borromei and his descendants feudal powers over Castell’Arquato, with the related fiscal revenues. Threatened by the powerful family of the Arcilli from Firenzuola, they gave back their rights to the people of Arquato, who gave them to Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti was ruler of Milan from 1412 to 1447.-Biography:Filippo Maria Visconti, who had become nominal ruler of Pavia in 1402, succeeded his assassinated brother Gian Maria Visconti as Duke of Milan in 1412. They were the sons of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Gian Maria's predecessor, by...
, Duke of Milan. From 1416 to 1470 the town was called Castel Visconti.
In 1438 Filippo Maria Visconti offered the fief to the condottiero Niccolò Piccinino
Niccolò Piccinino
Niccolò Piccinino was an Italian condottiero.-Biography:He was born at Perugia, was the son of a butcher.He began his military career in the service of Braccio da Montone, who at that time was waging war against Perugia on his own account, and at the death of his chief, shortly followed by that of...
, under whose government the Municipal Statutes were promulgated, the Statuta et Decreta Terrae Castri Arquati. After his death the village went to his sons Francesco
Francesco Piccinino
260px|thumb|Latin epitaph of Francesco Piccinino.Francesco Piccinino was an Italian condottiero.He was the adoptive son of the condottiero Niccolò Piccinino and the brother of Jacopo Piccinino. At Niccolò's death , he had been already established as a gallant warrior under the Duchy of Milan and...
and Jacopo. After Filippo Maria Visconti's death, his son-in-law Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza was an Italian condottiero, the founder of the Sforza dynasty in Milan, Italy. He was the brother of Alessandro, with whom he often fought.-Early life:...
was in 1447 also declared lord of Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
and its area.
In 1541 Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation...
declared the independence of the village, having already initiated the process in 1538. He also visited the Castell'Arquato in the spring of 1543 when he was acclaimed by the population, grateful for the independence from Piacenza also meant economical relief.
The rule by the Sforzas went on until 1707, when the territory of Castell'Arquato became part of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza under the Farnese and later the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
, until its annexion to Italy in 1860.
The current coat of arms reflects these changes, featuring the castle alongside the symbols of Piacenza (red castra
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
of Sant'Antonino), the Farnese (golden fleur de lis); the Scotti
Scotti
Scotti is a surname of Italian origin. The name refers to:*Andrés Scotti , Uruguayan professional football player*Antonio Scotti , Italian operatic baritone*Ben Scotti , American professional football player...
(6-pointed gold stars) and the Sforza (golden lions).
Main sights
- Rocca Viscontea (Visconti castle). Founded over pre-existing edifice, it was the seat of the Visconti garrison and has a quadrangular plan with four square towers at the vertexes, a mastio (keepKeepA keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
) and a ditch with two entrances. The Rocca is today home to the Medieval Museum - Collegiata church of St. Mary, dating to the late 8th century, when it was a baptismal pieve. It was however completely rebuilt after an earthquake in 1117. Notable is the Romanesque "Paradise Portico" on the left side, dating to the late 14th century, the four apses and the late 13th century cloister. The interior has sculpted capitals and sculptures from the 12th century, and frescoes.
- Palazzo del Podestà
- Torrione Farnese (Farnese Tower)
- Porta di Sasso (Sasso Gate)
- Baptistery of San Giovanni, at Vigolo Marchese
- S. Spirito Hospital (now housing a museum)
- Palazzo del Duca (Ducal Palace), built in 1292 by Alberto Scoto. It is connected to the Torrione by a tunnel.
- Church of San Giacomo
Culture
The castle's archive houses a collection of ancient music (from c. 16th century). It was partly published by the American Institute of Musicology. In those time it means for harpsichord or organ. The edition is called CEKM (Corpus of Early Keyboard music).From this collection a keyboard dance of the renaissance called "Al Milanese" with regal sound: