In an Medieval "borgo" perched on a prominent hill in the Parma countryside you'll find the Torrechiara, a perfect daytrip from Parma. I've written about the new Italian National initiative to have museums and archeological sites OPEN and FREE on the first sunday of every month - called #Domenicalmuseo. That is exactly how I found the Torrechiara. It was a Sunday and we wanted an adventure close to home, in 40 minutes from Modena or 20 minutes from Parma, you'll find the Torrechiara Castle and it is beautiful.
La TORRECHIARA
This historic town and fortress are so picturesque, the only thing that matches the view is the juicy gossip of its history! Built by Pier Maria Rossi the second in the 1400s, a Count, who at 15 years old was forced to marry to create ties between two noble families. He didn't love his wife, but that didn't stop him from having TEN (that's right 10!) kids with her.
A well educated man, who spoke 7 languages, he would often travel to Milan for business and study. There he met Bianca Pellegrini who eventually became his mistress.....in fact this Castle on the hilltop became their hideaway. It even has a "Gold Room", one of the most famous examples of Erotic Chambers in Italy! ( source) ,How is that for a courtship?
Don't worry about his wife (poor thing) she eventually faded into the background and went to live the rest of her life in a Convent. Needless to say I thought about Mistress Bianca Pellegrini the whole day while visiting the Castle as I wandered through the exterior halls with their breathtaking views onto the outstretched hills. If my husband EVER builds a Castle on the hillside, filled with golden chambers and beautiful views for anyone aside from me he better WATCH OUT!
What I Wore - Dressing for Spring in Italy
We went at the beginning of April, which I consider to be the Early Spring in Italy and it was obviously still a little chilly. I wore a long H&M dress shirt, a cropped Zara cotton pullover and a a peach cotton zip sweater. In the shade I layered with a long trench coat by the brand Vera Moda, based out of Copenhagen. I bought this trench on my trip trip to Copenhagen last year but you can find most of their collection at Asos.com .
I'm learning that Castles in general are quite cold and damp, so I always wear a scarf (even in the summer time!). I picked this polkadot scarf up at H&M this season, it is a very light cotton so it is perfect for Spring and even early summer weather.
My sunglasses were key because the stunning afternoon sunshine was practically blinding and I LOVED IT. This was and will remain one of the most beautiful days I've had this spring. If you're visiting Parma, do not miss this day trip to the Torrechiara, the Medieval town that surrounds the castle is like walking through history, filled with real shops (not trourist traps), where you can have a coffee or lunch and secret spots to enjoy over grown gardens and wooden shudders.
I'm wearing my Alberto Fasciani nubuck shoes which were a great deal online here, and my BeWhy Accessories crossbody bag in real leather and cavallino. You can win this bag from BeWhy now through the giveaway we are co-hosting which closes in a few days, don't forget to enter!! Completely hand made by Italian artisans you can read all about the brand here and their luxury products!
Now onto YOUR style...
#REASONSTODRESS Real Mom Street Style Linkup
I'm making a few changes to the blog (did anyone notice??). I do all of the work on the blog alone so it is really time consuming because I am still learning, so last week I concentrated my time on swapping out my winter wardrobe (finally) and fixing some site issues. I still have so much more to do before I've worked all the bugs out and I will be making a few changes to the linkup creative and rules soon!! I've kept last week's linkup open and am sharing it again this week, but please feel free to add in any new posts! I will be pinning my fab five and other looks from the linkup here!
Fab Five from Last Week's Linkup
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