Rocca Pallavicino di Busseto

At the centre of the birthplace of the Master stands the Rocca di Busseto. The complex, rebuilt in neo-Gothic style in the mid-nineteenth century, was originally a medieval castle. Its ancient character is outlined by the project with a square base at the corners of which stand the towers added during the renovation. On the inner courtyard there are two floors with loggias and round arches that give it an atmosphere of other times. Today, the Castle of Busseto houses the extraordinary Neoclassical Theatre Giuseppe Verdi whose entrance is located on the right side of the façade. An anecdote concerns the solemn inauguration of August 15, 1868. The Master was conspicuously absent despite having donated £10,000 for its construction. Verdi, in fact, argued that the sumptuous theatre was inadequate to the peasant context of Busseto. The citizens, then, to make up for the absence of the Maestro in his box, arranged the bust dedicated to him throughout the theatre season. The bust, by Giovanni Duprè, is now located at the top of the access stairs.