Torrechiara is a frazione

Frazione

A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...

of the comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

of Langhirano

Langhirano

Langhirano is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 90 km west of Bologna and about 20 km south of Parma....

, in the province of Parma

Province of Parma

The Province of Parma is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Parma.It has an area of 3,449 km², and a total population of 413,198...

, northern Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. It is especially known for its massive castle, built by Pier Maria II Rossi (1413-1482), count of San Secondo

San Secondo Parmense

San Secondo Parmense is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 200 km northwest of Bologna and about 15 km northwest of Parma....

, between 1448 and 1460.

Geography

The castle has four rectangular towers, connected by a double line of merlon

Merlon

In architecture, a merlon forms the solid part of an embattled parapet, sometimes pierced by embrasures. The space between two merlons is usually called a crenel, although those later designed and used for cannons were called embrasures.-Etymology:...

ed walls. The inner court is called Cortile d'onore ("Courtyard of Honour"). The towers are the following:

• Torre di San Nicomede, with the eponymous chapel. It guarded the plain towards Langhirano
• Torre del Giglio ("Lily Tower"), so called for it sported Bianca Pellegrini's coat of arms.
• Torre della Camera d'Oro, with the chamber of Rossi and Pellegrini.
• Torre del Leone ("Lion Tower"), facing north, which is the keep of the castle. It takes its name from Rossi's coat of arms.

The interior is characterized by numerous rooms decorated with fantastic, grottesco or naturalistic elements. On the first floor, together with the Salone dei Giocolieri ("Jugglers Hall"), is the Camera d'Oro ("Golden Chamber"), one of the most famous examples of erotic chambers in Italy. The fresco cycle in the lunette

Lunette

In architecture, a lunette is a half-moon shaped space, either filled with recessed masonry or void. A lunette is formed when a horizontal cornice transects a round-headed arch at the level of the imposts, where the arch springs. If a door is set within a round-headed arch, the space within the...

s portrays Bianca Pellegrini running her and Rossi's fiefs, searching for her lover: the paintings are attributed to Benedetto Bembo. The chamber opens onto a panoramic loggia

Loggia

Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...

to.

History

The edifice was thought not only as a defensive structure, but also as mansione for the count's lover, Bianca Pellegrini, for which a famous hall, the Camera d'Oro ("Golden Chamber") was built with decorations by Benedetto Bembo.

Scenes of the 1985 film 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...

were shot at the castle.

Festivals and events

The Courtyard of Honour of the castle is the setting for the Torrechiara Festival", dedicated to the great soprano Renata Tebaldi

Renata Tebaldi

Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period...

.