The fortress was built in 1385 by the Marchesi Bonifacio and Antonio Lupi who in 1347 had received feudal investiture over the territory from Charles IV, power that their family continued to exercise until was abolished at the time of Napoleon.
It is probable that the first fortress, with a square floor plan and four towers at the corners, took only a year to build, while the outer walls were completed in 1392. At that time, the building appeared as a powerful fortress equipped with all kinds of defensive structures against attacks from the outside.
As time went by, and the Signorias became consolidated, conflicts between feudal lords gradually decreased and it was therefore possible to make the structures of the castle more genteel turning it into a more pleasant and comfortable residence, while still preserving its older parts.
The castle in fact underwent considerable rebuilding especially in the 16th century, but it was only in the next century that it became a magnificent princely residence, with the appearance that it still has today. Subsequent modifications were made by Angelo Rasori from Parma and by Antonio Tomba from Piacenza, respectively in the 1700s and 1800s.
The fortress, enriche over time with countless works of art and invaluable evidence of the past, has always remained the property of the Meli Lupi family.
Soragna Castle has a square floor plan, with four towers at the corners and a fifth at the centre of the main south-facing facade. The Poet’s Gallery runs from the north-west tower connecting the main buildin to the Santa Croce Oratory.
The Castle is known as a fine example of early Baroque style: indeed, its rooms still contain the original unaltered furniture and furnishings, many of which were made and gilded in Venice, and are outstandingly magnificent and elegant.
Nevertheless, there is also evidence of other styles, notably those of the schools of painting of Parma and Lombardy. There are excellent frescoed and stucco decorations on the walls inside the Rocca, executed by talented artists like the brothers Ferdinando and Francesco Galli ‘Bibiena’ and dipicting mythological scenes and episodes connected with the history of the Meli Lupi family.
There are also bible scenes by Giovanni Bolla, charming landscapes and still lifes by Giacomo Facchini, allegorical figures by Giacomo Mercoli and classic scenes by Giovanni Motta. Inside the castle it is possible to admire the work of the famous artists who have followed on from one another for over 600 years: painters like Felice Boselli, Brescianino and G.B. Lazzaroni, sculptors like Luigi da Co’ and Alberto Oliva, and wood carvers like Lorenzo Aili.
The sumptuous rooms of the fortress are available for the organization of weddings or conventions, also thanks to our excellent catering, able to create any type of menu at your request. The staff at the fortress of Soragna will welcome your guests and satisfy even the most bizarre requests to guarantee an unprecedented reception which will remain forever in your hearts.
In case you wish to celebrate your ceremony on site you can do so at the beautiful Sanctuary or at the City Hall, both located literally in front of the fortress, with the convenience of not having to move to reach the location.
Surrounded on two sides by a moat without water, the Castle is accessed from the exterior across a brickwork bridge built in the 1600s to replace the original drawbridge. The entrance to the castle is watched over by a pair of superb stone lions holding a ball between their front paws.
The Bocchirale Room, linking the courtyard to the garden, contains a splendid 17th century French tapestry dotted with small pearls and showing exotic animals.
It is a large room separated from the nuptial bed by a carved and gilded wooden gate. Particularly magnificent are the two Murano mirrors with blue and white glass and crystal frames, decorated and painted.
the Santa Croce Chapel, built in the early 17th century as an oratory and family tomb. Here lie the remains of Ugolotto Lupi (d. 1351) and Francesco Meli Lupi (d. 1669).
The Baglione Room, sometimes known as the room ‘of the grotesques’, takes its name from the fact that it was frescoed by Cesare Baglione (16th cent.), a painter from Cremona, who was most effective when painting so-called ‘grotesques’, a particular kind of ornamental design inspired by ancient Roman decorations.
The Poets’ Gallery is divided into three sections: the first, frescoed by the Bibiena brothers, repeats the decorative motifs of the Stuccowork Room; the second, frescoed with literary and classical subjects by Giovanni Motta, a painter from Cremona, is the longest at no less than 62 metres; while the third section is devoted to the temple of Apollo, the god of poetry, accessed by climbing four steps.
The Stuccowork Room, a large square hall sumptuosly decorated in the most typical late 17th century Baroque style by Ferdinando and Francesco Galli, known as the ‘Bibiena’ brothers, who painted the ceiling with scenes from the glorious history of the Meli Lupi family and their victories against the Ottomans. in the service both of the Holy Roman Empire, and of the Venetian Republic.
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