Visconti Castle (Pandino)

The Castle of the Visconti in Pandino (Castello Visconteo di Pandino) is a Gothic-style castle located in the center of the town of Pandino, province of Cremona, region of Lombardy, Italy.

Castello Visconteo
Pandino
West wing with principal entrance Barbican on right, in front of East tower
Castello Visconteo
Castello Visconteo
Coordinates45°24′20″N 9°33′15″E
TypeMedieval castle
Site history
Built1355
Built byBernabò Visconti

History
inner courtyard

In 1355, Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan commissioned a castle at the site in part to have access to the then wooded surrounding hunting preserves. The castle is a quadrangle with corner towers and an internal courtyard with a hemming ground-floor portico with stout brick columns with peaked arches, and a second floor with denser simple columns. The exterior have single windows on the ground floor and mullioned peaked windows on the piano nobile. On the east wing, the ground floor had a second set of internal arches leading to a former banquet hall.

Principal entrance

Overall, the castle has a rustic appearance. The interior retains some of the frescoed decoration, including painted architecture, and friezes that often included the symbols of the Visconti and of the family of Bernabò's wife, Regina Della Scala. Across from the entrance is the frescoed 16th-century Oratorio di Santa Marta.

The castle passed on to be property of the Sforza when Gian Galeazzo overthrew Bernabò Visconti. In the 15th century further defensive structures, including a barbican or gatehouse, and the taller east tower, were added to the castle. The castle was once surrounded by a moat.[1] None of these measures was to prevent the castle from falling into the hands of the Venetians a number of times.[2]

After the Sforza, the castle change hands a few times until in 1552, it became property of the Marchese D’Adda, and remained in this family's hands till the 19th century, the last private owners were the family of the Marchese D’Adda. The castle became largely dilapidated and was occupied for agricultural storage and workers.[3] In 1947, it was purchased and restored by the commune which utilizes part for school functions.

  • Photographs by Paolo Monti
  • Tower from the East
  • Details of the windows
  • Frescos

References
  1. Ville e castelli d'Italia: Lombardia e laghi, second edition, by Luca Beltrami, Editors of Tecnografica, Milan, (1907), page 429.
  2. Comune of Pandino Archived 2015-09-19 at the Wayback Machine, entry on Castello.
  3. Beltrami, page 428.
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