The Castello di Bereguardo is a medieval castle located on Via Castello 2 in the town of
Bereguardo
Bereguardo ( Lombard: ''Balguàrt'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southwest of Milan and about northwest of Pavia.
Bereguardo borders the following municipalities: Borgo Sa ...
,
Province of Pavia
The province of Pavia ( it, Provincia di Pavia) is a province in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy; its capital is Pavia. , the province has a population of 548,722 inhabitants and an area of ; the town of Pavia has a population of 72,205. ...
, region of
Lombardy
Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
, Italy.
History
The castle, also called the ''Castello Visconteo of Bereguardo'', was built in the first half of the 14th century, commissioned by
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...
to present a defense to the western borders of the Milan. It was also used as a winter residence and hunting lodge by
Galeazzo II Visconti
Galeazzo II Visconti ( – 4 August 1378) was a member of the Visconti dynasty and a ruler of Milan, Italy. His most notable military campaigns were against Pope Gregory XI, around 1367. These battles fought between the papacy and the Viscon ...
.
By the 15th century some refurbishment was pursued by
, who also constructed the Naviglio di Bereguardo, a canal linking to the
Naviglio Grande
The Naviglio Grande is a canal in Lombardy, northern Italy, connecting the Ticino river near Tornavento ( south of Sesto Calende) to the Porta Ticinese dock, also known as the ''Darsena'', in Milan. It drops over . It varies in width from from ...
.
The Duke
Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L' ...
granted the castle to then Lord of Bereguardo,
Giovanni Maruzzi da Tolentino, a captain and counselor to the Duke. In 1648, and it remained in this family's possession till the 18th century. After passing through a number of owners, it was donated in 1897 to the commune by the engineer Giulio Pisa. Presently, it houses city hall and the town library.
Originally, the castle was a square, made of brick, but the northern wing was razed. The southern end maintains a moated bridge and shows the original
crenellations
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
. The Eastern end has a ''bifore'' or single
mullion
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...
ed window. The castle lost a surrounding wall and the interiors are highly modified.
References
Sources
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External links
Beni Culturali - Castello Visconteo - Bereguardo (PV)''''Comune di Bereguardo - Galleria immagini - Castello Visconteo''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bereguardo
Houses completed in the 15th century
Buildings and structures in Pavia
Castles in Lombardy