Castles of the duchy

In 1462, Condottiero Pier Maria Rossi began building Torrechiara Castle for Bianca Pellegrini; by the 1470s its famed “Room of the Kiss” was frescoed, a courtly love manifesto still intact. Those stones map a power network that once controlled the valleys between Parma and Langhirano, just 18 km apart. Further west, Fontanellato’s moated Rocca hides a 19th‑century camera obscura, rare in Italy. Between stops, the flatlands reveal culatello drying rooms and Parmigiano Reggiano dairies—proof that the old duchy fused fortifications, waterways, and foodcraft.

Your dedicated driver collects you at your Parma hotel in a comfortable Mercedes and adapts the pace: a photo pause by the Enza bridge, a tasting near Torrechiara, then an easy run to Fontanellato along the SP9. You tour while the driver waits, handling parking and local guide timings. Expect about 25 minutes from Parma to Torrechiara, then roughly 40 minutes to Fontanellato via Collecchio; return in late afternoon, with an optional detour to Colorno’s palace if visiting hours align.