Sforzesco Castle was built as a fortress in 1368. Later it was transformed into a splendid ducal palace that would be practically destroyed during the Ambrosian Republic.
The Sforza family strove to make the castle one of the most magnificent courts in Italy, although it subsequently passed into the hands of the Spanish and Austrians and regained its former military role.
With the decree of June 23, 1800, Napoleon ordered the demolition of the castle and, in 1801, the side towers and the Spanish bastions were shot down.
In the second half of the 19th century, the castle was the subject of discussion among the Milanese, since many citizens wanted to destroy it to build a luxurious residential neighborhood. However, historical culture prevailed and the architect Luca Beltrami carried out an important restoration, restoring the castle to its original appearance at the time of the Sforzas. The restoration was completed in 1905 with the inauguration of the Filarete Tower and the Sempione Park, built where the old parade ground was located.
During the Second World War the castle was seriously damaged.
At the end of the 20th century, the castle square was built with a fountain inspired by the one that previously occupied this place, before being destroyed in the sixties by the construction of the metro. In 2005, the last restoration work was completed in the cortil area and in the castle rooms.
The castle museums can hire coach rental by 8rental company to tour all the following museums:
Museum of Ancient Art: Frescoes of the Sforza family and valuable sculptures from Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Among the most important works is Piedad Rondanini, the last and unfinished work of Michelangelo.
Art Gallery: The castle art gallery, made up of more than 1,500 works, displays paintings created between the 13th and 18th centuries.
Egyptian Museum: This museum displays different objects from Egypt, including statuettes, sarcophagi, mummies, and burial masks.
Museum of Prehistory and Protohistory: The objects of this museum show the main cultures that followed one another in Lombardy from the Neolithic to the period of Romanization.
Museum of Decorative Arts: Shows the work of carving masters, potters, sculptors, upholsterers and weavers from the 11th to the 18th centuries.
Musical Instruments Museum: The Musical Instruments Museum treasures curious instruments from different parts of the world.
Furniture Museum: Six centuries of history using pieces created between the 15th and 20th centuries. The furniture is shown in a real recreation of the environments to illustrate the context in which they were found.
In addition to the museums indicated, in the Sforzesco Castle there are also other exhibition spaces: the Piedad Rondanini Museum, the Numismatic and Medal Collection, the "Sala delle Asse" by Leonardo da Vinci, the Collection of Drawings and the Collection of Engravings Achille Bertarelli.
A castle with a lot of art
Some of the castle's museums are quite interesting and the visit includes a tour through all of them for a small fee. If you are not interested in visiting the museums, we recommend that you visit the extensive central courtyard of the castle that is open to the public for free.