San Bernardino
San Bernardino: the Novellara hamlet immersed in the Po Valley
San Bernardino is a small hamlet in Novellara, located in the province of Reggio Emilia, immersed in the Po Valley and surrounded by fields cultivated for cereal farming. The area is crossed by the Allacciante Cartoccio and is characterized by the presence of the Riviera Estate.
History of San Bernardino: from the Gonzagas to cheese production
The first reclamation of the area dates back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when the Gonzagas started to cultivate the "Terreni Novi," the present-day San Bernardino. Francesco I Gonzaga-Novellara built two large houses in the hamlet, called "Costanze," and Count Alessandro I Gonzaga erected the first church dedicated to Bernardino da Siena.
Moreover, grana cheese was produced in the area, as evidenced by a document from 1529, in which it is written that Giulio Cesare Gonzaga of Novellara rented a farm to Lorenzo and Antonio Busi, sons of Giarono, to produce cheese. The hamlet was frequented by the Gonzagas for hunting pheasants, partridges, and quails caught with nets.
Riviera Estate: the Gonzaga hunting ground
The Riviera Estate, located in San Bernardino, owes its name to the Marquis Giangiacomo Riva, who obtained the area by purchasing it from the Gonzagas in 1671. The area was used by the Gonzagas as a hunting ground, also frequented by noblewomen with falcons and falconers.
The Bentivoglio reclamation of the seventeenth century led to the flooding of much of the territory, exploited for rice farming since the sixteenth century. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the estate passed to Count Venceslao Spalletti, while in 1920 the area was drained by the Parmigiana Moglia reclamation.
The Riviera Estate today: a place for dining and agrotourism
Thanks to agricultural improvements and renovation works, the Riviera Estate became a place of great interest, not only for hunting but also for renowned guests who came to visit. Albert Bruce Sabin, inventor of the Polio vaccine, Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin, and Benito Mussolini were just a few of the illustrious visitors of the estate.
Today, due to the abandonment of the countryside, only some parts of the estate are used for agrotourism and dining. The estate includes a master's house and an oratory dedicated to Luigi Gonzaga, including 14 rural buildings built between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, now used as cottages. These were the first peasant houses in the area to be equipped with tiles and running water.
In conclusion, San Bernardino is a small hamlet immersed in the Po Valley, characterized by the presence of the Riviera Estate, a place of great historical and cultural interest, visited by numerous famous guests over time. The area was used in the past for agriculture, cheese production, and hunting, but today it is mainly used for dining and agrotourism activities.
