Castel Dʼario: Castle, Art and Rice Culture

Castel Dʼario combines Italian local history with regional cuisine and a water-shaped landscape of the Po Valley. The focal points are the Castello e Rocca di Castel d'Ario, the memory of Tazio Nuvolari and the rice culture of the Po Valley.

Castle, towers and historic rooms

The Castello e Rocca di Castel d'Ario consists of a single walled enclosure with an irregular polygonal layout. This layout follows the former courses of the Molinella watercourse to the south and the Essere to the north, before both were straightened at the end of the 15th century. The inner keep includes a fifth tower known as the Torre della Fame. The piano nobile of the Castello e Rocca di Castel d'Ario is decorated with Scaliger coats of arms.

The religious and monastic buildings also give the town a distinctive historical profile. The Parrocchia dell’Assunzione della Beata Vergine Maria was designed by Gerolamo dal Pozzo di Villagrossa; its apse contains three altarpieces by Giandomenico Cignaroli. The EX CONVENTO DOMENICANO „CONDOMINIO IL CONVENTINO“ was commissioned in 1614 by Count Paolo Emilio Gonzaga of the Gonzaga di Novellara family and designed by Antonio Maria Viani.

Art and the memory of Tazio Nuvolari

For visitors interested in art, Terra Crea – Sartori is another specific point of interest. Terra Crea – Sartori is considered the first museum in the Province of Mantua dedicated to ceramic art. The Terra Crea – Sartori collection once comprised more than 100 ceramic panels. Artists created them using various techniques and sources of inspiration and attached them to the walls.

Tazio Nuvolari was born in Castel d'Ario. The Monumento a Tazio Nuvolari is dedicated to the racing car and motorcycle driver, is freely accessible from the road and has no architectural barriers. The town's visible cultural profile therefore also includes the connection between local history and Italian motor racing.

Po Valley, rice and regional cuisine

Castel d'Ario lies in the water-rich surroundings of the Po Valley, where Vialone Nano rice is cultivated. The town is included in the Strada del Riso, the rice route. Thus, in Castel d'Ario, landscape and cuisine meet locally in two different forms: as a cultivation area and as a regional rice route. A particularly clear expression of this culinary heritage is Riso alla Pilota De.C.O.: it was presented in May 2010 as part of the Festa del Risotto and recognized through a specific resolution of the municipal council. Bigolada has been associated with the Pro Loco as its organizer since 1969. If you choose Castel Dʼario for a trip to Italy, historic architecture, the story of a famous personality and regional rice culture come together here within a closely connected thematic setting.

Motteggiana, Curtatone, Roverbella, Revere, Marcaria, Governolo, Buscoldo, Gabbiana

For the overarching travel overview: Mantua.