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The predecessor of Parz castle was a moated castle, the exact period of construction of which is unknown. It was first documented in 1220. In 1514, the estate of Parz, including the moated castle, came into the possession of Sigmund Ludwig von Pollheim, who built a new large manor directly adjacent to it.
Around 1800, the building was largely rebuilt, and only remnants of the former moated castle remain today. The manor house subsequently served as housing for officials.
Due to its dilapidated condition, it stood vacant between 1946 and 1963. It was then rented by an artist group led by Hans Hoffmann-Ybbs, who transformed it into an artist center that operated until 1998.
The moated castle is currently owned by Georg Spiegelfeld-Schneeburg, who in 2007 leased it to the operators of the Castelvecchio restaurant and the owners of the Galerie Schloss Parz.
Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune of Riomaggiore. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists, with a population of 353.
Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dating from 1338. The local dialect is Manarolese, which is marginally different from the dialects in the nearby area. The name 'Manarola' is probably a dialectical evolution of the Latin, 'magna rota'. In the Manarolese dialect this was changed to 'magna roea' which means 'large wheel', in reference to the mill wheel in the town.
Manarola's primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine produced in the region.