Corte Ghirardina, Traditional courtyard farmstead in Motteggiana, Italy.
Corte Ghirardina is a courtyard farmstead in Motteggiana featuring a central building with two connecting wings that form an extended facade across the agricultural property. The structure integrates residential quarters, storage areas, and livestock facilities within a unified enclosed layout.
The estate was built between 1470 and 1477 under architect Luca Fancelli's direction for Ludovico Gonzaga. Its construction during the Renaissance marked a shift toward organized agricultural management and sophisticated rural estate design in the region.
The courtyard layout reflects how northern Italian estates functioned as combined family and working spaces, with residential and agricultural areas designed to serve one household. You can sense this integration by observing how the different sections flow into one another.
The site is accessible by rural roads across flat agricultural terrain that is easy to navigate. You should check access possibilities in advance since it remains a private property and visiting depends on current permission arrangements.
An underground passage reportedly connected the property to the nearby parish church of San Girolamo, suggesting purposes beyond simple farming. This hidden link hints at political or defensive roles the estate may have played during Renaissance times.
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