Reggia di Rivalta

History

In the Middle Ages, a tower was erected in the hamlet of Rivalta, just south of Reggio Emilia. In 1641, it was acquired by Borso d'Este (1605–1657), who was married to his niece Ippolita d'Este (1620–1656). They started renovating and expanding the palace between 1641 and 1644. It served as their main residence from 1647 until 1657. In 1675, the palace became the property of Borso's son, Foresto Franco d’Este (1652–1725), who was lord of Montecchio and marquess of Scandiano. In 1724, he granted the palace to Francesco III d'Este (1698–1780), crown prince and future duke of Modena.

Francesco III d'Este was the son of duke Rinaldo d'Este (1655–1737), who wanted to establish friendly relationships with France. He attempted this by marrying his son with Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans, the daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, the Regent of France during the childhood of King Louis XV. Charlotte Aglaé received an enormous dowry of 1.8 million livres, half of which was contributed in the name of the young king, Louis XV, on orders of the Regent. From her adopted country, Charlotte Aglaé received a trousseau consisting of diamonds and portraits of her future husband. However, the marriage proved troublesome, mainly due to his new daughter-in-law's licentious behaviour.

In order to keep peace at his court, Rinaldo allowed Francesco and Charlotte in 1724 to create their own residence in Rivalta. Inspired by the Palace of Versailles and the nearby palace of Colorno, they started to enlarge the existing villa into a luxurious residence: a main central body with two laterals wings and corner towers, creating a vast quadrangular courtyard, which was open to the west. The concept and design are attributed to Francesco himself with help of the architect Giovanni Maria Ferraroni. The latter was in 1730 succeeded by the brothers Francesco and Giovan Battista Bolognini. Also, the princely couple laid out an immense park surrounding the palace, and enlivened it with water features (using the water of the nearby Crostolo stream). Although building works were completed in 1730, continued maintenance was necessary during the next decades. In 1788, the palace was connected by a promenade to the city of Reggio Emilia. …

Literature

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Zuccardi Merli, U. (1937). "La zona ducale di Rivalta ed una famiglia di architetti bolognesi". Strenna del Pio Istituto Artigianelli (in Italian): 29–36.

Messori, M.T. (1969). "La Versailles degli Estensi". L'Osservatore Politico Letterario (in Italian). 4: 83–90.

Amorth, L. (1973). "Il Palazzo ducale di Rivalta". In Amorth, L.; Boccolari, G.; Roli Guidetti, c. (eds.). Residenze estensi. Modena: Banco S. Geminiano e S. Prospero. pp. 69–78.

Roli Guidetti, C. (1973). "Il palazzo di Rivalta e il Casino della Vasca. Architettura e arredo artistico". In Amorth, L.; Boccolari, G.; Roli Guidetti, C. (eds.). Residenze estensi. Modena: Banco S. Geminiano e S. Prospero. pp. 69–78.

Simonazzi, L. (1978). "Ferraroni. L'architetto che costruì la Villa ducale di Rivalta". Reggio Storia (in Italian). 1: 28–32.

Nobili, U. (1982). "La villa di Rivalta". Reggio Storia (in Italian). 4: 4–12.

Barigazzi, C. (1987). "Le origini della villa di Rivalta". Il Pescatore Reggiano (in Italian): 201–217.

Barigazzi, C. (1990). "Quando a Rivalta si festeggiava l'Imperatrice Maria Teresa". Strenna del Pio Istituto Artigianelli (in Italian): 37–46.

Bagnoli, G. (2002). "La costruzione del palazzo di Rivalta. Una piccola Versailles padana". Il Ducato estense. Finale Emilia. pp. 238–239.

Baldini, G. (2002). "Reggio Emilia. Le delizie ducali di Rivalta, un mirabile sogno perduto". Atti e Memorie Deputazione di Storia Patria per le Antiche Provincie Modenesi (in Italian). 24: 167–216.

Grassi, R. (2008). "Palazzo ducale di Rivalta. Parco del benessere e Reggia del buon vivere". Strenna del Pio Istituto Artigianelli (in Italian): 193–200.

Baricchi, Walter; Cadoppi, Alberto (2016). Il Palazzo Ducale di Rivalta - La perduta Versailles reggiana (in Italian). Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Reggio Emilia Pietro Manodori. p. 192. ISBN 9788878981362.

Cadoppi, A. (2017). "La Reggia di Rivalta: lo splendore, l'oblio, la rinascita: una delizia "degna di un re"". Reggio Storia (in Italian). 154: 3–11.