Village of Rivalta
The visit to the Borgo di Rivalta starts from the Oratory of the Madonna del Ponte: a building with an unusual octagonal plan obtained from a medieval tower that was part of the drawbridge.
The tour of the village of Rivalta begins at the Oratory of the Madonna del Ponte : a building with an unusual octagonal plan, constructed from a medieval tower that was once part of the drawbridge. No trace of the drawbridge remains, except for the name of the sacred site.
The oratory is particularly suitable for temporary exhibitions.
The next stop on the route is the Medieval Tower , an ancient keep which, once taller, constituted the first nucleus of the castle, fulfilling the fundamental role of watchtower and residence.
Passing through the pointed arch, you enter the medieval village, composed of buildings dating from the 13th to the 17th century. Once upon a time, the complex formed a small artisan center: a perfectly self-sufficient rural village, with its own shops, stables, inn, and chicken coops.
To date the Borgo di Rivalta includes:
Church of San Martino
Hotel Torre di San Martino
SPA & Wellness
Rivalta coffee
Antica Locanda del Falco
La Rocchetta
Flavors & Legends
THE CHURCH OF SAN MARTIN
At the end of the slightly uphill road that crosses the village of Rivalta, stands the Church which still welcomes the prayers of the faithful today. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, born in Pannonia, now Hungary, and who became bishop of Tours, France, around 370. The church is mentioned for the first time in a document from 1025, but there is even those who have proposed, given that the origin of the cult of Martino dates back to that period, to place its foundation already in the Lombard era. The church was rebuilt several times following looting and destruction.
In fact, the cult of this holy preacher, opponent of paganism and founder of the first monasteries in France, spread throughout Western Europe and also reached Rivalta, where his image in terracotta bas-relief has dominated the entrance portal since 1500. This decoration, like those present in the courtyard of the adjacent castle and in Palazzo Landi in Piacenza, also comes from the furnace of the famous Cremonese Renaissance artist, Agostino De Fondutis.
Its current configuration is the result of the numerous reconstructions it has undergone, following the historical vicissitudes of the Rivalta Castle.
The apse, facing east according to tradition, overlooks the bed of the Trebbia river.
The façade is sober, with a gable roof, a single portal and a single opening as a source of light and the bell tower located on the side. Its interior is also characterized by extreme sobriety as if to demonstrate the aim of eliminating any superfluous or redundant element. There is a single nave, without a transept, marked by large transverse pointed arches with two chapels on each side and a roof, characterized by a frame of wooden beams.
Inside, between approximately 1760 and 1762, the decorations of the chapels were created by the decorator painter Giuseppe Turbini, the first on the left is the Rosary chapel which already existed since 1500 in which the statue of the Madonna with the child of the famous sculptor Jan Herman Geernaerth.