Castello Sforzesco, Milan

Castello Sforzesco is the vast fortified complex before you, a castle whose heavy masonry still conveys its military purpose. Its construction began in 1360, and Francesco Sforza rebuilt it in the fifteenth century on the remains of an earlier medieval stronghold. Filarete designed the tower that bears his name, giving the fortress a distinctive architectural landmark.

Look at the Torre del Filarete, the tall entrance tower, and then trace the substantial walls and corner towers around the complex. Between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this was among Europe’s major military citadels. Centuries of alteration changed the fortress repeatedly, while Luca Beltrami led an extensive rebuilding campaign from 1891 to 1905.

The result you see today combines a defensive shell with a cultural role: the castle now contains museums and art collections. Its history reaches further back than the Sforza dynasty. A Roman defensive fort stood in this area, and the medieval castle later rose on that same ground.

During the late fifteenth century, the court of Ludovico il Moro brought Leonardo da Vinci and Bramante here. Leonardo’s surviving decoration in the Sala delle Asse remains among the castle’s most remarkable artistic traces.