Tabiano, between spas and castles

In a peaceful setting, surrounded by gentle hills, along Viale alle Terme you reach the large Porcellini Park and in a few minutes you can reach the Respighi spa, named after Emilio Respighi, health director of the Terme from 1887 to 1912. 

The current rationalist structure of the plant was built in the post-war years and expanded in 1998 based on a design by the architect Marco Dezzi Bardeschi.

The mineral water of the Terme di Tabiano, known as early as 1800 as the most sulphurous water in Europe, is still considered today among the waters with the highest concentration of sulphates and sulphurous gases. In the spa, these waters are used for the prevention and treatment of numerous diseases of the respiratory system and skin.

After a morning immersed in the wellness of the thermal center, the itinerary proceeds to discover the main historical monuments of Tabiano.

When you are in the lands that were the domain of the Marquises Pallavicino, futuristic devices are not necessary to embark on reckless time travel. It is enough to contemplate the castle of Tabiano to find yourself in the era in which the family had it built, in order to control the Via Emilia and the Via Francigena and defend the local salt wells.

The Castle, whose origins date back to the 10th - 11th century, was the protagonist of a tumultuous existence, which saw it witnessing struggles, sieges and betrayals, love affairs and conspiracies between relatives. In fact, in its first 4 centuries of life, the history of the Castle traced the historical events of the early and late Italian Middle Ages: wars between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, between the great feudal families of the time: the Pallavicinos, the Terzi, the Cornazzano, the Visconti and the emperor Federico Barbarossa himself.

From the end of the 15th century a slow decline began, partly also linked to the change in military strategy, which made defense fortresses less and less important. 

In the nineteenth century the castle was reborn to new life, thanks to Giacomo and Rosa Corazza who took it over from Sofia Landi. Famous artists and the best artisans of the area are called to decorate the private rooms and splendid reception rooms with wonderful stuccoes, frescoes and floors. Important remains of fortifications are still intact, including the two circular towers to the south and north (12th century), a large part of the stone walls and the watchtower (13th century), with the drawbridge which was the only access to the Castle until the Late Middle Ages.

Finally, a few meters from the Castle, we find the small parish church dedicated to Saints Gervasio and Protasio. The ancient building is in the Romanesque style of the sixteenth century; restored in 1907, it had a new Varone stone façade designed by the architect Vacca, with ornaments in white Carrara marble by the sculptor Rossi. The bell tower was then built in 1950.

Inside, altered by Baroque-style renovations, you can admire the oil paintings on canvas, including the saints "Gervasio and Protasio" by F. Pescatori, (donated by Maria Luigia in 1841) and "The Last Supper", dated 1636 with signature of Picelli from Fidenza.