Adalbert Atto, Count of Beggia and Mantura, a Lombard nobleman, built the castle around 940 on the summit of a rocky hill. The article names no architect and no style. It describes a triple line of walls, with barracks and servants' residences between the outer two, and a church of Sant'Apollonio with a convent of twelve Benedictine monks.
Troops from Reggio destroyed the castle and church in 1255, and it returned to the Canossa family. Possession then passed among Canossa, Reggio and the House of Este, with overlapping claims. The Valentini were ousted by the local population in 1796.
The Italian State acquired it in 1878 and declared it a national monument that year. The article gives no dimensions, materials or visiting details.
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