Originally one of four castles built in the Apennine foothills in the 10th-century, Bianello is now the only one of the Quattro Castella left intact.
The former residence of Matilde of Canossa, one of the most important figures of the Italian Middle Ages in the conflict between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. You can still see elements of the original military stronghold, alongside decorative terracotta friezes and frescoed walls. Climb the neo-baroque staircase and take a literal journey through the ages in the furnished rooms from different historical eras, from the medieval tower, to the 20th-century villa.