Who restored Castello Sforzesco

Q: Who was Luca Beltrami?

L’architetto che diresse il restauro del castello tra il 1893 e il 1905 e ricostruì la Torre del Filarete. La storia del castello.

Q: Has the Sala delle Asse been restored?

Più volte: ridipinta nel 1902, attenuata negli anni Cinquanta, in restauro scientifico dal 2012 e oggi chiusa. La sala.

Q: What was demolished during the restoration?

La Ghirlanda, la cinta esterna, dall’agosto del 1892; ne resta la strada coperta sotterranea. Merlate panoramiche e Ghirlanda.

Luca Beltrami, between 1893 and 1905. After Unification, the castle was a barracks and there was talk of demolishing it; Beltrami secured the restoration, had the Ghirlanda torn down from August 1892, rebuilt Torre del Filarete (inaugurated in 1905) and rediscovered Leonardo’s Sala delle Asse in 1893. After the 1943 bombings, the BBPR studio redesigned the museums; since 2012, Sala delle Asse has been undergoing a new restoration.

RestorerLuca Beltrami

Ghirlanda demolishedSince August 1892

Works1893–1905

Tower inaugurated1905

Post-warBBPR Studio

Sala delle AsseUnder restoration since 2012

Beltrami

After 1861, the castle was a barracks with the remains of Spanish fortifications attached, and part of the city wanted to tear it down. Luca Beltrami championed and directed its restoration: the Ghirlanda, the outer enclosure, was demolished starting in August 1892; work lasted from 1893 to 1905. In 1893, beneath the plaster, he rediscovered Leonardo’s mulberry arbor in the Sala delle Assewhich Ernesto Rusca repainted in 1902. The Torre del Filarete, which collapsed in 1521, he rebuilt from period paintings and Vigevano Castle: inaugurated in 1905, dedicated to Umberto I. The tower, in detail.

After Beltrami

The Civic Museums entered the castle at the end of the 19th century. In 1943, bombs hit the building, and after the war, the BBPR studio redesigned the museums; the Sala delle Asse was altered in the 1950s and has been under scientific restoration since 2012, closed to the public. In 2015, the Pietà Rondanini got its own museum in the former Ospedale Spagnolo. The two-hour private tour devotes part of the itinerary to Beltrami’s restoration. Private tours.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Luca Beltrami?

The architect who directed the castle’s restoration between 1893 and 1905 and reconstructed the Torre del Filarete. The castle’s history.

Has the Sala delle Asse been restored?

Multiple times: repainted in 1902, toned down in the 1950s, under scientific restoration since 2012, and currently closed. The room.

What was demolished during the restoration?

The Ghirlanda, the outer enclosure, from August 1892; only the underground covered road remains. Merlate and Ghirlanda.