Rocchetta Mattei

Rocchetta Mattei is an eclectic 19th-century castle located near the village of Riola, Emilia-Romagna, in the municipality of Grizzana Morandi, northern Italy. Standing on a rocky spur above the Reno valley, close to the confluence of the Reno and Limentra rivers, it was begun in 1850 by Count Cesare Mattei (1809–1896) on the ruins of the medieval Rocca di Savignano, a fortress documented in a strategically important area linked to trans-Apennine routes, monastic possessions and later Bolognese territorial control.

Conceived as both a neo-medieval residence and the headquarters of Mattei's alternative medical system of electrohomeopathy, Rocchetta Mattei combines neo-medieval, Moorish revival and Liberty elements in a deliberately labyrinthine layout. Italian heritage authorities regard it as one of the most significant examples of 19th-century eclectic architecture in Italy.

Since 2005 the complex has been owned by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna (Fondazione Carisbo), which carried out an extensive restoration programme. It reopened to the public in 2015 as a museum and cultural venue and has become one of the most visited heritage sites in the Emilia-Romagna Apennines, with the foundation reporting more than 73,000 visitors per year.

Text adapted from “Rocchetta Mattei” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Rocchetta Mattei ranks #2,012 of 3,691 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #159 of the 288 mapped in Italy. Founded 1850, it is older than 9% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 221 atlas entries founded in the 19th century. See how Italy compares in the castle statistics.

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