After the Parma Marathon: Fontanellato

The Route: Parma → Fontanellato → Parma Logistics: About 20 km north-west of Parma on flat ground. Check the bus timetable at tep.pr.it, or hire a car for the day. The village is flat. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

Parma ──(bus or car, about 25-40 mins)──> Fontanellato (Piazza Matteotti)
                                               │
                                  castle, then optional 5 km to the Labirinto della Masone

Fontanellato sits in the flat farmland between Parma and the Po, and the place has one landmark that justifies the trip: the Rocca Sanvitale, a square brick castle with a water-filled moat, owned by the Sanvitale family from the fourteenth century. The village is flat and small, so it suits the day after a marathon. The castle has a different schedule from Parma's museums. Check the opening days and times at the castle's website before you go, because the weekly closing day changes with the season.

October in Fontanellato: the fields are bare after harvest and the morning fog can be thick. The days are cool, and you will want a coat for the moat-side walk.

Getting there

The road from Parma is straight and flat. A hire car takes about half an hour. Local buses also serve the village, but the timetable varies, so check the current times with TEP and plan the last bus back.

The Rocca Sanvitale

The castle is open on weekdays in the morning and afternoon and on Sundays from 10:00 to 18:00 in the April to October season, according to the information available, and it has been closed on Tuesdays outside April and May. Guided tours on weekdays run at set times through the day, and a full ticket was about €10 to €12. In November the hours may change, so check.

Two things are worth the ticket. The first is a small room painted by Parmigianino in 1523 and 1524, showing the story of Diana and Actaeon, in which the hunter is turned into a stag. The second is the Camera Ottica, an optical chamber in the tower that uses mirrors and a lens to project the village square onto a table inside the room. It is claimed to be the only working one in Italy, and it works best on a bright day. The rooms are reached by stairs.

The Labirinto della Masone

About 5 km from the village is the Labirinto della Masone, a bamboo maze of about 7 hectares with 3 km of paths, built by the publisher Franco Maria Ricci. It has an art collection and a library. It needs a car or a taxi, and you should check the opening dates and prices before you decide.

Lunch

Fontanellato lies on the Strada del Culatello, named for the cured pork of Zibello. A plate of culatello, or a dish of anolini in brodo, small stuffed pasta in broth, is a typical lunch. Book ahead on a weekend.

Getting back