The beautiful streets above are located again in Moulin, that typical medieval village I went to visit some years ago. There are lot of houses and details that were really well preserved through the course of the years, as you can see also from the other pictures below:

sitting right in the middle of the town this huge gothic cathedral was really beautiful, even if I can’t remember his name, but I remember well its giant dimensions and its gothic decorations, like this “gargoyle” that you can admire below:

all in all, really a town full of history and culture, with lots ot offer, even if isn’t a very popular town, surprisingly.

The next day we went to visit another place called Chateaux Chinon, located in the same area but a few km north, bordering the natural park of Morvan, at 700m on the sea level. Even this small town had a particular feeling, even if wasn’t so rich in historical monuments as Moulin: the fact that was so close to a natural park, and the surrounding mountains made it a very cool place for the nature-lovers like us.

The picture above represents the town hall, in the middle of the town. Not bad, don’t you think? it was full of green zones with various flowers and plants, all around it.

So this trip in Bourgogne, one of the less known areas of France, came to an end. I have mixed feelings and memories of it: the great historical monuments, the medieval atmosphere, but also the cold and rainy weather (due to the period I went to visit). Still if you love nature, history and good wine (it is one of the best french region for wine production!) I recommend you take the time to make a trip in Bourgogne: you won’t regret it!

We rented a house for one week for the amount of about 260 euros, quite cheap compared to our prices! as soon as we arrived nearby the small town of Decize, the owner showed us the place, which I must admit was very cool. Two floors, detached house, with 3 bedrooms, a big kitchen and livingroom, and a very big garden of 2500 square meters!

Since we originally came to look for houses, we were already enthusiast about this one, and we wanted to ask the owner if she was interested in selling it! the garden was quite cool, with many trees, in particular a red apples one which had so many fruits on it, and some of them lying on the ground.

We took care of “cleaning” the garden from all the apples, and they were absolutely tasteful!

As I told you before, once we were there a few days, we realized that the plan to go living abroad wasn’t really possible at that time. Even if the french language, very similar to our italian, wasn’t really a problem, the feeling of being so distant from all our places and our beloved ones in the end made us change our mind.

So we decided to turn it into a normal small holiday, with a very particular flavour, since is really unusual to visit those places in autumn

I liked a lot the town of Decize, even if in general I must admit that all the places we saw were cool, from the small town to the medium-sized one, indeed it’s still possible to find many medieval traits, in the houses and expecially in the gothic churches.

The picture above is only a small sample of what you can find in the town of Moulin, which was very close to Decize. The house were really splendid, and the small old shops contributed to create a wonderful atmosphere. Really a place to visit if you like those sort of things!

The castle’s age is around 869 d.c. and in the following centuries it became first a feud of Landi from Piacenza, then was occupied by Farnese family and lastly, went under “Ducato di Parma” domain.

It was built through several steps, and often renovated, the fortress is one of the best examples of medieval citadel that remains in good conditions even nowadays.

It surely will be fascinating to visit it, walk along the high walls or in the tall towers, or even visit some wicked places like the Torture Chamber where you can admire still the executioner’s axe!

But there’s more: the Castle of Bardi is rumoured to being haunted by a ghost, that seems to have appeared several times during the recent history. The legend says that it must be the ghost of Moroello, a man who died violently and who was in love with Soleste, the young daughter of the Castle Lord.

So as you can see is an old castle rich of fascinating history, as witnesses the recent discovery: an old parchment that speaks about a hidden treasure inside the castle…

Even the surrounding of Bardi are full of interesting places to visit. From the local flora and fauna, with wonderful naturalistic scenery, to more mystery and adventure if you decide to visit old abandoned towns like Lavacchielli, Caneto, Agneto, Ca’ Scapini.

Located in the “pianura padana” between the two rivers Taro and Stirone, the town of Fontanellato has old origins, but it has the period of maximum splendor under the reign of “Sanvitale” family in the beginning of 1400.

The towncenter has still clear medieval architectures and it’s well mantained. It is dominated by the “Rocca” (Citadel), built in the beginning of 1400, it has became during the years the town’s symbol. The citadel is in perfect conditions, it has a large moat around it, and on the inside it has precious furniture and artwork of the “Parmigianino”, a very talented painter of the first half of 1500.

An appointment not to miss, for the antiquarians, is the traditional market with over 300 exhibitors that takes places every 3rd sunday of each month in the square around the Rocca Sanvitale.

The castle’s origins dates back to XVI -XVII century, when was under the control of the Landi family. It had public schools, markets and its own currency. After a period of decline, its importance rose again during World War II, in which it became the capital of the “Free territory of Valtaro”.

The castle seen from a street of the village around it

Today, the castle is public property and inside it there are two important museums, and a part of it is now a relais with park, pool and congress center.

There’s a curious legacy between the Castle and the Prince Albert of Monaco, who came to visit the castle the 9th july 2003.

A wonderful rose bush nearby the castle’s entrance

Awarded as one of the most beautiful villages of Italy, the old village of Compiano lies all around the omonimous castle. The old walls surrounding it are perfectly mantained and you can walk over them, enjoying a wonderful sight on the Taro Valley.

another view of the castle from the entrance