Overview
In Rivalta Castle, a precious and well-preserved building, there is a captivating museum containing a collection of ancient and modern weapons. Of special note, the three flags with the Scotti di Sarmato coat of arms, which flew at the famous Battle of Lepanto in 1571, when the Europeans defeated the Saracens. Other intriguing and exotic anthropological evidence was gathered at the end of the last century in Mato Grosso, in the Amazon, by explorer Ermanno Stradelli.
The castle also contains a number of rooms of great interest, including the hall of honour with a majestic fireplace and full suits of armour, the green room, the falcon room, the dining room, the gallery and the game room, lavishly frescoed, the large kitchen with original furnishings, the dungeons once used as stables and the dungeons. With its imposing square donjon, the mediaeval fortress dominates the vast Trebbia valley.
In the second half of the 15th century, the Landi family transformed the castle into a palatial residence. The building focuses on the elegant loggia courtyard decorated by architect Antonio da Lugano and master Antonio da Pavia, with terracotta friezes, capitals and medallions. The tympanum façade and the staircase leading to the piano nobile feature the work carried out in the 18th century.
Inside, the museum consists of large rooms furnished with 16th to 19th century furniture, 17th century paintings and frescoes. In the weapons room, besides objects related to the Battle of Lepanto, there are swords, sabres, rifles and uniforms dating back to the 19th century. The core of amulets, ornaments and weapons of the Mato Grosso should not be overlooked.
