The Rocchetta Mattei, in Riola di Grizzana Morandi in the Bologna Apennines, can be booked for civil weddings, conventions, presentations, meetings, association dinners and events. Organizers can take one room, the Sala dei Novanta, or the whole complex in exclusive use. The site does not publish seat counts, so numbers are confirmed with the municipal office.
Seminars and company events
The castle describes itself as a venue for congresses, ceremonies and weddings, and its exclusive-use page names conventions, presentations and meetings among the accepted uses. Association dinners and photo or video shoots are also listed. For a meeting, you can reserve the Sala dei Novanta on its own, or the whole monumental complex with access to all the rooms made available for the day.
The Sala dei Novanta was conceived by Cesare Mattei as a mausoleum for Queen Victoria and became a ballroom in the early twentieth century under his adopted son Mario Venturoli. Its furniture and decoration are in Liberty style, and a large oval stained-glass window shows Mattei. It is the room used for the castle's own cultural evenings.
The castle is a visitor site as well. Entry is by reservation, and on days with events, weddings, conferences or meetings some rooms may not be open to visitors. Organizers should settle the day with the office, which handles bookings and payment.
Weddings and receptions
The castle hosts civil weddings and private ceremonies. The Sala dei Novanta can be booked alone for a wedding, and the whole complex can be reserved for a weekend or a weekday. The chapel is one of the most distinctive spaces: it blends Islamic-inspired arches, modeled on those of the Mezquita of Córdoba, with a medieval Italian gallery and a semicircular apse, built from plaster, cement, brick and wood. Painted apostles in the lunettes imitate mosaic. A hanging courtyard and garden give views of the castle's towers and wings.
The castle can host a reception after the ceremony or meeting. Catering is not included and must be arranged separately.
Rooms and capacities
The pages reviewed name the Sala dei Novanta, the chapel, the central courtyard with its fountain and the hanging garden, together with the Moorish wing and the noble wing used for tours. No room capacities are published. Request seated and standing numbers for your layout before you commit.
Catering
No catering is included. A reception can be held, and the organizer arranges the caterer separately.
History and setting
Cesare Mattei built the castle in the nineteenth century, mixing medieval, Gothic, Liberty and Moorish styles. The Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna bought it in 2005 and reopened it to the public in 2015. The Comune di Grizzana Morandi manages it. Nearby are the village of La Scola, the church of Santa Maria Assunta designed by Alvar Aalto, the Casa Museo Giorgio Morandi and the Sanctuary of Montovolo.
Getting there
The address is Via Rocchetta 46A, Riola, 40030 Grizzana Morandi. The office answers bookings by email and phone on weekdays in the morning and on weekends from 9:00 to 17:30.
