Emilia Romagna Castles

Formigine lies right between Modena, the provincial capital city, and the ceramic district of Sassuolo. It also includes the villages of Casinalbo, Corlo, Colombaro, Magreta and Ubersetto. Formigine is the fourth most populated town in the Province of Modena.

Parks and nature
Formigine has a green soul: for centuries the lords of the city would chose this area to build country houses, and to this day it distinctly maintains this residential vocation. Here you will easily stroll along tree-lined avenues or ride on paths and rural parks.

Art and culture
Travelling around the territory of Formigine, you will easily come across a wonderful historical villa surrounded by an Italian garden or an English one. There are 80 historical abodes still in existence, the majority of which are private property.  

The Castle displays a wonderful example of the architectonic evolution of a medieval fortification into a Renaissance manor. 

Inside the park you will find the archaeological area containing the remains of St. Bartholomew’s parish church.

A pluri-secular castle, a territory and a community, a collection of archaeological findings, an architectural renovation and a great scientific heritage: these are the ingredients of the narrative of the Formigine Castle written by Studio Azzurro.

A vase finds the hands that formed it, used it and shattered it. Rooms reveal the faces and the actions of those who have passed through them. The bare earth renews the medieval rite of burial. What comes out is a great picture that connects sensibly all the architecture, the objects, the immaterial contents and the visitors in a unique experience, just like a work of art.

The museum is conceived in such a way that it is a truly extraordinary place where the cultural heritage of a community is kept, interpreted and passed on from one generation to the other, countering the amnesia of places and humankind and the ever so rapid changing of time and space.

The Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, so called “black gold”, has been handed down century after century one generation to the other and today is still a source of pride for the territory of Modena. The wine must ferments, ripens and ages in a series of barrels made of different types of woods. This process lasts at least 12 years for the typical PDO vinegar and 25 years for the PDO “Extravecchio” vinegar.

The territory of Modena fits perfectly well in a glass of Lambrusco: this exuberant and consistent wine can also be delicate and transparent. The Lambrusco wine is the most diffused Italian wine on both national and international markets. 

Known as the “king of cheeses”, Parmesan cheese is produced exclusively among the plains, hills and mountains situated between the river Po and the river Reno. In this territory 4000 farms are located where cows are fed with forages exclusively produced in this area.

Modena PDO cured ham, salame, ciccioli… The combination of geographical factors, such as the environment and the peculiar microclimate, and human factors, such as the specific processing techniques handed down from generation to generation, make the cold cuts of this area both unique and impossible to reproduce outside of this specific territory.

The parish church of San Giacomo (St. James), is one of the oldest monuments of Formigine. This is a single nave church with a bell tower attached, that has been brought back to its original Romanesque appearance.

Probably, due to its geographical position and its dedication to St. James (recalling the more famous Santiago de Compostela), this place was a stop along the medieval routes traveled by pilgrims either directed to Rome or Jerusalem.