Castello Sforzesco (Milan)

The Castle Sforza is one of Milan’s most historic and popular landmarks, dating from the 14th century. It was the seat of Milan’s nobility during medieval times and now houses a number of museums and art collections. It is an imposing fortress that has seen more than its fair share of conflict and variously has been appropriated by French, Spanish and Austro-Hungarian armies. The commanding entrance features an elaborate gate and drawbridge and two circular towers set behind a spectacular fountain built during the days of Mussolini. On cheap city breaks in Milan, you will find numerous impressive renaissance statues and monuments dotted around its inner and outer courtyards.

 

Castle tours take place daily and will explore a maze of corridors and halls filled with priceless art from every age, including tapestries, wall frescoes and furniture. A tour guide will direct you to several architectural features, murals and sculpture produced by Leonardo da Vinci, who spent over a decade here producing some of his most famous work, including the seminal painting of ‘the last supper.’ On Milan weekend breaks, you will admire some of the city’s very best art and historical artefacts in the many museums of the Castello Sforzesco complex. For just a few Euros, you have unrestricted access to the Museum of Ancient Art, Applied Art Museum and the Prehistoric and the Egyptian Museum with many other exhibition spaces too.

The castle’s very own landscaped park is located directly behind, and itself is worthy of a couple of hours exploration. Like many of Milan’s major green spaces, it is a typical English garden with wide paths, ponds and fountains and the ideal spot for a summer’s day picnic. From here you can explore the battlements of the castle and the unfinished triumphal Arch of Peace which was commissioned by Napoleon. On short breaks in Milan, you can also venture into the dark and atmospheric castle dungeons.