The Visconti Castle of Abbiategrasso is a mediaeval castle located in

Abbiategrasso Abbiategrasso, formerly written Abbiate Grasso. (local lmo, Biegrass ; lmo, label= Milanese, Biaa ), is a ''comune'' and town in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy, situated in the Po valley approximately from Milan and ...

, Lombardy, northern Italy. It lies on the Naviglio Grande axis toward

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. From its towers the navigation along the canal could be controlled. In the 15th century it was one of the preferred residences 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 , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery. First

Azzone Visconti Azzone Visconti (7 December 1302 – 16 August 1339) was lord of Milan from 1329 until his death. After the death of his uncle, Marco Visconti, he was threatened with excommunication and had to submit to Pope John XXII. Azzone reconstituted his fa ...

(1329–1339), lord of Milan, and then Gian Galeazzo Visconti (1378–1402), the first duke of Milan, enlarged the castle. In 1438 it was restored and embellished by Duke Filippo Maria Visconti, son of Gian Galeazzo. Having lost any defensive function, and being easily reachable from Milan by water along the Naviglio Grande, it became his favorite country mansion. The castle had the typical Visconti castle's structure: a quadrangular layout, with an internal courtyard and portico, and four towers, one on each corner. Bricks were the primary construction material, while the stone was limited to structural or decorative elements, as the slender columns of the mullioned windows, the brackets (beccatelli), or the

Biscione The ''biscione'' or ''bisson'' . ("big grass snake"), less commonly known also as the ''vipera'' (" viper"), is a heraldic charge showing on argent an azure serpent in the act of eating or giving birth to a human. It is a historic symbol of t ...

on the facade over the old entrance. To the castle had some inclination the duchesses of Milan. Here (as an alternative to

Cusago Cusago ( lmo, Cusagh ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about west of Milan. Cusago borders the following municipalities: Milan, Cornaredo, Settimo Milanese, Bareggio, Ci ...

) had a stable residence

Agnese del Maino Agnese del Maino (c. 1411 – 13 December 1465) was a Milanese noblewoman and the mistress of Filippo Maria Visconti, the last legitimate duke of Milan of the Visconti dynasty. Agnese was the mother of Duchess Bianca Maria Visconti. Family Agn ...

, mistress of Duke Filippo Maria and mother of

Bianca Maria Visconti Bianca Maria Visconti (31 March 1425 – 28 October 1468) was Duchess of Milan from 1450 to 1468 by marriage to Francesco I Sforza. She was regent of Marche during the absence of her spouse in 1448. She served as Regent of the Duchy of Milan du ...

. The

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last me ...

, 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 the role of a stronghold again, especially during the years of the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

(1494–1559). In 1658 three towers were demolished, while the fourth was cut off. In 1862 it was sold to the Abbiategrasso municipality, which in the following years obliterated the ramparts to make space to the new train station while also taking care of some restorations.

Today

Although deprived of the south wing and three towers, the castle is today in good condition and open to the public. It houses the offices and the City Council of the Abbiategrasso municipality.

References

Sources

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External links

Beni Culturali – Castello Visconteo, Abbiategrasso (MI)''

Virtuali Abbiategrasso – Castello Visconteo''
{{Visconti of Milan Castles in Lombardy