The Visconti Castle of Vercelli is a medieval

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in Vercelli, Piedmont,

Northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...

. Erected at the end of the 13th century, it underwent subsequent transformation to be changed in its use. Today it is the seat of the Tribunal of Vercelli.

History

The Visconti of Milan took control of Vercelli at the end of the 13th century, during their initial expansion outside Milan. Around 1290, Matteo Visconti ordered the construction of the castle, probably on a previous building's ruins. It had the classic layout of the Visconti castles of the Lombardy plains: quadrangular, with square towers at each corner, two entrances on opposite sides, and an internal courtyard. Another small door ("pusterla") was in the south-eastern corner. An inner wing ("rocchetta") leaned on the southern side. The castle's primary purpose was to show a sign of the Visconti's power over Vercelli. Being along the city's wall, it also reinforced its defense to the south. In 1427 the Visconti handed over Vercelli to Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy. The castle became a seat of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

and came to be known as Savoy Castle. The blessed Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy died there in 1472. Yolande of Valois, her widow, had it restored and enlarged. In the following centuries, the castle declined. As a military building, it was no longer useful, and, as civil work, it became unsuitable compared to other residences of the Savoy house. At the time of the

Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) The Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) was fought between France and Spain, with the participation of a changing list of allies through the war. The first phase, beginning in May 1635 and ending with the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, is considered ...

, it was damaged during the Spanish siege in 1638. The people of Vercelli had the castle repaired to the best of their ability. Vercelli's governors continued to live there during the Napoleonic age. In 1832, the Vercelli prison moved there. In the 20th century, further adaptations and reparations transformed the building into the Vercelli Tribunal seat. The restorations ended in 1931. They consisted of the reconstruction of the collapsed towers, the erection of a new one on the right side of the facade, the addition of internal bodies, and the reopening of the seventeenth-century arcades on the ground floor and first floor. The works rebuilt the original southern gate, with a wooden bridge over the moat, and the pusterla in the south-eastern corner.

Today

The castle is open only from the outside. Being used as Tribunal, it is accessible internally only for its state functions. Castello Vercelli del sudovest

References

Sources

* *

External links

Tribunale – Cenni storici''
{{Visconti of Milan Buildings and structures completed in 1290 13th-century fortifications Castles in Piedmont Buildings and structures in Vercelli Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)