Canossa Castle

The castle was built around 940 AD by Adalbert Atto, the Count of Beggia and Mantura, and the son of Sigifredo of Lucca, a Lombard nobleman, on the summit of a rocky hill.

It was protected by a triple line of walls; located between the outer two layers of defense were the barracks and the residences of the servants.

During the Investiture Controversy in 1077, the castle formed the venue for the reconciliation between Henry IV and Gregory VII.

The latter had friendly relations with the then-owner, Matilda of Tuscany, who established that her lands should be assigned to the Church after her death (1115).

After the death of Giberto da Correggio in 1321, it was again a possession of Reggio until 1402, when Simone, Guido and Alberto Canossa gained it back; in 1409, however, they ceded it to the House of Este, who (apart a short period under Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma in 1557) held it until 1796.