Rocchetta Mattei
Rocchetta Mattei, Grizzana Morandi: Hours, Address, Rocchetta Mattei Reviews: 4.5/5
Rocchetta Mattei
Rocchetta Mattei
4.5
Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Castles
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Saturday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
About
The astonishing castle Rocchetta Mattei is a hidden jewel of the Appenines sitting on a scenic hilltop between Bologna and Florence. With its labyrinth of interconnected rooms, courtyards, passages, stairways, and towers and a unique mixture of styles, from Medieval to Middle-Eastern and Moorish, Rocchetta Mattei is a piece of architecture like no other. The 19th-century castle has been the cradle for electrohomeopathy, a system of healing that made its creator Count Cesare Mattei known all over the world: among his patients some eminent people like the Czar Alexander II, King Ludwig III of Bavaria and Empress Elizabeth of Austria (Sissi). Mattei had become so famous that he was even mentioned by Dostoeveskji in his novel The Brothers Karamazov. Among its most spectacular rooms, the Sala dei Novanta (Hall of Nineties), the Chapel, a breathtaking reproduction of the interior of Cordoba’s Mezquita and the Lions’ Courtyard, inspired by the courtyard of the Alhambra in Granada.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
11 within 3 miles

Da Rotilio
191
0.4 mi$ • Italian • Emilian • Northern-Italian

Bar Trattoria Da Feli & Mirco
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0.4 mi$ • Italian

Il Sambuco al Sole
235
0.9 mi$$ - $$$ • Italian • Seafood • Mediterranean

Al Paladein
36
1.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Italian • Pizza • Mediterranean
Pasticceria Marano
13
1.3 mi$ • Dessert • Italian

Mulino Cati - Bar Locanda
21
1.4 miItalian • Bar • Cafe • Deli

Ritrovo al ponte
1
1.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Italian • Bar • Wine Bar

Bologna Tartufunghi
571
2.1 mi$$ - $$$ • Italian • Emilian • Northern-Italian

Agriturismo I Fondacci
88
2.2 mi$ • Italian

Bar Trattoria Fabbri di Fabbri Iolanda e Pilotti Franco
6
2.3 miItalian
Attractions
53 within 6 miles

Borgo La Scola
152
0.5 miHistoric Walking Areas

Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta di Riola
38
0.5 miChurches & Cathedrals

Museo Dei Tarocchi
11
0.5 miSpeciality Museums

Santuario della Beata Vergine della Consolazione di Montovolo
28
1.8 miChurches & Cathedrals

Museo Mattei - Elettromeopatia
1
1.4 miSpeciality Museums

Mulino Cati - Museo Molinatura
1
1.4 miSpeciality Museums

Chiesa Monteacuto Ragazza
1
Churches & Cathedrals

Enoteca Divino
37
Wineries & Vineyards

La Torre di Castel di Casio
9
Observation Decks & Towers

Piazzetta della Torre
3
Points of Interest & Landmarks
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.5
1,223 reviews
Excellent
808
Very good
312
Average
65
Poor
18
Terrible
20
harry1249
Prato, Italy39 contributions
Aug 2016 • Friends
Had som friends visiting and we were looking for something special to sow them and we found this at a very short distance from our home city.
I see a previous comment "stunning hidden secret" three words which perfectly define this place.
Th whole place is full of symbols and "nothing is what you see" - rooms which have a shape which is not what you think and so on.
The visitor also feels a strange spirituality which permeates the rooms and almost feels better after the visit.
The guide was very nice and knowledged of the secrets of the Rocchetta.
A real must!
I see a previous comment "stunning hidden secret" three words which perfectly define this place.
Th whole place is full of symbols and "nothing is what you see" - rooms which have a shape which is not what you think and so on.
The visitor also feels a strange spirituality which permeates the rooms and almost feels better after the visit.
The guide was very nice and knowledged of the secrets of the Rocchetta.
A real must!
Written August 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Vkt_01
Genoa, Italy103 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
Rocchetta Mattei is well worth a visit.
I'd recommend a detour, in case you were passing by.
Also, it might be worth scheduling a day trip or a weekend in the area specifically to go and visit this unique castle-like mansion (there are also many magnificent little villages and churches and natural sites around worth visiting, by the way, so to make a very nice weekend).
Truth to be said, not all of Rocchetta Mattei is open for visit yet, however one can see work is in progress, and the half open for visit is already enough to stimulate appetite for more.
Work done to bring back Rocchetta to what it may have been is astounding and accurate, or so it seems; the place is a mixture of many different styles, from medieval to arabic, and they can now be fully enyoied in all their splendour. Rocchetta seems to please all ages: we had a guided tour, and we found ourselves in a very mixed group, and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves very much, from kids to more adult people.
But Rocchetta will definitely please the more curious minds. Indeed, every single corner, every stone, every wall has something different, peculiar, curious, to be looked at and to be speculated about. What is that, what does it mean, how come, and all together this very diverse ensemble of ideas produces the most beautiful and elegant and precise castle.
A few facts: the visit must be booked in advance on line, and paid upfront (adults, 10 euro each); it is a guided tour, and the guys leading the tours are so passionate, so professional, so competent that it really is worth listening to every single word. We were so fascinated that we lost track of time, so we do not know how many time the tour took, but it could be anything between 1h and 1 1/2 h.
Thanks to all the people that have been involved in preserving, researching, and restoring Rocchetta Mattei, and a big bravo!!!! to Alfredo, our guide: professional, passionate, competent, he really told us many very valuable insights and he made all of us feel very confortable, and he seemed to welcome every question from us, answering them very exaustively. Thanks Alfredo!
I'd recommend a detour, in case you were passing by.
Also, it might be worth scheduling a day trip or a weekend in the area specifically to go and visit this unique castle-like mansion (there are also many magnificent little villages and churches and natural sites around worth visiting, by the way, so to make a very nice weekend).
Truth to be said, not all of Rocchetta Mattei is open for visit yet, however one can see work is in progress, and the half open for visit is already enough to stimulate appetite for more.
Work done to bring back Rocchetta to what it may have been is astounding and accurate, or so it seems; the place is a mixture of many different styles, from medieval to arabic, and they can now be fully enyoied in all their splendour. Rocchetta seems to please all ages: we had a guided tour, and we found ourselves in a very mixed group, and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves very much, from kids to more adult people.
But Rocchetta will definitely please the more curious minds. Indeed, every single corner, every stone, every wall has something different, peculiar, curious, to be looked at and to be speculated about. What is that, what does it mean, how come, and all together this very diverse ensemble of ideas produces the most beautiful and elegant and precise castle.
A few facts: the visit must be booked in advance on line, and paid upfront (adults, 10 euro each); it is a guided tour, and the guys leading the tours are so passionate, so professional, so competent that it really is worth listening to every single word. We were so fascinated that we lost track of time, so we do not know how many time the tour took, but it could be anything between 1h and 1 1/2 h.
Thanks to all the people that have been involved in preserving, researching, and restoring Rocchetta Mattei, and a big bravo!!!! to Alfredo, our guide: professional, passionate, competent, he really told us many very valuable insights and he made all of us feel very confortable, and he seemed to welcome every question from us, answering them very exaustively. Thanks Alfredo!
Written November 5, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Viridiana2012
Bologna, Italy715 contributions
Sep 2015 • Friends
The place is really worth a visit as it is beautiful, a bit bizzarre and you get to know about the life story of this extravagant character that was count Mattei. The tour is guided, The guides are prepared although sometimes they seem to think they arte talking to kids.... There is also an Alvar Alto church in The town nearby (Riola)
Written September 27, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
tranquil41
Morpeth, UK85 contributions
Oct 2016 • Couples
Currently we had tried to book online 3 times to no avail. No confirmation and nobody answering calls.
We went up on the off chance and nobody spoke English which was not an issue other than the option to look around ourselves we had to join an italian group for 1hr which we could not understand and this made for a tedious, long tour of the castle.
The building itself was very interesting as was the history (which we looked at online after).
We went up on the off chance and nobody spoke English which was not an issue other than the option to look around ourselves we had to join an italian group for 1hr which we could not understand and this made for a tedious, long tour of the castle.
The building itself was very interesting as was the history (which we looked at online after).
Written October 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Szymon Wesołowski
Ruda Slaska, Poland7 contributions
Aug 2021
Wonderful place! Straight out of a fairy tale! Very good guides! Amazing views. Great moments! I recommend to everyone!
Written August 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Christina W
Amsterdam, The Netherlands161 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
What a strange place Cesare Mattei built! It's a really bizarre palace combining myriad architectural styles and featuring symbolism from all sorts of religions and legends and myths. Mattei was a pretty peculiar man with some odd beliefs. I'm not sure how many of the stories I believe, but it's completely fascinating to walk through the castle and see all the different styles. Definitely recommend it.
Written October 16, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Marco V
5 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
Rochetta Mattei is very much worth a visit. The architecture is... strange, but the story behind it is very interesting. The tour (in English for us non-Italians) was very informative and entertaining.
Written July 31, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Boris Scharinger
Fuerth, Germany176 contributions
Oct 2017 • Solo
Just a beauty - it's full of symbols, ornaments, mauretian architecture and amazing stories. Guided tour suffered a bit from being Italian only but I also failed to do research on whether and when there are English tours.
Whether you understand some of the tour or not - it's almost irrelevant as you will be constantly astonished about the many beautiful details of this castle.
Hint: Program your GPS to get you to RIOLA and then follow the signs. I had difficulties to find it when I used the Grizanda Morandi street address.
Whether you understand some of the tour or not - it's almost irrelevant as you will be constantly astonished about the many beautiful details of this castle.
Hint: Program your GPS to get you to RIOLA and then follow the signs. I had difficulties to find it when I used the Grizanda Morandi street address.
Written October 18, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
EmanueleA671
Udine, Italy16 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
Astonishing castle. It is built according to multiple styles, in particular there are numerous elements of Arab architecture. The guides are young and really competent. It is a real surprise located in the countryside. Absolutely a must see!
Written August 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Cece
Dollar, UK182 contributions
Jun 2017
The castle is fantastic, so many interesting details, the place is full of mystery. The guide we had was excellent (Elena) and made the visit even more attractive. It is a lovely place to go before it becomes more popular.
Written June 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Vorremmo visitare il castello e fermarci a mangiare in un ristorante nelle vicinanze. C'è modo senza allontanarsi molto? Grazie
Salve, è possibile portare una scolaresca? Quale il costo per 20 allievi? Grazie
raffa13
Florence, Italy150 contributions
Buonasera,
contatti la segreteria del museo di Rocchetta Mattei, le daranno tutte le info e costi e modalità x effettuare la prenotazione
LoZio89
Bari127 contributions
è difficile arrivarci? Nel senso sono strade strette o poco asfaltate o piene di curve? Avendo persone che soffrono di mal d'auto e non avendo una macchina con cui possiamo avventurarci troppo
Cri G
San Giovanni in Persiceto, Italy37 contributions
Noi veniamo da San Giovanni in Persiceto e abbiamo preso prima l'autostrada e poi l'uscita per Sasso Marconi e Porretta... Per arrivarci la strada è statale quindi è una strada normale, senza particolari curve o stradine strette... quindi puoi andare tranquillamente... Se invece dopo aver visitato la Rocchetta volete andare a visitare i Borghi vicini che meritano, in questo caso però le strade sono in salita e piene di curve alcune a strapiombo, quindi eviterei... Comunque per la Rocchetta vai più che tranquillo la strada è normale... ciao buona visita!!!
Alessandro T
Province of Reggio Emilia, Italy8 contributions
Salve, è visitabile in questo periodo (novembre 2020)?
Grazie
giovi-49
Cremona, Italy218 contributions
So che è chiusa per le misure AntiCOVID. Da non perdere comunque appena sarà aperta.
sandro s
1 contribution
è accessibile ai portatori di handicap?
Relax61137660797
6 contributions
c'è un ascensore
Marta G
Rovigo, Italy203 contributions
È consigliabile visitare la struttura anche se piove? Il percorso guidato è esclusivamente all'interno o si attraversano anche spazi all'aperto? Grazie
Wiky
Bologna, Italy396 contributions
Ciao Lady, il 95% della visita è al coperto. Fanno eccezione il cortile appena si entra, ed un piccolo passaggio in cima alla struttura
Frequently Asked Questions about Rocchetta Mattei
- Rocchetta Mattei is open:
- Sat - Sun 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
- Hotels near Rocchetta Mattei:
- (0.54 mi) Magic Tarot Home
- (6.23 mi) Hotel Helvetia Thermal Spa
- (6.26 mi) Hotel Santoli
- (2.34 mi) B&B Antico Mulino
- (1.95 mi) Agriturismo I Fondacci
- Restaurants near Rocchetta Mattei:
- (0.43 mi) Da Rotilio
- (0.90 mi) Il Sambuco al Sole
- (0.44 mi) Bar Trattoria Da Feli & Mirco
- (2.08 mi) Bologna Tartufunghi
- (2.73 mi) Osteria della Rocca
- Attractions near Rocchetta Mattei:
- (0.48 mi) Borgo La Scola
- (0.45 mi) Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta di Riola
- (0.54 mi) Museo Dei Tarocchi
- (2.80 mi) Grotte di Labante
- (1.82 mi) Santuario della Beata Vergine della Consolazione di Montovolo