[the automatic translation can contain errors]

One of the great artistic patrimonies, integrating part of our local culture, is constituted from the padronali villas is diffused in all the Centese territory. Many of these, in the course of the last decade, have been taken in great consideration and transformed in used places to public or private function. Regarding the territory of the Malafitto, an exceptional case is constituted from the complex of Tower Sword, that at this point it is totally destroyed; and nobody, in the course of 19 years, has never thought to restructure it.

THE HISTORY

The complex of Tower Sword, anciently called “tower of the Forcello”, represents one of the old buildings pertaining to the Centese territory. Initially, the entire complex was not of property of the family Sword, than, already lands of some estates in the Centese it only acquired, it of 1663. Before becoming residence of the Sword, the villa was property of the Bishop Calenders, which, when in 1460 it yielded great part of own territories to the Centesi, decided to maintain for himself and its successory “estate of the Forcello”. Later on, in 1501, the complex passed to Ercole I, which yielded these lands to Ercole II d'Este then, than it gave in inheritance to own son Luigi d' Este.

Then property of several illustrious families of the Ferrarese: as an example in the 1558 is a residence of Ludovico Zagaglia; in 1601 it will return in the hands of the "pontificato" one becoming property of Clemente VIII, which the grandson will yield, Pinto Cardinal. With regard to the estate of the Forcello cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi in the june of 1621 wrote. It defines the property as “the tip of the Malaffitto” and asserts that “40,000 hectares” (the data is symbolic in order to indicate the big extension of the territory), comprised all the expansions happened in the centuries precedence from the ecclesiastics before indicated. The complex of the Forcello therefore from the 1621 property of the Ludovisi. This is famous thanks to three breviums documents, the first one of 2 May, the second of the 4 june, the third party of the 11 July of 1621, and from others two going back ones to 23 March and opens them 1623. She was the grandson of Ludovico Ludovisi, Nicolò Ludovisi, to sell the estate to Bernardino Spada cardinal.

From that moment the tower of the Forcelli remained of property of the principles Sword, the successory ones of Barberino cardinal, which wanted to exalt the power of the family conferring to the new property the denomination of “villa Tower Sword”. The new complex represented the typical palace of the noble ones of the territory. It was, in fact, composed from the rooms of the gentleman, the buildings used after the servitude, from the warehouses, the stables, a little church and the said oratory of Saint Gaetano.

But what remains today of the ancient Forcello?

Observing the photography to flank, released twenty or so years ago, we notice the estate of Tower Sword still completely integral, even if already on the steps of a degradation that in little years will become disastrous. It walls still completely cover the plant of the entire building; the presence of windows, fireplace are noticed and, watching carefully. And who will remember the “Tower of the Forcello”, than from the Middle Ages she dominated the horizon of the Malaffitto, and she kept lands around many squanderers (and all calls with name of saints) that the Bishop of Bologna Filippo Calandrini, when in 1460 yielded to the Centesi great part of its properties, own to these did not want to renounce preferring to hold them for oneself and its successory ones? Who will be able more to decipher the '600 order of the great Palace, the amplitude of the buildings of the servitude, the accumulated prosperity in the stables and the warehouses, the '700 lines of the oratory of Saint Gaetano with its clear eardrum and the porch and receiving own on the road? At this point of the '400 Forcello it remains only the ancient tower and, here and here, some ruin of walls fallen. In the course only twenty or so years the villa, from palace, has been transformed in a cumulus of ruins from which we succeed to only comprise the traditional plant of the building.

The lease for who wants to catch up its puts into effect them ruins

The complex of Tower Sword is dipped in the campaign, observing the geographic paper, notices that the locality of Tower Sword is placed along the main way that door to the locality of Cento going towards south, while continuing towards north it is arrived to the center of Bondeno. The country is found just near Tiles where, continuing in this direction, us it advances in the campaign to the border between the Ferrarese and the Modenese. (photo by Alan Gardini)

source: comune.cento.fe.it