Paderna Castle, Medieval castle in Pontenure, Italy

Paderna Castle is a rectangular fortified complex in Pontenure, aligned with the cardinal points and surrounded by a water-filled moat. Its main entrance on the west facade passes through a square brick tower with machicolations and gun ports on all four sides, once reached by a double drawbridge whose bolt housings remain. A separate square brick keep stands on the north side inside the moat.

Paderna is recorded in the Roman tabula alimentaria traianea as Curte Paterno. A medieval castle is documented in 817 and 900 as dependent on Piacenza Cathedral; in 1028 Hildeguarda, daughter of Oddone, ceded it to the local church rector, and in 1041 it passed to Oberto di Aghinone. Parma's troops razed it in 1216 and Frederick II's in 1247; the abbot of San Savino rebuilt it in 1280. Melchiorre Marazzani bought it in 1453 and converted it to farming and residence.

The oldest structure in the complex is the Oratory of Santa Maria, a Romanesque building with a Greek-cross plan raised in the early Middle Ages using material taken from Roman constructions. It stood apart from the fortifications until 15th-century works absorbed it. Inside, nine cross-vaulted bays rest on four thin stone columns of differing heights topped by cubic capitals and imposts.

The main entrance is on the west facade, through the brick tower that once carried a double drawbridge; only the bolt housings remain. The moat still surrounds the complex, and the north tower, the donjon, keeps its own separate entrance. The site is a working organic farm with a teaching farm and a garden of old vegetable varieties, so expect farm activity rather than a museum layout.

Every October, the castle hosts a showing of rare plant varieties and old fruit types that are barely grown anymore. The event draws many visitors interested in traditional varieties that have nearly disappeared from use.