Mamiano

Mamiano is a small village in the province of Parma, Emilia-Romagna. It lies on flat land where the first hills of the Apennines begin, beside the right bank of the Parma stream. Four artificial water channels cross the area: the Maggiore canal, Rossi canaletta, Santa Maria canaletta and Bannone canaletta. The village stands near the ruins of two medieval castles, one at Pariano and one at Castello, both now vanished. The site has deep historical layers. Stone tools from the Palaeolithic were found in 1998 at Staffalo. A Roman settlement at La Costa produced fragments of tiles, coarse pottery and glass discovered in 2000. The first written record of Mamiano dates from 995, when it was mentioned in a donation by Bishop Sigifredo II of Parma. For centuries the village became a battleground for local families and larger powers, including the Rossi, Terzi, Torelli and Este. In 1403 the Terzi burned the borgo, and in 1539 the Farnese pope razed the castle of Basilicanova, to which Mamiano belonged. Visitors find a quiet rural setting with a few monuments. The parish church of San Biagio was rebuilt in the 17th century and again in 1832, 1900, 1938 and 1961, then restored after the 2008 earthquake. Nearby are the overgrown earthworks of the vanished castle at Castello. To the north-east, on the edge of the borgo, stand the ruins of the castle of Pariano, destroyed in the 16th century but still visible beside the modern court of Pariano. A short walk away is Villa Magnani, a 17th-century hunting lodge turned noble residence, now home to the Fondazione Magnani-Rocca with its art collection.