Novellara Fortress (Rocca di Novellara)

The building history of the Rocca Novellara, which only became part of the Estense heritage in the early 18th century, is mainly linked to the fortunes of the Gonzaga family who, starting from the original defensive nucleus, already attested at the beginning of the 11th century, erected a larger military structure between the 14th and 15th centuries, destined in the following century to take on the role of a noble residence.

The castle complex, built between the end of the 14th century and the second half of the following century, is still largely preserved. It is a complex characterised by a large inner courtyard with a quadrangular plan punctuated by buildings with jutting towers arranged at the four apexes. The 16th-century transformations are clearly recognisable along the inner side of the northern building, where the stately apartments on the ground floor overlooked the sequence of arcades along the portico. Of particular interest is also the so-called ‘big bell’ gate-tower: located along the southern external side, it is set on an imposing and compact brick structure whose crowning is connected by two volutes to the dado that houses the clock, above which the belfry rises, punctuated at the corners by pilasters and surmounted by an octagonal turret.