Castle of Bardi, Military fortress in Bardi, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Castle of Bardi is a fortress built on a red jasper rock formation and surrounded by defensive walls, guard towers, and a central keep. The structure overlooks the valley below and displays the typical layout of a medieval fortified stronghold.

A fortress existed here by the early 9th century, completed in the early 10th under Berengar I of Friuli; in 898 it was sold to Everardo, bishop of Piacenza, as a refuge against Hungarian raids. In 1257 the Ghibelline Ubertino Landi bought it with Compiano and made it his family's capital; the Landi remodelled the rocca in the 15th century, giving it its present form. In 1551 Charles V granted them the rank of marquis and the right to mint coin, and at the end of the 16th century Federico Landi turned it into a princely residence. After the Landi died out in 1682 the fief passed to the Farnese, then the Bourbons of Parma, and in the 19th century the castle served as a military prison and municipal seat.

The castle houses a museum displaying tools and objects that show how people lived in this valley during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Walking through these rooms gives you a direct sense of the daily routines and practices of that era.

The castle stands on a red jasper spur above the confluence of the Noveglia and Ceno streams, in the centre of Bardi. The internal buildings sit on different levels and are linked by narrow staircases that all turn to the right. The walkway along the scarped walls can be walked in its entirety.

The castle's narrow internal staircases all turn to the right, a defensive trick meant to hinder attackers climbing with a shield on the left arm. The fortress also holds the 5 Alpine Rooms dedicated to Captain Pietro Cella, the first gold medal of the Italian Alpine Corps.