History of Sforzesco Castello
It was started to be built in the 14th century on the order of Galeazzo II Visconti. It was named as the Castle of the Jovian Gate because it was in the vicinity of Porta Giovia. Later on the castle was extended by Gian Galeazzo, Giovanni Maria and Filippo Maria with the help of the architect Filippo Brunelleschi. Filippo Maria wanted the castle to be the residence of the Visconti family. After his death the castle was damaged by the Ambrosian Republicans. In 1450, after the fall of the Republic, Francesco Sforza began to construct it to defend himself. It was carried out by Giovanni da Milano and his assistance Filippo Scorzioli and then by Jacopo da Cortona. In 1452 architect Filarete decorated the middle tower of the castle.
After Francesco Sforza died, one the order of his son Galeazzo Maria, the architect Benedetto Ferrini continued the construction. He built the loggia, the great staircase, the chapel, the back portion of the Rocchetta and the portico of the Elephant. By 1494, during Ludovico il Moro, the fourth son of Francesco Sforza, the castle became one of the most magnificent residences in Italy.
In 1499, after Ludovico il Moro, the palace was taken over by the French, Marshal Gian Giacomo Trivulzio. The central tower was destructed by a gun powder explosion in 1521. During the 16th and 17th centuries, at the time of the Spanish domination, the castle became a military fortress by adding buildings and making transformations at the castle. A rampart connected to the new walls of the city was built on the order of Charles V. The castle was surrounded by six bulwarks and along the external border the moat and the covered road were built.
In 1733 it was conquered by Carlo Emanuel III of Savoy, leading the Franco-Sardinian troops. In 1746 it was conquered by Spaniards and then by the French in 1796 and by Russians in 1799.
Napoleon demolished the additions of the castle built by the Spanish and only the original Castello Sforzesco was left.
In 1845, the Austrians entered the castle and bombarded the city from the castle, destroyed the corner towers during the battle of Five Days. In 1880 it was decided to be torn down but with the help of many Milanese and the Lombard Historical Society, in 1893, the architect Luca Beltrami began to reconstruct the castle and it became a museum.
The Castle:
227 feet high Filarete Tower, also known as Torre dell'Orologio or Clock Tower is located at the centre of the façade outside the castle. Although it had been destroyed in 1521, it was reconstructed and restored same as before by the architect Luca Beltrami in the 20th century. It's a square tower and has two upper stories.
There's a bas-relief representing King Umberto II on horse back, made by Luigi Secchi. It has two corner towers; the one to the right is called Torre Falconiera and to the left is called Torre Castellana, the tower of the Treasure. The corner towers are square in shape and have large windows. Porta del Barco is the great doorway facing the park.
Under the Filarete Tower, the doorway leads to Parade Ground, Piazza d'Armi which used to be the marching area of the Sforze troops, is now a garden. The courtyard is closed by three buildings, the Rocchetta, The Tower of Bona di Savoia and the Ducal Court. There are two doors, the Porta dei Carmini and the Porta di Santo Spirito, the door of the Holy Spirit at the sides of the great square.
The Ducal Court:
The entrance to the court is through the door by a Sforza coat-of-arms standing on the site of the Jovian Gate. On the wall of the vestibule there's the fresco of the Crucifix between saints. On the wall of the ground floor there's the Renaissance Elephant Portico by Benedetto Ferrini who also designed the Loggia of Galeazzo Maria on the vestibule of the great staircase.
The Courtyard of the Rocchetta:
The courtyard is surrounded by particoes, one of which was built by Florentine Bendetto Ferrini, the other by Filarete and the one on the left is built by Bernardino da Corte and completed by Bramante. Through an archway entered to the Treasure Room where the ducal treasure was kept. It is decorated with frescoes by Lombard School and a damaged fresco by Bramante which shows Argus with his hundred eyes guarding the room where the jewels of the Duke were kept. The gate Porta del Barco leads to Sempione Park.
