Top 4 Castles around Massa Lombarda

Prato di Sant'Andrea is a simple elliptical mound of land. It was the ancient Bagnara castle, founded in Roman times and destroyed in 1222 during the battle between the Bolognese and Imola residents. https://www.bassaromagnamia.it/poitofintrests/prato-di-santandrea/ The area is always open and free to access.

Castel Guelfo di Bologna is a town in the Bologna area, known for its medieval castle. It also offers food and wine tours in the surrounding countryside and the Municipal Archaeological Museum.

Church dating back to 1620 which was formerly an oratory dedicated to St. Joseph. The interior with three naves presents an important decorative apparatus, consisting of Baroque stuccos and light and dark drawings ... (Source: https://www.bassaromagnamia.it/poitofintrests/chiesa-del-pio-suffragio/ )

Sources tell us of a first fortified nucleus as early as the 10th century ... The sources also tell us that the Faentines destroyed the fortress in 1218 and from this moment on it was rebuilt several times and at different times until the fourteenth century. ... the name Rocca Estense reflects the period of its maximum flowering, i.e. under the Este domination, from 1437 to 1598. In fact, the most significant changes to the fortress date back to this period. Ercole I d'Este transformed the parade ground into a citadel by equipping it with a wall, towers and a moat to defend it. Subsequently, Duke Alfonso II d'Este had the citadel demolished and used the resulting materials to build the ramparts on the south, east and west sides. Following these interventions, the Rocca changed its appearance assuming the form of a bastioned fortress typical of the late sixteenth century. With the passage to the Papal State, the Rocca lost its castle characteristics. The creation of a Hanging Garden is the main modification of this period which can be dated to the end of the 18th century. It is a suggestive place today accessible through the internal courtyard of the Rocca. (Source: https://ilromagnolo.info/rubriche/luoghi/rocca-estense-di-lugo/ )

The toponym is thought to derive from the quality of the land in the area, once marshy and known as Silva Bagnaria, which was reclaimed by the Etruscans and subsequently colonized by the Romans. ... The first nucleus of the city of Bagnara (old Bagnara) was built in what is now the locality of Prato di S. Andrea, one km southeast of the current city centre, around the ancient Roman castrum, of which currently all that remains is a rise and the remains of what used to be the boundary ditch. Bagnara Vecchia was in fact razed to the ground in 1222 during a battle between the Bolognese and Faentini, and the escaped inhabitants took refuge near the Santerno river, where today the center of the new Bagnara is located. (Source: http://www.itinerariinromagna.it/comune/32/bagnara_di_romagna )

The only example of a fully preserved medieval castrum in Romagna, the history of the Rocca di Bagnara starts from the 14th century even if its origins are somewhat uncertain. It was probably built by Uguccione della Faggiola in 1297. ... During the 1400s the fortress passed under different hands, from the Holy See to the Estensi. In 1482 it passed to Girolamo Riario and his wife Caterina Sforza (second half of the 1400s) as a wedding gift from Pope Sixtus IV. It is in fact the latter that takes care of the numerous defensive changes of the fortress. ... In the 16th century the fortress passed to Cesare Borgia who marked the way towards its decline. In this period there is also a conversion from military use to civilian use. After the Napoleonic occupation of the 19th century, the fortress definitively became the property of the Municipality of Bagnara in 1868. The fortress was restored in 2008 and has since housed the Castle Museum. It is also the scene of historical re-enactments. (Source: https://ilromagnolo.info/rubriche/luoghi/rocca-sforzesca-bagnara-di-romagna/ )

Place of historical, cultural and architectural interest Piazza 4 Novembre, 3, 48031 Bagnara di Romagna RA http://www.comune.bagnaradiromagna.ra.it/Citta-e-territorio/Cultura/Rocca-Sforzesca 0545905540

Small village with a very well preserved fortress and a beautiful square