Castello Sforzesco (Sforzesco Castle), Northwest Milan

The castle was home to the noble Visconti family from 1368. It served as a fortress on the medieval wall with barracks and a moat. The castle was the Visconti's largest residence, with 180 metres in length, four fortified towers and a defensive wall.

The last Visconti dweller died with no heirs, and his legitimised bastard daughter was married to the military leader Francesco Sforza, an astute politician who became ruler of Milan in 1450. He built additions on the castle designed by Tuscan architect Filarete, who worked alongside military engineers.

His successor Galeazzo Maria Sforza completed the castle with a courtyard, frescoes in the rooms and a Ducal chapel. After his murder, his brother Ludovico il Moro took the power, transforming the Milanese court into one of the most refined of the time with artists such as Bramante or da Vinci. Frescoes painted by Leonardo in the Sala delle Asse still survive.

During the Spanish domination in the 1500s, an enormous star-shaped fortification was built around the castle. With up to 3,000 men protecting its walls, it was one of the biggest citadels in Europe. The star-shaped bulwarks were later knocked down under the Napoleonic reign. It was later restored in the late 19th century, when the Filarete tower was reimagined.

This long history of destruction and rebuilding has changed the image of the castle over the centuries, with the most recent work of restoration of the damage caused during World War II taken on by the acclaimed BBPR architectural partnership.

You can now admire the castle's defences on the outside, including remains of the ravelins, the 'ghirlanda' or outer wall with its defensive towers and a covered road underneath, as well as the moats. Inside, entering from Filarete Tower, the castle is dominated by the Courtyard of Arms, extensively restored in the 19th century, with the Spanish Hospital on one side. The Ducal Courtyard, on the other hand, was the centre of the dukes' residence and shows remains of the 15th-century building.

The Ducal apartments house the different museums of the castle, featuring Renaissance frescoes and other works of art and historical objects. Around the castle, there is an extensive park which has also been changed throughout the centuries.