At present not even the last of the old mountain
folk who live in those real ghost towns of our area - the hamlets around
Bardi like Caneto and Agneto, desolate villages of stone that survive
within a spooky neglect - the name 'Barrio' reflects this. Nevertheless
amongst the century old legends that surround Bardi, the one about
Hannibal's elephant (the last of 37) which died in solitude on the banks
of the river Ceno leaving in inheritance a place name of its own, has
been the hardest to give into historical truths.
It is now known that the Bardi name dates back
as far as 600 A.D. when a group of Longobardi fighters, the Arimanni,
camped under the cliffs of the blood colored, rocky promontory which
dominates the area. In the vicinity was a wood and a river; which was
enough to spark up the idea of starting up a village. And the castle?
You had to wait a couple of years to pass by and a large piece of the
Medieval period too. In the plains the barbarians reigned, raiding and
violence were part of everyday life. A bad wind was blowing for the
venerable Evarardo, the bishop of Piacenza. What could have been better
than looking for escape in a perfectly new castle built up from a steep
and un-stormable, rocky cliff? And so it was. The terror of the ferocious
Ungari raids caused the bishop to buy half of the Bardi fortress which
then became subject to various transfers of property.
Finally, in the middle of the XIII Century, the
castle went to the Landi family: from that moment onwards the historical
and economical events, not to mention the fortunes of the manor,
remained inseparably tied to this Piacentine family which created its
own powerful centre for 425 years. It was Ubertino Landi, a dark, wild
and indomitable fighter to buy up the castle, half destroyed by the
raids of Pallavicino, Lord of Piacenza and to transform it into a
fortress.
In 1381 Gian Galeazzo Visconti gave recognition
to the Landi signoria and from 1415 allowed them complete independence:
from that year Bardi became the capital of the Landi State, including
the territory of the upper Val Ceno and upper Val Taro. Then in the XVI
Century, the impressive manor became the principality, due to the wish
of the emperor Carlo V.
One of the most antique parts of the fortress
is the 'mastio', dating back to the 1200's, originally adapted for
habitation and then transformed into a prison. Under the care of the
Landi, the castle was transformed from a military fortress to a noble
dwelling, through the realization of elegant apartments, affrescoes,
gardens, fountains and a big library. Voices tell the story that the
fortress has always been inhabited by a group of nice ghosts. Not even
is the horrid chamber of torture missing, where the hangman's axe has
been left in full view. Furthermore, recently an antique manuscript has
been found, which is proof of the existence of buried treasure in the
castle.
Bardi Castle
Finally, in the middle of the XIII Century, the
castle went to the Landi family: from that moment onwards the historical
and economical events, not to mention the fortunes of the manor,
remained inseparably tied to this Piacentine family which created its
own powerful centre for 425 years. It was Ubertino Landi, a dark, wild
and indomitable fighter to buy up the castle, half destroyed by the
raids of Pallavicino, Lord of Piacenza and to transform it into a
fortress. 