| Scipio | ||
 | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Emilia Romagna | |
| Territory | Parma | |
| Altitude | 260 m a.s.l. | |
| Prefix tel | 39 0524 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 43039 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
Position
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Scipio is a medieval village ofEmilia Romagna, fraction of Salsomaggiore Terme.
To know
Fraction of the municipality of Salsomaggiore Terme, is an important stage in a hypothetical journey among the castles of the Parma hills which also includes Torrechiara, Pellegrino Parmense, Compiano, Varano de 'Melegari, Bar of, Corniglio.
Geographical notes
Located on the first hills of Parma, it is 3 km away. from the municipal capital Salsomaggiore Terme and 35 from Parma.
Background
The village inextricably links its historical events to the Pallavicino castle.
The legend
According to ancient tradition it is said that the village existed in Roman times and there was, among the houses, the villa of Gneo Scipione, uncle of the more famous Scipione the African destroyer of Carthage: the toponym derives from this family. It is said that the castle was built on the ruins of the villa of the Roman patrician Scipione family.
How to orient yourself
Scipio: full screen map.How to get
By plane
- 1 Parma airport (G. Verdi), Via Emilia - Golese locality, ☎ 39 0521 951511.
- 2 Bologna airport (G.Marconi), Via Triumvirato 84, ☎ 39 051 6479615.
By car
- Tollbooth of Fidenza on the Autostrada del Sole A1
- Tollbooth of Fiorenzuola d'Arda on the A1 Autostrada del Sole
Provincial road 359 FidenzaSalsomaggiore
Provincial road 359 On the train
Salsomaggiore Terme station on the line Fidenza - Salsomaggiore
Salsomaggiore Terme station on the line By bus
TEP lines (timetables)
TEP lines (How to get around
What see
Castle - back
- Pallavicino Castle.
(2013) Adults: Euro 7.00, Children: 0/6 years free admission; 6/16 years Euro 6.00, Groups: starting from 20 people Euro 6.00, School groups: Euro 4.50 per person. 
open to the public from March to November. For groups and schools all year round by reservation. March Saturday: 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm Holidays: 10.30am, 11.30am, 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm From April to June Thursday and Saturday: 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm, 6.00pm Sundays and holidays: 10.30am, 11.30am, 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm, 6.00pm From July to October Thursday, Friday and Saturday 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm, 6.00pm Sundays and holidays 10.30am, 11.30am, 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm, 18.00pm November Saturday: 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm Holidays: 10.30am, 11.30am, 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm. The small village not far from the Stirone stream develops around the castle which was built by the Pallavicino marquises in the 11th century; its existence is testified by a document of 1025. It was part of a wider defensive plan aimed at the defense of the Stirone valley, whose other cornerstones were the castles of Vigoleno, Bargone is Contignaco, and more generally of the Pallavicino state which embraced a vast territory between Cremona, Parma is Piacenza and extended from the Po to the Apennines with capital Busseto and subsequently Cortemaggiore. The latter was new city, founded in 1479 by Gianfrancesco Pallavicino following the renaissance town planning precepts of Leon Battista Alberti.
(2013) Adults: Euro 7.00, Children: 0/6 years free admission; 6/16 years Euro 6.00, Groups: starting from 20 people Euro 6.00, School groups: Euro 4.50 per person. 
open to the public from March to November. For groups and schools all year round by reservation. March Saturday: 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm Holidays: 10.30am, 11.30am, 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm From April to June Thursday and Saturday: 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm, 6.00pm Sundays and holidays: 10.30am, 11.30am, 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm, 6.00pm From July to October Thursday, Friday and Saturday 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm, 6.00pm Sundays and holidays 10.30am, 11.30am, 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm, 18.00pm November Saturday: 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm Holidays: 10.30am, 11.30am, 3.00pm, 4.00pm, 5.00pm. The small village not far from the Stirone stream develops around the castle which was built by the Pallavicino marquises in the 11th century; its existence is testified by a document of 1025. It was part of a wider defensive plan aimed at the defense of the Stirone valley, whose other cornerstones were the castles of - The fourteenth century saw the castle of Scipio involved in the struggles between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. In the fifteenth century it was at the center of disputes between the important families of the Rossi, the da Correggio and the Terzi. To make it more defensible and more resistant to assaults with new firearms, the Pallavicinos rebuilt it in 1447. The cylindrical tower, as well as the scarp walls, date from this period. The prisons of the castle date back to the same reconstruction, and are those that can still be seen today.
- The importance of the castle was linked above all to an economic factor: the control of the via del sale. The Pallavicinos exploited the wells of this very precious element in the Middle Ages especially for the purpose of preserving foodstuffs, and they were the major producers of this commodity that was traded along these districts; the castle is sometimes called salt castle. The wealth of salt in the area is also evident today; this is demonstrated by the development of the Salsomaggiore thermal baths, renowned for their salsobromoiodic waters.
- The Marquise Clelia Pallavicino donated it to the National Opera Orphans of War after the First World War; the Danish diplomat Christian Frederik Per Count von Holstein bought it to give it to his wife Marquise Maria Luisa Pallavicino of the main branch of the family. In this way the castle can boast a practically uninterrupted millennial belonging to the same family.
- The castle still shows the cylindrical tower of the fifteenth-century reconstruction, part of the walls, a seventeenth-century loggia. Inside rooms decorated in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. One room retains an important coffered ceiling with carving dated to the second half of the fifteenth century, bearing the coat of arms of the Pallavicino family.
- The more recent history of the castle also records the black period of its use as a place of internment. From 1940 on, political prisoners were held there, then foreign citizens who were enemies in times of war; finally it became the starting point for the German concentration camps after 8 September.
- In 2011, an impressive restoration made it possible to recover the north-west wing of the castle, making numerous rooms available for visits with important frescoes and decorations, fireplaces, stuccos, the square tower and the ancient stables. Fifteenth-century decorations were also discovered on two wooden ceilings and two frescoed portals.
- The works have also equipped the castle with suites for tourist use.
- Duration of the guided tour: approximately 45-50 minutes
- Path: The guided tour runs through the following external and internal areas of the castle: the ancient entrance; the courtyard of honor; the ancestors' gallery; the blue living room; the exhibition hall with a Russian-style table set with family service from the 18th century; the red dining room; the yellow salon; the living room of the Devil; the library; the corridor of Santa Barbara; the seventeenth-century loggia with a panoramic view; from spring 2012, following the recent restoration work, the guided tour also includes the rooms in the north wing of the Castle with 17th-century frescoes and stuccoes and 15th-century decorations unique in the area.
- Church of San Silvestro. It was originally the castle chapel. Consecrated in 1790, it was built after the purchase by the parish priest Don Vincenzo Ricci of the chapel and the land from the Pallavicino family.
Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
- Osteria del Castello restaurant (in the village of the castle of Scipione), ☎ 39 0524 573698, @[email protected].
Numerous clubs are present in Salsomaggiore Terme and a little throughout the hilly area.
Where stay
- Scipione Castello, Village of Scipione 61, ☎ 39 0524 572381, @[email protected].
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
- Salsomaggiore Terme
- Fidenza - The Cathedral of San Donnino, cathedral of the diocese, is rightfully included in the category of the great Romanesque cathedrals of Emilia, for example those of Parma and of Modena; it boasts an unfinished façade with statues and bas-reliefs by Benedetto Antelami and his school.
- Chiaravalle della Colomba Abbey - In Alseno, not far from the Via Emilia, there is this monastic complex of great importance in the panorama of Cistercian sacred buildings.
Itineraries
- Castles of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza - Scattered over the Parma and Piacenza Apennines, but also present in the plain to guard the natural border of the Po, the numerous castles of the ancient Duchy of Parma and Piacenza characterize the whole area. Originally military bulwarks, many of them have kept the appearance of an inaccessible fortress, many have gradually transformed their war nature into a refined noble residence; all perpetuate over time the atmosphere of adventure, fairytale and legend that has always been linked to castles, many of which tell of the presence of spirits and ghosts.
