Rocca Sanvitale di Fontanellato
Rocca Sanvitale di Fontanellato
Rocca Sanvitale di Fontanellato
4.5
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM, 2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Monday
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Tuesday
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Wednesday
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Thursday
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Friday
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Saturday
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Sunday
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
About
The Sanvitale Fortress of Fontanellato rises, enchanting and suggestive, at the centre of the village; surrounded by a wide moat, it contains a precious treasure: the “Room of Diana and Actaeon” painted by Parmigianino in 1524. The aristocratic apartments of the Sanvitale counts is still intact, with original furniture and furnishings. From the “Camera Ottica” it still possible observe the real life outside the castle thanks to an ingenious system of lenses
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,339 reviews
Excellent
676
Very good
552
Average
82
Poor
21
Terrible
8
aa27
Lausanne, Switzerland529 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
One of the many castles of the region, but probably one of the best. Well preserved, perfect walls, water all around "helping" to get nice pictures. The visit is guided only, at specific times (takes about 1 hour) and there were quite a few people, despite it was a Friday morning in winter. The guide was very precise and helpful, telling a lot about the history of the place and of the frescos. Unusual the 19th century optical installation in the dark of one of the tower, allowing to see the projection of the outside world. Pity no pictures allowed.
Written 16 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Add-Jay
Utrecht, The Netherlands102 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
Went to Fontanellato on a busy Sunday afternoon. You can only visit the Rocca through a guided tour (which, I suspect, is only available in Italian). Guide was average, but the history of this building is interesting enough to keep you thrilled. We opted for the complete visit, which lasts approximately 1 hour and costs just a few euros more than the reduced one, for it includes the upper floor - although the main attractions (the splendid Parmigianino Room and the Camera Obscura) are included in the reduced fee too. The Rocca is located right in the middle of tiny Fontanellato, a pretty village full of porticoes, restaurants, and a flee market all around. All in all, this is one of those hidden gems that make Italy so worth discovering. Best would be to combine it with another castle in Parma's province; check the Castelli del Ducato webpage (the association of which this Rocca is also part) to find all possible castles, strongholds, fortresses and palaces around here.
Written 16 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
andrea r
Sondrio, Italy78 contributions
Aug 2019
if you want to discover Italy and his history this castle, paintings and history is worth the visit as it is the "Ducato di Parma e Piacenza" discover. The surroundings are talking about culatello and parmigiano cheese and you dont have to mix it with the fresques' master, Parmigianino. Good time but, please, try to speak some foreign language...I'm not sure that each guest is an Italian speaking person...
Written 14 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tualie
Varese, Italy1,538 contributions
Sept 2023 • Family
As a public building, hosts part of the town hall and is open for the public so we could walk freely and look the ground floor public areas. There are more rooms upstairs and a museum (at a fee) inside which we couldn’t visit because we were there early in the morning. If have keen interest, there are guided tours which needed to be book in advance through their website.
It was a nice stop as part of a travel coffee break. The rest of the town nothing of interest, just the castle in the middle of the town.
It was a nice stop as part of a travel coffee break. The rest of the town nothing of interest, just the castle in the middle of the town.
Written 26 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
a_pettersson
Paris, France60 contributions
Oct 2018 • Family
The rooms have been carefully renovated and the Parmegiano's room is worth the visit.
This being said, the guided tour takes long time to start and to proceed, and the guide does not know any foreign language.
To kill time you have some notes to read, but the rooms are not listed in the same order as the guided tour, which is quite confusing.
The entrance ticket is not cheap, at 8€, so the municipality should strongly consider taking an intern in history or art or tourism to make the visitor's experience more exciting.
There the possibility to stop the visit after the ground floor and garden before going to the first floor. On our tour, everyone who was not Italian took this opportunity.
In a nutshell, it's nice if you have time and no kids nor teenagers with you.
This being said, the guided tour takes long time to start and to proceed, and the guide does not know any foreign language.
To kill time you have some notes to read, but the rooms are not listed in the same order as the guided tour, which is quite confusing.
The entrance ticket is not cheap, at 8€, so the municipality should strongly consider taking an intern in history or art or tourism to make the visitor's experience more exciting.
There the possibility to stop the visit after the ground floor and garden before going to the first floor. On our tour, everyone who was not Italian took this opportunity.
In a nutshell, it's nice if you have time and no kids nor teenagers with you.
Written 22 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cal_Travel_Lover
San Francisco, CA201 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
The castle is situated in the middle of a mostly closed, middle ages pedestrian village. Well preserved and held privately through the centuries until donated to the state in 1948. We took the short tour which allowed us to see the 14thc murals and the camera oscura. Lovely restored and in one case original murals previously hidden behind plaster and therefore preserved. Pleasant morning in Fontanellato.
Written 6 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gianluca Marcellino
Milan, Italy623 contributions
Mar 2018 • Friends
A nice, well restored castle. Small but with an interesting collection of artifacts as befits to the seat of a multi-century family, rich but in a secondary location compared to local and European capital cities.
You can only visit this with a guide, so do check visit times. The guide we met was very well prepared, with a skillfully written and well rehearsed script that mixed valuable information with a modicum of gossip and very little to stir up visitors' gleeful voyeurism. Barely a morbid comment about diseases or shameful sexual practices, I hope you won't mind.
This is surely smaller than mansions of higher and more powerful noble families, still the fact that it was held by a single family for many centuries and that the last heir to the fortune could sell it to the local administration while still in full control of his mind and some fortune makes this a nice snapshot of what a noble family could accumulate in centuries. Worth a short waylay from Parma.
You can only visit this with a guide, so do check visit times. The guide we met was very well prepared, with a skillfully written and well rehearsed script that mixed valuable information with a modicum of gossip and very little to stir up visitors' gleeful voyeurism. Barely a morbid comment about diseases or shameful sexual practices, I hope you won't mind.
This is surely smaller than mansions of higher and more powerful noble families, still the fact that it was held by a single family for many centuries and that the last heir to the fortune could sell it to the local administration while still in full control of his mind and some fortune makes this a nice snapshot of what a noble family could accumulate in centuries. Worth a short waylay from Parma.
Written 4 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
545medva
Budapest, Hungary3,901 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
If you have got time, you must visit this small lovely village and the castle. It has a lot to offer - paintings, armoury, china - everthiny original from the 16. century on.
Written 23 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melinda M
Paris, France9 contributions
Aug 2016 • Friends
Beautiful ! Lovely little village, fairy tale style, lovely castle, good guide, lovely lunch after! Highly recommended!
Written 8 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
apocalypsenow66
Milan, Italy120 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
One of the most well preserved "castle" in the area. To be visited with a guided tour and the guide was very professional and passionate. Definitely worth to get there for a visit.
Written 12 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Quanto dura indicativamente la visita guidata?
Grazie.
Chiara
Written 3 May 2023
Meno di 2 ore tranquilla con me avevo mio figlio di 10 anni molto interessanto!
Written 7 May 2023
No, però si accede solo con visita guidata a orario prestabilito, quindi ad esempio noi abbiamo fatto il biglietto e atteso un'ora e mezzo, ma eravamo 8
Written 2 March 2022
è possibile fare fotografie senza flash all'interno?
Written 31 July 2020
Oceanis37
Milan, Italy
325 contributions
Noi abbiamo visitato il 19/09, era vietato scattare foto anche senza flash
Written 20 September 2020
No need for an English speaking tour. There were plenty of signboards in English and it was wonderful to stroll around the palace and grounds, with small cafes to people watch and relax.
Written 5 October 2018
lo spettacolo pirotecnico a tempo di musica lo fate ancora? se si quando è il periodo?
Written 20 April 2018
Spiacente.. nn ho letto nulla del genere.. anche per me era presente solo pubblicita che sarebbe comonciato lo street food dopo qualche settimana...
Written 2 May 2018
Francesco Z
Lublin, Poland
Se ci sono reperti antichi come armature spade cannoni
Written 26 March 2018
si e possibile solo nella parte interna del cortine non nelle sale .
Written 4 February 2018
Buongiorno.La visita con un disabile è possibile ? In carrozzina. Grazie
Written 13 January 2018
Parte della visita è a piani superiori accessibili attraverso scale, non so se abbiano anche degli ascensori per accedervi. Visita invece possibile alla sala del Parmigianino, allo stendardo ed alla sala oscura
Written 13 January 2018
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