Rocchetta Mattei
| Rocchetta Mattei | |
|---|---|
View of Rocchetta Mattei from the Limentra valley | |
Location in Emilia-Romagna Rocchetta Mattei (Italy) | |
| General information | |
| Type | Castle, former sanatorium |
| Location | Riola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
| Coordinates | 44°13′25″N 11°03′36″E / 44.22361°N 11.06000°E |
| Construction started | 1850 |
| Completed | late 19th century |
| Owner | Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Cesare Mattei (patron and designer) |
Rocchetta Mattei is an eclectic 19th-century castle and former sanatorium located above the village of Riola, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Standing on a rocky spur above the Reno valley at the foot of the Apennines, it was begun in 1850 by Count Cesare Mattei (1809–1896) on the ruins of a medieval fortress traditionally attributed to Matilda of Tuscany.
Conceived as both a neo-medieval residence and the headquarters of Mattei’s alternative medical system of electrohomeopathy, Rocchetta Mattei combines neo-medieval, Moorish revival and Liberty elements in a deliberately labyrinthine layout. Italian heritage authorities regard it as one of the most significant examples of 19th-century eclectic architecture in Italy.
Since 2005 the complex has been owned by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna (Fondazione Carisbo), which carried out an extensive restoration programme. It reopened to the public in 2015 as a museum and cultural venue and has become one of the most visited heritage sites in the Emilia-Romagna Apennines.