The Park of Roccolo Castle
In the 1830s, Roberto D’Azeglio replies to the fashion of the time by building his ‘medieval castle’ of Roccolo. The spirit is that of the ‘neo-medieval’ paintings of Giovanni Battista Quadrone, Federico Pastoris di Casalrosso, Alfredo D’Andrade, Luigi Bisi, Giovanni Migliara. In those days this style was a response to a sort of romantic commemoration of the glorious past of the aristocracy. Today we have lost this kind of charm, but a manor house like Roccolo can still fascinate those of us who are fond of the decadent, historic and literary suggestions that the architecture as a whole certainly conveys: the crenellated towers, the ‘Tudor’ style arches, the portico, together with Arab and neo-Gothic evocations, the pinnacles, the pointed windows, the inviting embrace of the stairs at the entrance, the rosy-orange colour of the castle itself. It all creates a strong magnetism imbued with a ‘neo-Gothic’ air that cannot help but arouse the interest of visitors today. But it is the garden that creates the most profound philosophical and aesthetic trait of the whole: the fountains, the grottoes, the poetic corners, the statues, the hexagonal shrine, the belvedere terraces, the stairway, the Greenhouse, the wild lakes. Everything was carefully studied so as to accompany the guest on a stroll through the kind of atmosphere one finds in the writings of Walter Scott, Gérard de Nerval, Yeats, Novalis, Pater, and Schiller.The park is a remarkable example of historic gardens in Piedmont and was built under the supervision of Roberto Tapparelli d’Azeglio and his wife Costanza Alfieri di Sostegno, who continued to take care of it throughout their lives. A greenhouse was later built to shelter plants and flowers in an area with a southern exposure and a most impressive setting inasmuch as it can be seen from kilometers away. This building, completed in 1850, was erected in a courtly, classical style to create a stunning effect and capture the attention of those who were coming from the plain. Following the restorations in 2003, it is once again being used to protect plants in the wintertime. The roof of the greenhouse forms a wide terrace from which you can enjoy a splendid view of the Busca plain and creates an extension of the steep terrace above – the dahlia garden- in front of which is a splendid marble fountain in Renaissance style.
Indirizzo: Fraz. S. Quintino , 17, Busca (Cuneo)
Recapiti: tel. 0171/618260 (Associazione Marcovaldo) www.marcovaldo.it info@marcovaldo.it
Proprietà: Privata Gestione : Associazione culturale Marcovaldo
Orari di apertura al pubblico: da aprile ad ottobre (chiuso ad agosto)
Sabato 14.30 – 18.30
Domenica 10.00 – 12.30 / 14.30 – 18.30
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