Bardi Castle

Bardi Castle is a beautiful medieval building that dominates the Italian town of same name. It is located in the province of Parma which is located 130 km west of Bologna and about 50 km southwest from the city of Parma. The Castle was alone a feud, and today is one of the treasures of the Middle Ages with which Italy can be proud.

The first fort was erected there in 869 and its prototype, as shown, still remains hostile to this scale. Only in 1257 the castle was enlarged and ennobled by the province of Piacenza, who were feudal lords of Bardi. They exercised sovereignty in the region for centuries.

In those years the castle was distinguished by its solid defense parts and excellent defensive ability, resulting in a fortress around Bardi which started to become the capital of a small country and occurred between the villages of Val Ceno and Val Taro.

This small self government was a unit for 2-3 centuries gaining unprecedented power. The influence of the castle Bardi was so extensive that in 1551 the Emperor Charles V gives the right to Bardi to print their own money.

Today, the castle is the starting point for a lot of cultural activities in Val Ceno. The well restored old shops, stables and observation tower are open to public visits. In the territory of the castle you can see unique paintings of Parmigianino, dating from 1520 located in the St. Mary Church Adolorata. In the temple of the Holy Mary Grace you can also see beautiful paintings.

There are legendary stories about the castle Bardi that say the castle is inhabited by ghosts and ghostly shadows of their former owners. The character in one of these stories is the sea, which suffered a tragic love, but the whole story ends with death.

Every summer until the end of October, castle Bardi is the host of many medieval festivals which are accompanied by music, dancing and authentic clothing.