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Information about Guastalla in the Province of Reggio Emilia

Distance from the A22 motor-way: 16 km.. A1 motor-way; 25 km. away. National Road SS 62, which runs from Verona to Mantua and Parma. National Road SS 63 with a branch leading to Reggio Emilia. Provincial Road to Novellara, Provincial Road to Reggiolo. Railway Station with trains to Parma and Suzzara and trains from Guastalla to Reggio Emilia.

The first record we have of Guastalla dates back to 864, when St. Peter's Chapel of Guastalla was given by the emperor Ludwig to his wife Angelberga, who in turn gave the chapel to the Monastery of San Sisto in Piacenza. The abbess gave this chapel along with the Chapel of San Giorgio to Boniface of Canossa. Guastalla experienced its period of greatest importance under the Canossa family. The town hosted a convention of nobles and ecclesiastic authorities in preparation for the Council of Piacenza in 1096, and a council presided over by Pope Paschal II in 1106.

Guastalla underwent various vicissitudes under rule by Cremona, Parma, and the Benedictine Monastery in Polirone, before it became the property of the Visconti family, who gave it in fief to Guido Torello in 1406. It was given to Don Ferrante Gonzaga in 1557, and remained under the rule of the Gonzaga family, who became dukes in 1621, until 1746. Guastalla was then annexed to the Duchy of Parma, but was again made into a duchy for Paolina Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Era. After 1814, Guastalla was again annexed to Parma, under the rule of Duchess Marie Louise. The town prospered due to its position along the banks of the Po River, but it also underwent the disastrous Wars of Succession. The Savoyard grenadiers had their baptism of fire in Guastalla in 1705. Guastalla is currently an important centre of communication. Located in a particularly thriving area, it is rich in industry and trade.

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