Audioguide by eArs 

Inner Courtyard: Architecture of the Fortress

You may already be looking up! Indeed, it's impossible to enter the inner courtyard of the fortress without being astonished by the mighty buildings that form it, creating a complex fortified structure that however has a well-balanced layout.Take a look at the walls: you'll immediately notice that from the ground to about halfway up, they are made with pebbles from the Panaro River, while the upper part of the walls is brick. You should know that once Uguccione Contrari arrived, he began work to significantly alter the ancient early medieval fortress. Among these works, the reinforcement and extension of the ancient walls was particularly important. Now look up until you spot the only painted window in the courtyard [pause]. The two animals depicted there, a lion and a leopard, refer precisely to the story of Uguccione... but we're getting ahead of ourselves; we'll talk about that later. While the reception and service rooms were found on the ground floor, the first floor was home to the family's private rooms, which overlooked the courtyard thanks to a refined loggia featuring wide arches. This architectural solution shows how the Contraris not only wanted to defend themselves from external threats, but also wanted to create a comfortable environment.The impressive Nonantola Tower rises above the loggia; it dates back to the 13th century and was also extended in brick in the early 15th century. An overhead passage connects it to the covered patrol walkways, which can still be explored in their entirety today. Although it is the tallest, the Nonantolana is not the fortress's only tower: it is joined by the Torre del Pennello and the Torre delle Donne, meaning Paintbrush and Women's Tower, respectively, and both built by the Contraris.Lastly there's the passageway to the Rocchetta on the north wall of the courtyard, where one of the castle's most strategic endowments was located: the arsenal, which held bows, crossbows, bombards, cannons, incendiary devices and everything else a self-respecting castle could need!