The main castle/fortress of Milan, Sforza Castle guarded the gate to the city wall and then became home to the ruling Sforza family palace.
It’s a joy because the inside courtyards yards are massive free parks than anyone can stroll through, and anyone does. There are also museums (that we didn’t go to), but the spirit of the people just walking around inside the huge, intimidating walls.
Leonardo da Vinci came to Milan to work for the duke of Sforza, where he did set designs and stunts for shows to entertain and attempts at paintings and sculptures (Leonardo is famous for not completing much of his work). In general, Leonardo was just an all around genius. For a very interesting, albeit a bit long, eminently readable book on da Vinci, I would recommend Walter Issacson’s recent book, aptly named “Leonardo Da Vinci”
By the way, if you do read it, don’t be ashamed to go aways into the book and then put it aside to read something else. I’ve only made it to page 308 out of 808 pages and are taking a break from it to read the extraordinarily interesting book by Hampton Sides on Captain James Cook’s third voyage around the Pacific Ocean, entitle “The Wide Wide Sea” – highly recommend (yes Jeff Farrah, I’m talking to you!).
Anyhow, the castle was built in the late 1300s, in 1450 it was expanded for an expected war with the Venetians. It wasn’t until later that the Renaissance Palace was built into the fortress for the Sforza family.
We made the decision, because of time, to skip the Museo Pieta Rondanini, the highlight of which is Michelangelo’s unfinished pieta, featuring a dead Jesus behing held up by his mother, Mary. He was in his late 80s while carving it, and died before he could finish. Apparently it is the best place to view a work by Michelangelo without crowds.
Instead we wandered around the different courtyards, mingling with the people out enjoying the summer-like weather, before walking down to the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie to get our second-ever look at da Vinci’s Last Supper.
The main gate of the castle,
with a huge fountain in front.
Part of the fortress.
The snake is the symbol of
the Sforza family. They didn't
go for subtlety back then.
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