A day out: Castello di Padernello

We set off a little uncertainly but the weather is splendid, a beautiful May morning and there's very little traffic anywhere. By ten o'clock I'm parking near the castello di Padernello. 

There are a lot of people around. There's a bicycle tour - 10 castles in 100 kilometres and some volunteers are providing refreshments, there's a market of antique and vintage clocks and watches and there's a small group of people like us who’ve booked to visit the castle. We have the Abbonamento musei Lombardia, otherwise the guided visit costs 7.50 euros. We stand on the stairs for the first explanation. I’m distracted and also I’m hard of hearing so I look more than follow, but basically the ‘castle’ or mansion was built little by little, various bits added and then abandoned and totally emptied of anything that could be removed in the 1950s. Left in a state of total abandonment it was finally rescued by a group of private investors and the local municipality in 2005 and has since been restored.

So, inside there’s not much left. A few frescoes, some paintings which have been added since, by Cerutti, rather in keeping with the gloomy and dusty atmosphere, the kitchens and some rooms which have been furnished with antiques and a library. 

To be honest if you’re not local it would be easier if there were an alternative quick look ticket. The explanations are so detailed as to be boring and the guide, to keep us captive, stands in front of the onward doors. Nevertheless, the outside of the Castello is very pretty indeed and the ground floor parts occupied by the watch market have some attractive corners and also a bar. All things considered, worth a visit.

Except everything takes a lot longer than expected and we only make the nearby Conad in Pontevico with a few minutes to spare before it closes at 1pm. We picnic in the car with the first packet of spek I could lay my hands on and, fortunately, Andrea’s excellent bread. In the afternoon we head for Sabbioneta, but that’s another story.