For those who are big into reading about European history, particularly royal history like myself, Milan has played a major part over the centuries. From television shows to nonfictional historical books, Milan is quite frequently referenced. For my latest trip to Milan, I was eager to find some historical sites that would transport me to a different time. To be fair, there are many spots in Milan that could easily do that job. But in this case, I had my eyes set on Castello Sforzesco.
You can’t miss it if you’re driving in the northwestern part of the city. The impressive medieval fortress towers over its majestic gardens, as if someone placed something from a different time right in the heart of a modern city. I guess that’s how you could describe a lot of Italy’s major cities – modern meets medieval. As someone who loves to feel as if she has stepped inside a time machine and emerged in another century, Castello Sforzesco made me forget I was in modern-day Milan.
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Valentino scarf as a top (vintage; similar here and here) // RED Valentino skirt (similar here) // Castaner wedges // Fendi bag (old; available in pink here and here)
Since I am a big fan of the 14-16th centuries, I am going to focus on that time period because that’s what I had in my mind as I visited Castello Sforzesco. In the Duchy of Florence, you had the Medici’s, but in the Duchy of Milan, you had the Sforza’s. If you have seen the television show The Borgias, you are probably quite familiar with the name Sforza as the family is quite prominent throughout the series. While the castle itself was not built by the Sforza’s, it became their primary residence in 1450. The castle became a fortress during several wars throughout the next few generations of Sforza’s, but the last Sforza to rule Milan – Francesco Sforza II – restored and enlarged the castle for his wife – Christina of Denmark. This part of history gets me extremely excited, because I am half Italian and half Danish. It’s as if my whole heritage is within the walls of Castello Sforzesco.
After the last Sforza to rule Milan died, the castle became a military fortress since the governing families moved to the Ducal Palace next to the Duomo di Milano. Prior to the 19th century, Italy was a collection of various city-states with independent duchies (Duchy of Milan, Duchy of Florence, etc) and even monarchies (Kingdom of Silicy, Kingdom of Naples, etc). In the mid-19th century, these states came together to form one single state – the Kingdom of Italy. During this time, Castello Sforzesco stopped being a military fortress, and the city of Milan built the massive Parco Sempione beside it for people to enjoy. During World War II, the castle sustained severe damages. Post-war Milan saw that Italy’s monarchy was abolished and became a republic, and Castello Sforzesco was restored into a museum, which is what it still is today.
If you have the chance to visit Castello Sforzesco while in Milan, don’t think about skipping it. It’s one of the most beautiful medieval spots in the city, with stone staircases and elegant piazzas that make you feel you’re back in 16th century Italy. While we didn’t get to go inside the museum itself this time, be sure to check out some of the incredible art collections on display throughout the museum.
