GUASTALLA, a town of Italy, in the province of Reggio, at the influx of the Crostolo into the Po, about 24 miles N.E. of Parma. It is the seat of a bishop, and possesses a cathedral, San Pietro, an extensive but ruined castle of the 16 th century, eight churches, a civil hospital, a gymnasium, a public library (Zα Biblioteca Muldottι) with 18,000 vols., a school of music, and a theatre. A statue of Ferrante I. of Gonzaga, by Leone Leoni of Arezzo, adorns the market-place. The inhabitants are largely engaged in the growing of rice, for which the marshy land around the town is specially adapted; and they also manufacture silk, flannel, and linen. In 1871 the population of the town proper was only 2809, but that of the commune was 10,618....
Guastalla, or, as the older forms of the name appear, Guarstalla or Wardstalla, was founded by the Lombards in the 7th century. It acquired some fame in the Middle Ages as the seat of the council held by Paschalis II. in 1106. In 1307 it is said to have been deprived of its fortifications by Giberto of Correggio, and they were not restored till 1636. Maria Visconti of Milan, to whose territory it belonged, raised the town and district to the rank of a countship, and bestowed it on Guido Torelli, the husband of his cousin. In 1539 the Torelli family was displaced by Ferrante (Ferdinand) of Gonzaga, and in 1541 the new occupant got Charles V. to make the countship immediately dependent on the empire. In 1621 it was made a duchy. The last duke of Guastalla of the Gonzaga family died in 1746; and though the Spaniards had in the previous year taken possession of the town in the name of Queen Elizabeth, Maria Theresa made good her claim to the imperial fief. At the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle it was ceded to the duke of Parma; and its subsequent history is practically that of Parma and Piacenza. In 1796 it was incorporated in the French Cisalpine Republic, and in 1805 it gave the title of princess to Napoleon’s sister Pauline. Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla were handed over by the peace of Vienna to Marie Louise, the wife of Napoleon; and on her death they passed to Charles of Bourbon. In 1848 Guastalla was added to Modena; and in 1859 along with Modena it was incorporated with Italy. The area of the duchy was about 125 square miles.
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