Right in the centre of the town, in the middle of a large square, an imposing and massive building stands out, surrounded by a large moat. This is the Visconti-Sforza castle in Galliate, which the Duke of Milan Galeazzo Sforza had built in 1476 on a previous Visconti military fortress.

The project, initially entrusted to the architects Ambrogio Ferrari and Danesio Mainerio, was to turn the fortress into a hunting lodge for the Milanese court’s amusement, and continued in this sense even after the duke’s death with the succession of Ludovico il Moro, who was also a passionate hunter. At the four corners of the perimeter of the great walls rise four towers connected by underground passages and still in good condition today.

To the north and south there are two entrances, with gates that once had a drawbridge and a postern, which are still visible today. In 1496, the first improvements began, with the opening of large windows and the construction of new rooms. The embellishments and renovations continued throughout the following centuries and the most important changes to the castle structure were made during the 19th century.

From this period onwards, in fact, both the civic administration of Galliate and a number of private individuals, some of whom became owners, readapted the vast premises according to different needs and functions. The castle welcomes citizens for festivities and ceremonies in admirable historical halls and houses the Municipal Library in the rooms of the sleeve and the south-west corner tower, which boasts ten thousand rare items among incunabula and sixteenth-century books.

Contact

Address  Piazza Vittorio Veneto – 28066 Galliate NO
Tel: +39 0321 800 702 – +39 0321 800 704
E-mail: anagrafe@comune.galliate.no.it
Website: Castello Visconteo sforzesco di Galliate