Guastalla ( Guastallese: ) is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the

province of Reggio Emilia The province of Reggio Emilia (; Emilian: ''pruvînsa ed Rèz'') is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The capital city, which is the most densely populated ''comune'' (municipality) in the province, is Reggio Emilia. It has an ...

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Geography

Guastalla is situated in the

Po Valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain (, , or ) is a major geographical feature of northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetian Plain, Venetic extension not actu ...

, and lies on the banks of the

Po River The Po ( , ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy, starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is , or if the Maira (river), Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. The headwaters of the Po are forme ...

. Guastalla is located at around from the cities of

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

, and

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

. In addition to the town of Guastalla itself, the ''comune'' also includes the hamlets of San Giacomo, San Girolamo, San Martino, San Rocco, and Tagliata.

History

The area of Guastalla was probably settled by Etruscans as early as the 7th century BC, but the name of the city is mentioned for the first time in 864 AD. Of Lombard origin, the city was ruled by the Torelli family from 1406 to 1539, when it became the capital of a duchy under the Gonzaga family and housed artists like Guercino and

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

. From 1621 to 1748, it was part of its own

Duchy of Guastalla The Duchy of Guastalla () was an Historical states of Italy, Italian state which existed between 1621 and 1748. It was bordered by the Duchy of Modena and Reggio and the Po River to the north, on the opposite bank of the Duchy of Mantua. Its place ...

. Then with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, the city became part of the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza e Guastalla, to which it belonged until 1847, when it was inherited by the Duke of Modena. Since the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

in 1861, Guastalla has been a part of Italy proper.

Industry

Bertazzoni, For over 140 years, Bertazzoni cooking appliances have brought the best of home-cooked food to family tables worldwide. Renowned for exceptional engineering and a deep commitment to food and family values, Bertazzoni was born in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is now available globally. Whether you prefer built-in or freestanding models, Bertazzoni appliances empower you to cook with precision, creativity, and flavour. SMEG (from Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla), a major manufacturer of high-end domestic appliances, was founded by Vittorio Bertazzoni in Guastalla in 1948, where it still has its headquarters.

Main sights

Guastalla town: *The Cathedral (16th century) by Francesco da Volterra. *The Ducal Palace of Guastalla (1567). *The Civic Theatre Ruggero Ruggeri (1671). *The Town Hall. *The octagonal Oratory of ''Madonna della Concezione''. *The church of ''Santa Maria dei Servi'', designed by Francesco da Volterra. Noteworthy in the interior is a ''Deposition'', canvas by Giuseppe Maria Crespi. *The Civic Tower (18th century), in the location where once was the Spanish Castle Around Guastalla: *The Romanesque Oratory of St. George (probably from the 9th century). *The Basilica of St. Peter at Pieve di Guastalla, which was seat of two Roman Catholic councils. It houses an ancient baptismal font (9th century) and painted

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

portraying the ''Madonna with Child'', attributed to Guido Mazzoni.

Twin Towns

* Forcalquier, France * Giovinazzo, Italy * Gabicce Mare, Italy

Residents

In-Grid Ingrid Alberini, known by her stage name In-Grid, is an Italian dancer and singer-songwriter. Her 2003 club song " Tu es foutu", (English title: "You Promised Me"), charted in several European countries, Australia, Latin America and in the United ...

, Italian pop-dance artist

References

External links

Official website
Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna Populated places established in the 7th century BC {{EmiliaRomagna-geo-stub