Rocca di Bazzano

The final stop and monument along the Via dei Brentatori is the Rocca di Bazzano (also known as the Rocca dei Bentivoglio). This is the natural conclusion to our journey, the current home of the Compagnia dell’Arte dei Brentatori.

The history of the Rocca di Bazzano begins before the year 1000. We know that in 1038 the Bishop of Modena Guiberto granted it to the Marchese Bonifacio di Canossa, father of Matilda, who then received it as an inheritance. But the Rocca di Bazzano, as we see it today, is not the one from the year 1000. The original structure was actually destroyed by the Bolognese in the 13th century. The fortress was then rebuilt at the end of the 13th century, while its current appearance dates back to the Renaissance, thanks to the Bentivoglio family. It was Giovanni II Bentivoglio who transformed it into a holiday home.

After the Bentivoglio family, the Rocca had various functions, including that of a prison, which hosted Ugo Foscolo against his will in 1799. The fortress currently houses the “A. Crespellani” Archaeological Museum.