An almost fairytale-like place nestled in the Apennine mountains and that certainly should be visited. In the heart of Emilia Romagna on a hill 407 meters above sea level is the Rocchetta Mattei, a castle, and a group of buildings reminiscent in style of the ancient medieval strongholds. But there is more because this place that belongs to history, built in the second half of the nineteenth century, mixes different styles ranging from the Middle Ages, to the Neo-Renaissance, to the Moorish style up to the Art Nouveau. La Rocchetta is located in Savignano in the municipality of Grizzana Morandi, in the province of Bologna. We tell you its story.
Rocchetta Mattei, the "home" of Count Cesare Mattei
Towers, monumental stairways, reception rooms, but also private rooms. This is the labyrinth of the Rocchetta Mattei, commissioned by Count Cesare Mattei who wanted to build it on the ruins of an ancient building dating back to the thirteenth century. Bolognese ("Meat" Sauce) Cesare Mattei by birth, man of letters, politician and doctor received the title of count from Pope Pius IX. He then moved to the Vigorso estate to study his "new medicine" and began construction of the "Rocchetta". The peculiarity of this place born right on the ruins of a castle medieval fascinated Mattei who established his residence there, living like a medieval lord with a lot of court.
Mattei was the creator of "electro homeopathy" an alternative medicine, which made him famous. It is said that many illustrious men were hosted in the Rocchetta, who had reached the place to undergo the care of Mattei. Guests would have been Ludwig III of Bavaria and Tsar Alexander II. At his death, the Rocchetta is been aattraction, then abandoned. It was only in 2005 that the Cassa di Risparmio di Bologna Foundation (Carisbo) bought the castle. Thus began the consolidation and restoration necessary to protect this structure. Mattei was buried in the Rocchetta chapel in a monumental tomb.
The interiors of the structure
From a loggia, called Loggia Carolina, you reach a staircase that leads, through a drawbridge, to a room with small windows and a stalactite ceiling. This was the count's bedroom and you can see the original furniture and his pipes. You can also visit the courtyard of the lions, a reproduction of the courtyard of the Alhambra in Granada. And then the church, the hall of the ninety. La Rocchetta is also full of other service rooms, now transformed into villas.
Educational visits to the site
The pandemic situation we are experiencing has also limited visits to the facility in the last year. However, start some initiatives on a virtual level, with itineraries to get to know this fascinating place. At other times, in fact, the Rocchetta Mattei offers visitors and especially students an educational-training offer. Several laboratories are planned for each type and degree of study. Itineraries to discover the Rocchetta, its particular and diversified architecture. But it is also an opportunity to get to know the life of its founder and above all the alternative medicine he conceived and his studies.
