The Visconti Castle of Binasco is a Middle Age castle located in the center of Binasco, Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy. It is famed for having been the prison of Beatrice di Tenda (Duchess of Milan and wife of Filippo Maria Visconti), who was arrested and there sentenced to death for adultery in 1418. Today it is the seat of the municipality of Binasco.

History
The castle originated from a stronghold built by the Visconti in the 14th century to take care of their land in the area. Probably between 1315 and 1319 the nearby church of Saint Stephan was founded and the castle built by Luchino Visconti, Lord of Milan. The first mention of a castle in Binasco dates back to 1329, when it was used by Azzone Visconti and his uncle Giovanni as a prison for their political opponents.

In the 17th century the castle underwent transformations and restorations. At the end of the 19th century it was sacked during the Napoleonic age and in 1869 hit by a ruinous fire. The current aspect is the result of subsequent restorations that gave back the sense of the ancient fortress. Two towers are still visible along the south front

Visconti Castle (Binasco)

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Il castello di Cassino Scanasio (in alcuni documenti anche castello di Rozzano) è un edificio difensivo di origine medievale situato a Cassino Scanasio, frazione del comune di Rozzano, in provincia di Milano, in Lombardia. 
Storia
L'origine del castello di Cassino Scanasio risalirebbe all'XI secolo quando, in alcuni documenti, si cita per la prima volta la presenza di un edificio rurale fortificato detto “casinae scanasane” con pertinenze sui terreni circostanti.

La vera svolta per la struttura avvenne all'inizio del Cinquecento quando il complesso venne acquistato dalla famiglia milanese dei Trivulzio che lo trasformò da fortilizio in una vera e propria dimora di campagna, facendovi costruire le caratteristiche torri cilindriche tuttora visibili.

Nel 1836 il castello venne acquistato dalla famiglia Visconti di Modrone.

Struttura
Il castello, di struttura quadrangolare, sorge nei pressi della tangenziale ovest di Milano, in posizione un tempo strategica per il controllo sia dell'accesso alla capitale del ducato di Milano da quel punto, sia della campagna circostante.

Un tempo circondato da un fossato con acqua, il medesimo è stato ora riempito occultando la base delle torri che pertanto appaiono più tozze del normale, e che furono realizzate successivamente alle mura. L'accesso alla struttura è possibile attraverso un rivellino di mattoni che sostituisce quello che un tempo doveva essere un ponte levatoio in legno.

Vi si accede attraverso il ponte in muratura che collega all'ingresso principale sulla cui chiave dell'arco è impresso il biscione visonteo. La facciata presenta aperture monofore ogivari in stile gotico di particolare pregio.

Castello di Cassino Scanasio

Il castello di Tolcinasco è il principale edificio difensivo di origine medievale situato a Tolcinasco, frazione del comune di Pieve Emanuele, in provincia di Milano, in Lombardia.

Storia
Le origini del castello di Tolcinasco risalgono al XVI secolo quando la struttura venne eretta dalla famiglia D'Adda come raro esempio di fortilizio agricolo a protezione del contado circostante e delle scorte alimentari contenute al suo interno.

Attualmente la struttura, coi terreni circostanti, è divenuta sede di un campo da golf, fondato con la sovrintendenza dal grande campione internazionale Arnold Palmer. Nel 2018, dopo un periodo di restauri, il castello è stato riaperto ai visitatori.

Struttura
Il castello si presenta come un edificio dalla struttura massiccia e quadrangolare, completato da quattro torri ai lati che servivano da difesa del granaio che esso custodiva all'interno. Il piano terra, alto meno di tre metri, veniva infatti originariamente utilizzato come magazzino di derrate alimentari, ed era accessibile dai carri direttamente dall'esterno per favorire le operazioni di carico e scarico. L'accesso al piano nobile della struttura era possibile tramite scalinate esterne. Attorno alla struttura ancora oggi si trovano gli ampi cascinali dove trovavano alloggio i contadini che lavoravano alle dipendenze della tenuta, unitamente alle stalle per gli animali d'allevamento.

Castello di Tolcinasco

The Visconti Castle of Abbiategrasso is a Middle Age castle located in Abbiategrasso, Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy. It lies on the axis of the Naviglio Grande and from its tower the navigation along the canal toward Milan could be controlled. In the 15th century it was one of the preferred places of residence of the dukes and duchesses of Milan.

History
The Visconti Castle of Abbiategrasso was probably built at the end of the 13th century on the site of a previous fortification (castro Margazario) near a Benedictine monastery. It was enlarged by Azzone Visconti (1329-1339) and Gian Galeazzo (1378-1402). In 1438 it was restored and embellished by the Duke Filippo Maria and – lost every defensive function and easily reachable by water along the Naviglio Grande – it became his favorite country mansion.

To the castle had some inclination the duchesses of Milan. Here (as an alternative to Cusago) had a stable residence Agnese del Maino, mistress of the Duke Filippo Maria and mother of Bianca Maria. The Sforza, dukes of Milan and descendants of Bianca Maria, favored the castle of Abbiategrasso to enhance their Visconti origins.

After the Visconti-Sforza period, the castle progressively assumed again the role of a stronghold, especially during the years of the Italian Wars (1494-1559). In 1658 three towers were demolished and the fourth was cut off. In 1862 it was sold to the municipality, which in the following years obliterated the ramparts to make place to the new train station, at the same time taking care of some restorations.

Visconti Castle (Abbiategrasso)

Castello Visconteo
The Castello Visconteo or Visconti Castle is a castle in Pavia, Lombardy, northern Italy.

It was built in 1360 by Galeazzo II Visconti, soon after the taking of the city, a free city-state until then. The credited architect is Bartolino da Novara. The castle used to be the main residence of the Visconti family, while the political capital of the state was Milan. North of the castle a wide park was enclosed, also including the Certosa of Pavia, founded 1396 according to a vow of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, meant to be a sort of private chapel of the Visconti dynasty. The Battle of Pavia (1525), climax of the Italian Wars, took place inside the castle park.

It presently houses the Civic Museums of Pavia (Museo Civici di Pavia) including the Pinacoteca Malaspina, Museo Archeologico and Sala Longobarda, Sezioni Medioevale e Rinascimentale Quadreria dell’800 (Collezione Morone), Museo del Risorgimento, Museo Robecchi Bricchetti, and the Cripta di Sant’Eusebio.


Castello Visconteo (Pavia)

Sforza Castle (Italian: Castello Sforzesco) is in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later renovated and enlarged, in the 16th and 17th centuries it was one of the largest citadels in Europe. Extensively rebuilt by Luca Beltrami in 1891–1905, it now houses several of the city's museums and art collections.
History
The original construction was ordered by local lord Galeazzo II Visconti in 1358–c. 1370;[1] this castle was known as Castello di Porta Giova (or Porta Zubia), from the name of a gate in walls located nearby.[2] His successors Gian Galeazzo, Giovanni Maria and Filippo Maria Visconti enlarged it, until it became a square-plan castle with 200 m-long sides, four towers at the corners and up to 7-metre-thick (23 ft) walls.[2] The castle was the main residence in the city of its Visconti lords, and was destroyed by the short-lived Golden Ambrosian Republic which ousted them in 1447.

In 1450, Francesco Sforza, once he shattered the republicans, began reconstruction of the castle to turn it into his princely residence. In 1452 he hired sculptor and architect Filarete to design and decorate the central tower, which is still known as Torre del Filarete. After Francesco's death, the construction was continued by his son Galeazzo Maria, under architect Benedetto Ferrini. The decoration was executed by local painters. In 1476, during the regency of Bona of Savoy, the tower with her name was built.
In 1494 Ludovico Sforza became lord of Milan, and called numerous artists to decorate the castle. These include Leonardo da Vinci (who frescoed several rooms, in collaboration with Bernardino Zenale and Bernardino Butinone) and Bramante, who painted frescoes in the Sala del Tesoro;[3] the Sala della Balla was decorated with Francesco Sforza's deeds. Around 1498, Leonardo worked at the ceiling of the Sala delle Asse, painting decorations of vegetable motifs. In the following years, however, the castle was damaged by assaults from Italian, French and German troops; a bastion, known as tenaglia was added, perhaps designed by Cesare Cesariano. After the French victory in the 1515 Battle of Marignano, the defeated Maximilian Sforza, his Swiss mercenaries, and the cardinal-bishop of Sion retreated into the castle. However, King Francis I of France followed them into Milan, and his sappers placed mines under the castle's foundations, whereupon the defenders capitulated. In 1521, in a period in which it was used as a weapons depot, the Torre del Filarete exploded. When Francesco II Sforza returned briefly to power in Milan, he had the fortress restored and enlarged, and a part of it adapted as residence for his wife, Christina of Denmark.

Sforza Castle

The Visconti-Sforza Castle is a Middle Age castle located in the centre of the city of Vigevano, Lombardy, Northern Italy. In the 14th and 15th centuries, members of the Visconti and Sforza houses, lords and dukes of Milan, transformed a previous fortification into a vast family resort. The castle was part of a wider plan of urban development for Vigevano, which included the erection of other buildings and the construction of the central Piazza Ducale.
History
The Visconti-Sforza period
Luchino Visconti, Lord of Milan and ruler of Vigevano since 1337, began to transform the existing fortification into a local residence for his family. The construction was continued by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, first Duke of Milan, and completed by his heirs, Ludovico il Moro and his grandchild Gian Galeazzo Sforza. Donato Bramante had been working on the project of the castle. Leonardo Da Vinci is known to have frequented Vigevano and supposedly attended to the works.[2][3] The castle was completed in the last years of the 15th century.

The result was a wide resort covering a surface of 70,000 square meters. The castle consisted of several buildings arranged elliptically and serving different purposes. The imposing main body (Maschio or Ducal Palace) had a U-shape plan with the two wings facing the center of the courtyard of the castle. The Ladies' Palace (Loggia delle Dame), built by Bramante, was reserved to the Duchess and the ladies of the court. A building for the breeding of falcons (Falconiera) and stables for horses (Scuderie) were also part of the castle. The Falconiera was connected to the Ducal Palace through a loggia elevated over the ground. The tower of the castle (Bramante Tower) was modelled after that of the Milan Castle, designed by Filarete. Raised to be visible from the center of Vigevano, it was completed in 1491.

Visconti-Sforza Castle (Vigevano)

The Castle is the last fragment of a wall dating from the ninth century building. The first references to the castle are in a narrative of Wippone of 1037. Today's complex only has some original parts and is the result of careful restoration work of architect Piero Portaluppi in the years 1941-1942. The internal colonnade to the garden and the apse of a door from a monastery of Stigmativi of Verona, date back to the sixteenth century.
After traveling the long driveway framed by trees and flowers, you get to the castle.
A charming tower and an old porch with decorations and original inlays welcome guests.
The whole structure is set within a huge verdant park of 1,000 square meters dotted with statues and ancient sculptures.

Castelletto (Corbetta)

Il castello di Gambolò (o castello Litta) è una roccaforte presumibilmente risalente al X-XI secolo, situata nell'omonima località, in provincia di Pavia. 

Castello di Gambolò

Il Castello Borromeo si trova a Peschiera Borromeo nella città metropolitana di Milano. Si tratta di un'antica cascina fortificata ad opera di Vitaliano I Borromeo nel XV secolo e restaurata assumendo l'aspetto attuale nel tardo XVI secolo da Renato Borromeo, cugino del cardinale Federico. Peculiarità del castello è che il fossato che lo circonda è tuttora pieno di acqua.
Storia
I Borromeo, già ricchi banchieri, nel XV secolo iniziarono ad acquistare i loro primi possedimenti in Lombardia. Vitaliano I Borromeo, banchiere del duca Filippo Maria Visconti, ottenne da questi nel 1432 il diritto di fortificare il feudo di Peschiera dove già esisteva una cascina fortificata che andò quindi sempre più ad assumere l'aspetto del moderno castello.

San Carlo Borromeo (1538 - 1584) fu proprietario del castello di Peschiera dal 1562 al 1567, anno in cui vi rinunziò a favore di suo zio Giulio Cesare.

Nell'ultimo ventennio del XVI secolo, il castello di Peschiera venne interamente restaurato da Renato, figlio di Giulio Cesare e fratello del cardinale Federico. Fu proprio Renato Borromeo a conferire al'edificio un primo carattere residenziale rispetto alla precedente vocazione militare del sito.