In 1948, the same Sanvitale, its inhabitants for over five centuries, ceded the Rocca with the family furnishings to the Municipality, which subsequently transformed it into a museum.
The Rooms of the Rocca di Fontanellato
The series of the most interesting rooms of the Sanvitale apartment of the Rocca di Fontanellato begins with the Armory adorned with specimens from the 16th to the 19th century; followed by the adjoining room of Maria Luigia’s relics, where the famous hand with a flower on the wrist made by Canova in 1820 is displayed; the reception room, decorated with a 17th-century frieze and furnished with lavish Baroque furniture, showcasing a painted spinet and a 17th-century ebony cabinet, and the bridal chamber, with furniture coming from the Madonna sanctuary.
The actual museum route occupies the ground floor, with access from the courtyard: valuable in the first room are the Sanvitale portraits attributed to Molinaretto and Baldrighi, and, in the recently restored room of the grotesques, paintings by Carlo Francesco Nuvolone, Boselli, Ilario Spolverini, and Carlo Preda. The nearby room with the theater of Maria Luigia’s children is called “the room of the balancing women” due to the monochrome frieze attributed to a pupil of Cesare Cesariano, probable author of the decoration of the nearby Cupid’s room. The visit itinerary concludes with the so-called “Camera Ottica”, named after the 19th-century device that reflects the village square through a unique play of mirrors, and the oratory, built in 1688 in the ancient keep.
The Rocca Sanvitale Museum, Fontanellato
The museum houses a toy theatre of considerable historical importance, once owned by Albertina di Montenovo, daughter of Maria Luigia d’Austria Duchess of Parma and Piacenza. Dated between 1820 and 1825, the theatre consists of a wooden box that serves as a base and contains it when disassembled. It is 107 cm high and 91 cm deep. On the pediment, the family crest is depicted. The canvas curtain, with a rolling mechanism at the top, represents a garden with a lake and in the center a small island with a classical temple.
The theatre is accompanied by 24 puppets 18 cm tall. One of these is only 11 cm high and was presumably used to enhance the perspective illusion. The puppets – including Harlequin, Brighella, the Doctor, the King, the Queen, servants, and noble courtiers – are made of wood and plaster. The costumes and accessories are original. The theatre is complemented by 6 cardboard backdrops, with various layers of wings representing different settings: woods, gardens, palace interiors, and city exteriors. Puppets, curtain, backdrops, and pediment are painted with tempera. Source: MIBACT
Information about the Rocca Sanvitale Museum
Piazza Matteotti, 1
43012 Fontanellato (Parma)
Tel. 0521823220
Email: info@fontanellato.org
Website: https://www.fontanellato.org
