Castles of the Duchy in a day

1. 8:30 a.m. Leave Parma on the road to Langhirano: 19.8 km (12 miles), 29 minutes from Piazza Garibaldi. If your hotel is inside the ZTL, you are allowed out; do not come back in by car before 7:30 p.m.
2. 9 a.m. Torrechiara opens. €8, €2 for ages 18 to 24, free under 18. Pier Maria Rossi built it between 1448 and 1460. Go straight to the Camera d'Oro, attributed to Benedetto Bembo, before a group arrives; then the grotesque ceilings by Cesare Baglione and the walls, which look down on the vineyards. The castle does not publish a parking price.
3. 10:15 a.m. Leave. It is 36.8 km, about 46 minutes, to Fontanellato by the ring road.

Langhirano's ham houses are 11 minutes further up the valley. They belong to a food day, not this one; see the Food Valley in 2 days.

The Rocca stands in the middle of Fontanellato with its moat still full. The full route is €12, €5 for ages 6 to 16. The ground floor and the Saletta di Diana e Atteone, painted by Parmigianino in 1523 and 1524, are yours to see on arrival. The upper rooms and the 19th-century camera obscura go by guided tour: catch the 11:45 a.m. tour (weekday times are 10:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4 p.m.). Tours are in Italian. On weekdays the castle closes from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., so you are out by 12:50 p.m.

The Labirinto della Masone is 5.2 km away. It costs €20 and takes two hours, so it does not fit this day; if the maze matters more to you than Soragna, swap it in for the afternoon (it opens every day except Tuesday and does not close for lunch).

Drive 27.6 km, about 36 minutes, north to Antica Corte Pallavicina on the Po. Eat at the Hosteria del Maiale e del Culatello, the estate's informal room, open every day: culatello board with giardiniera €18, tortelli or anolini €12, cover €3, house Lambrusco €5 a glass. Our restaurant page puts lunch for two at about €60 with wine. Book ahead.

At 2:45 p.m., the Culatello Museum (€7 with an English audio guide) ends in the aging cellars, and the estate's castle rooms are €3 more: the fourth castle of the day, and the cheapest. Open Tuesday to Sunday until 6 p.m. On October 18, 2026 only guided visits at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. run, so on that Sunday skip the museum.

Leave Polesine at 3:50 p.m. for Soragna, 16.5 km and about 25 minutes. The Rocca has belonged to the Meli Lupi family since it was rebuilt in 1385, and the family still lives there, so visits are guided only. From September 1 to November 1, 2026, weekday tours start at 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The castle is €15, or €20 with the English-style park; the park visit is cancelled in rain or wind. Tours are in Italian, with English by booking at extra cost. The castle asks you to book by email or on +39 0524 597964.

What you see: early Baroque state rooms with their original gilded furniture, more Baglione grotesques, and a grand staircase with a red Verona marble balustrade. The castle does not publish the tour's length; allow an hour. Then drive home: 33 km (21 miles), about 34 minutes.

The Parmigiano Reggiano museum that used to share Soragna's visit moved to Fontevivo on June 13, 2026, and opens only at weekends.

I Tri Siochètt, Strada Farnese 74/A, is 5.6 km from Piazza Garibaldi, outside the ZTL, with parking on site. It holds a Bib Gourmand. After a culatello lunch, keep it light: tortelli d'erbetta each (€10) and a shared culatello plate come to about €21 a head with cover, per our page; a full meal with a main and dessert runs €32 to €45 a head before wine. Torta fritta is €0.40 a piece. Dinner runs Tuesday to Saturday; it is closed Monday and serves only lunch on Sunday. Phone +39 0521 968870.

If you are staying at Hotel Daniel, Ristorante Cocchi is downstairs, with its bollito trolley from September to April; it closes on Saturday.

At weekends the hours flip. Torrechiara opens 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.) and booking is strongly recommended. Soragna runs six tours, at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. The Rocca Sanvitale opens 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays with no lunch break. A workable Saturday or Sunday:

1. 10 a.m. Rocca Sanvitale, Fontanellato.
2. Noon Soragna tour, 8 km away.
3. 1:30 p.m. Lunch at the Hosteria at Polesine, then the Culatello Museum.
4. Leave Torrechiara for another morning; the drive from the Po to Torrechiara eats the afternoon.

On Sunday, October 4, 2026, Soragna's visits start only at 1:30 p.m. The first Sunday of each month is free at Torrechiara, which also makes it the busiest.

Castelli del Ducato card holders pay €11 at Fontanellato and €13 at Soragna; the circuit's site did not show the card's own price when we checked, so it is not in the sums. The €25 state ticket covering Torrechiara, the Pilotta, the Spezieria and Veleia pays only if you also visit the Pilotta at full price.

Fontanellato: Labirinto della Masone Full-Day Entry Ticket

The Labirinto's own adult ticket is €20, so this costs a little more. Includes a discount at Rocca Sanvitale. No transport.

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Fontanellato: a castle and a labyrinth in Parma countryside

Private, so the per-person price falls with group size. Lunch not included. Only 12 reviews. The Labirinto alone is €20 direct.

7 hours

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