[Nov. 2024] As the weather in Northern Italy was sunny this November, we went to a town called Castell’Arquato in Emilia-Romagna this time.
No matter how many times you say it, it’s hard to remember the name of this town.
The reason we chose this town is because, like Soncino, which we visited before, it was listed in both the “Most Beautiful Towns in Italy” and “Historic Towns in Italy” books.
When we arrived there, we found that it was a stone town on a hill, with churches, castles, and palace-like buildings.
It reminded me a little of Certaldo.
It’s a small town, but there are car parks from No.1 to 5, so it’s definitely a town that attracts a lot of tourists.
Despite that, there were many vacant houses (shops) on the streets at the bottom of the hill.
Anyway, we could see great views looking up at and across.
It felt good to be able to take lots of photos with my camera after such a long time.
The history of this town dates back to the Augustan era (27 BC to 14 AD).
The Collegiate Church, which was particularly impressive, is said to have been built by a local nobleman called Magno.
After being badly damaged in the great earthquake of 1117, it was rebuilt in 1122, but due to poor renovations in the 18th century, the beauty of the old architecture was lost.
After that, it was restored over a long period of time, and what can be seen now is almost the original form.
The best thing about this church is the Chapel of St. Catherine.
The walls and ceilings are covered with wonderful frescoes.
It’s definitely worth a visit.
And here is the only place where there is a recorded guide.
There is a machine at the entrance of this chapel.
You put in 1 euro (I think?), select the language, and the explanation will start.
We listened to the explanation in English.
The next best thing after this Collegiate Church was the view from the ruins of Rocca Viscontea Castle.
This castle was a military fort, and was built in 1343.
There was nothing particularly to see in the castle itself, but the view from the top of the tower was amazing.
The old cobblestone streets themselves are also attractive.
It’s a small town, so we walked the same streets several times, but I never got bored.
