Castello Lambertini, Poggio Renatico

Castello Lambertini stands in Poggio Renatico, Italy; the complex began under a medieval Italian hand, erected by the Guastavillani family during the Middle Ages.

By the 15th century the estate passed into the hands of the Lambertini family. In 1475 Egano Lambertini carried out alterations to the complex. Drawings made in 1578 record that the site was originally composed of many separate buildings rather than a single block.

Around the year 1600 the ensemble lost its strictly defensive character and was converted into an aristocratic residence, a transformation that altered its outward appearance from fortress to palace. A major rebuilding took place in 1660; during that period the palace served for a time as the residence of Queen Christina of Sweden.

After the male line of the Lambertini family died out, ownership transferred in 1822 to the local community known as “Poggio et Uniti.” In 1887 engineer Ruggero Carini carried out an extensive restoration that restyled the building in a neo-Gothic fashion, a change that largely obscured the earlier medieval and Renaissance appearance.

For many years the building housed municipal functions, serving as the seat of the Comune di Poggio Renatico and accommodating public services including the town library and a polyclinic. On 20 May 2012 an earthquake struck, destroying the complex’s imposing clock tower and inflicting damage across the structure. A provisional clock assembly was installed in 2013. Post‑seismic reconstruction began in the summer of 2020, including plans to rebuild the fallen clock tower in Corten steel. During those works previously unknown frescoes were uncovered and are to be restored, a discovery that increased projected costs beyond an initial estimate of €6.4 million; completion of the reconstruction was expected in 2023.