SHARRYLAND
Where is
What it is and where it is
Having departed from Trento, we have already crossed almost the entire Po Valley and glimpse, in the light morning mist, the first waves of the Apennines of Piacenza, at the same time that I glimpse the road sign indicating the town of Vigolzone. A few moments later we arrive in front of the monumental portal of entry to the village. With every step we take we go back in time, until we reach the typically 15th-century heart of Grazzano.
Why it is special
Although all the decorative and architectural details-such as the crenellated walls, small fountains, balconies, pointed windows, small porticos, colonnettes, coats of arms and appropriately placed cartouches-recall typical medieval motifs , the entire urban layout that flourished around the castle was skillfully recreated only in the first half of the twentieth century. A gentleman at the entrance to the town laughs, stating, "We are in the only nuov'antica town in Italy." Nuov'antica-I almost like it. I smile.
Not to be missed
The main event within the village's annual programming is its "Historical Procession," organized by the Pro Loco Grazzano Visconti on the last weekend of May. On the occasion of the historic meeting between Valentina, lady of Asti, and Count Giovanni Anguissola, master of the castle, Grazzano will be colored with flowers as well as military encampments, falconer shows, displays of medieval life and workshops of arts and ancient crafts dedicated to children.
A bit of history
It was the far-sighted Giuseppe Visconti di Modrone, by the way, the rightful owner and possessor of this millennia-old legacy, who brought the castle - which by then had become dear only to hawks and lizards - out of the state of decay it was in. Thanks to the invaluable contribution of the architect Alfredo Campanini, who designed the new urban layout in the 15th-century style, he made this place one of the main attractions of the entire Piacenza area, where folk traditions, ancient crafts, spells and sorceries, all to be rediscovered, are evoked.
Curiosities
Like "Città Nuov'Antica," there is one event here that more than any other integrates centuries-old tradition with a great popular phenomenon that has exploded in recent decades and draws the attention of a somewhat different audience than usual. I am talking about the event dedicated to the world's best-known English wizard, even better known than Wizard Merlin: "the famous Harry Potter." The event "Harry and the Magic of Grazzano" provides a magical adventure for young and old in a setting that perfectly evokes Hogwarts Castle.
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