Castello dei Pio, Medieval castle in Carpi, Italy

Castello dei Pio is a castle that spreads across two adjoining squares and combines medieval structures with Renaissance additions. The complex includes several towers and buildings that showcase architectural styles from different periods.

The complex consists of buildings erected between the 11th and 17th centuries, first surrounded by moats. The Pio family lived there from the 14th to the 16th century. In the 16th century Alberto III Pio turned the medieval fortress into a Renaissance residence.

The Museo della Xilografia italiana, housed since 1936 in rooms on the piano nobile, is dedicated to Ugo da Carpi and displays original prints, woodblocks and a 19th-century press. The Museo della Città on the second floor holds prehistoric, Etruscan-Padane, Celtic, Roman and medieval finds, plus a section on the 17th-18th century scagliola panels and on Anna Molinari's Blumarine creations.

Walking access to the site is straightforward with multiple entrances to explore different areas. Plan for several hours to view all buildings and collections at your own pace.

The Salone dei Mori takes its name from statues in the antique style that stand among the perspectives and allegories painted by Giovanni del Sega in 1506, modelled on the halls of the Este at Palazzo Schifanoia. The adjoining chapel holds four glazed terracotta roundels of the Evangelists by Andrea della Robbia.