FAI Spring Days – Guiglia Castle

FAI Spring Days in Guiglia

Every year, in spring, the FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano opens hundreds of normally closed or little-known places to the public, throughout Italy. In the Municipality of Guiglia, in the province of Modena (Emilia-Romagna), the heart of the event is Guiglia Castle, also known as Castello Montecuccoli, opened in preview for the season by the FAI Group of the Modenese Apennines.

Overlooking the right bank of the Panaro river from a dominant position, where the valley opens towards the plain, the castle is the center of the ancient medieval settlement and one of the most recognizable landscape elements of the territory, nestled among woods and agricultural areas.

A Layered Place, Through Many Lives

The history of Guiglia Castle is that of a building that has changed function several times. Developed around a 14th-century keep, it was first enfeoffed to the Pio family and, from 1630, to the Montecuccoli Laderchi, who transformed it into a feudal palace. At the end of the 19th century, a Swiss engineer bought it, converting it into a hotel; during World War II, it housed works from the Estense Gallery of Modena, and in the post-war period, it briefly served as a gambling house.

What to Visit

The complex features refined architecture, with large halls with frescoed ceilings and stucco fireplaces. Among the most representative rooms is the Hall of Mirrors, now a venue for cultural events. Near the castle, there are also the 17th-century Oratory of the Madonnina and the 16th-century Clock Tower, completing the narrative of a village with a strong historical identity.

Part of a National Campaign

The opening in Guiglia is part of the FAI Spring Days, the major national campaign that involves dozens of sites in Emilia-Romagna, including churches, palaces, villas, monasteries, castles, and libraries. In the Modena area, alongside Guiglia, other local treasures are opened, in a weekend dedicated to rediscovering lesser-known heritage.

• Where: Guiglia Castle, Guiglia (MO), Modenese Apennines
• Organized by: FAI Group of the Modenese Apennines
• Access: visits with free contribution, to support FAI
• Context: National campaign FAI Spring Days

A visit to Guiglia Castle is an opportunity to discover, guided by FAI volunteers, a little-known chapter of the history of the Modenese Apennines, in a charming hilly landscape between the Panaro river and the valley villages.