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Sforza Castle, Milan

Landmark

Sforza Castle

Milan · Lombardy

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
Landmark
COUNTRY
Italy
REGION
Milan · Lombardy
DURATION
1–2 days

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

The Sforza Castle is the great brick fortress at the northwest edge of Milan’s centre, the seat of the Sforza dukes who ruled the city in the 15th and 16th centuries. Francesco Sforza rebuilt the earlier Visconti castle in 1450, and his successors — particularly Ludovico il Moro, Leonardo’s patron — turned it into a Renaissance court. Today it houses several museums: the Pinacoteca with its paintings, the Museum of Ancient Art with Michelangelo’s unfinished Rondanini Pietà, and the Sala delle Asse with Leonardo’s frescoed canopy of trees. The castle opens onto the Parco Sempione behind it, the city’s central park.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

A castle stood on the site from the 14th century under the Visconti, but it was destroyed by the Ambrosian Republic and rebuilt by Francesco Sforza when he seized Milan in 1450. His son Galeazzo Maria and his grandson Ludovico il Moro enlarged it into a Renaissance palace, hosting Leonardo and Bramante. After the Sforza fell, the castle became a Spanish and then Austrian barracks, and was used as a military installation until the 19th century. It was badly damaged in the Napoleonic wars and partly demolished, then restored by the architect Luca Beltrami in the 1890s, who rebuilt the Filarete tower from old drawings. It became a museum complex in 1900.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

01

Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pietà — the sculptor’s last, unfinished marble, on which he was working days before his death, in the Museum of Ancient Art.

02

The Sala delle Asse — Leonardo da Vinci’s frescoed ceiling of interlaced trees, painted for Ludovico il Moro and recently restored.

03

The Pinacoteca — the castle’s picture gallery, with works by Mantegna, Antonello da Messina and Correggio.

04

The courtyards and towers — the Filarete tower at the entrance, the Rocchetta and the ducal court within.

05

The Parco Sempione — the park behind the castle, laid out in the 19th century as Milan’s central green space.

WHY IT MATTERS

Why it matters

The Sforza Castle is the building that connects Milan’s medieval rulers to its Renaissance flowering and its modern museums. It is where Leonardo worked for Ludovico il Moro, where Michelangelo carved his last sculpture, and where the city now keeps much of its art. For a visitor, it is the one place that holds the political and artistic history of Renaissance Milan together, and the Rondanini Pietà alone is worth the visit.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

Tickets
The castle courtyards are free; the museums are on a single ticket, free on the first Sunday of the month and on Tuesday afternoons.
Access
The entrance is on the Piazza Castello side; the museums are within the courtyards.
Best Time
Mornings for the museums; afternoons for a walk through to the Parco Sempione.
Context
The castle sits between the Duomo and the Arch of Peace, at the northwest edge of the centre.

MAP & LOCATION

Sforza Castle

Sforza Castle, Milan, Lombardy, Italy

45.4706, 9.1814

Open in OpenStreetMap

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THINGS TO DO

Things to do nearby

01

Walk the Navigli canals at aperitivo time

02

See an opera at La Scala

03

Shop and people-watch in the Quadrilatero della Moda

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

Trattoria Milanese — a historic trattoria for the classic risotto alla Milanese and ossobuco, since 1933

02

Marchesi 1824 — one of Milan’s oldest pasticcerie, for breakfast pastries and coffee in the Brera quarter

03

Ristorante Cracco — Carlo Cracco’s celebrated modern Milanese restaurant in the Galleria, book well ahead

04

Luini — the famous panzerotto fry-shop near the Duomo, a Milanese street-food institution since 1888

05

Trattoria del Nuovo Macello — a buzzy modern trattoria near Porta Romana, honest cooking and a great wine list

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HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

Bulgari Hotel Milano — a luxury hotel in a quiet quarter near La Scala, with a garden and a spa

02

Armani Hotel Milano — Giorgio Armani’s design hotel in the fashion quadrilateral, with a rooftop restaurant

03

Hotel Spadari al Duomo — a design hotel a short walk from the Duomo, good value for a central base

04

Room Mate Giulia — a stylish hotel beside the Duomo, designed by Patricia Urquiola

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