BOFFALORA CASTLE

Boffalora castle is located about 300 metres above sea level, a splendid panoramic position about 30 km away from Piacenza. 
The first documents describing the castle date back to 1412, when the Visconti family gave it to the Arcelli. 
Its strategic position made it the ideal spot to control the roads that from Po river reached the Apennines. 
Originally, the castle was a fortress used for military purposes. Later on, it was modified to bacome a mansion that suited the needs and the social prestige of the noble families inhabiting it, and eventually made it a pivotal cultural point full of invaluable art pieces. 
The history of this castle passed through the hands of numerous owners, gory battles, frauds, and saw the disappearance of families for the lack of an offspring. Today, the castle is still private property but partially abandoned and in need of restoration works. 
Its quadrangular shape is built with bricks and clay, with five square-shaped towers and a fortified keep with elegant merlons covered in their final part. 
Inside, there is a monumental staircase with a frescoed polychrome vault leading to the rooms on the main floor, a portico on the ground floor and an 18th century loggia on the first floor, both with three arches. The large rooms on the first floor are also particularly interesting, with coffer ceilings and decorative frescoes: the music room, the dining room, and other elegant rooms embellished with scenic and decorative frescoes. The three nave church with barrel vaults dedicated to San Giuseppe is characterised by the presence of a double altar located at the bottom of the apse, and the relics of San Felice martyr preserved in a precious shrine made of wood and glass.