Great Fortress (Rocca Possente)

The splendid Rocca Possente di Stellata is one of the most evocative and best-preserved fortifications built in the territory of the Este dominion, but is also a mysterious work of architecture, whose construction history is still the subject of controversial reconstructions.

Built on the southern bank of the river Po, the fortified garrison of Stellata constituted, along with that of Ficarolo located on the opposite bank, the most important river barrier in the duchy, capable of blocking the passage of ships by means of an iron chain that, if necessary, could be stretched between the two forts. This specific military device not only allowed control of the levies imposed for commercial navigation but also made it possible to repel hostile fleets coming up the river and threatening the hinterland.

The current appearance of the Rocca Possente di Stellata seems to be the result of an intricate sequence of construction and demolition phases, and it is not yet fully clear whether its current configuration is mainly the result of 16th-century works by the Este family or rather the result of a rearrangements carried out by papal order during the first half of the following century.