Castello Sforzesco

Even if you know nothing about Italian history, you've probably heard one of these names: Medici, Borghese, or Sforza. These powerful families were prominent in their respective kingdoms of Italy between the 13th and 17th centuries. The Medici were centered around Florence, Borghese in Siena, and the Sforza ruled the Milanese kingdom. Quiet evidence of their importance in Milan's history can be found all around the city in the form of random portraits.

The fortress in Milan that is known today as Castello Sforzesco (or simply the Sforza Castle) was originally built for Galeazzo II Visconti, a local lord in the late 1300's. The completed structure served as a residence for other Visconti lords up until 1447. 

In 1450 during the rise of the Sforza dynasty, Francesco Sforza began to rebuild the 14th century fortress into the castle it is today, complete with 7 meter thick walls, four towers and interior decoration by Bernardino Zenale and Leonardo da Vinci. 

The castle remained in use and was in fact enlarged under Spain and Austria's rule of Italy in the 16th century. When Napoleon briefly conquered Italy in the beginning of the 19th century, however, much of the castle was destroyed. In the early 20th century, the enormous structure was utilized as storage for weapons and such, and the surrounding area was turned into military training grounds. 

Today, the castle is a fraction of the size it once was, and the ground used to train WWII soldiers has become the beautiful, relaxing Parco Sempione. You could easily spend hours wandering around the courtyard and cloisters of the castle; entrance is free and the gates are always open. The interior is home to a number of museums about the Sforza family and the castle's history - but I've saved those for a rainy day. 

Parco Sempione extends north behind the castle and boasts a number of statues and picturesque grassy knolls, but the best part is the massive Arco della Pace near the end. 

If you decide to pay Sforza Castle a visit, I do have one warning: beware the Men Selling Cheapo Yarn Bracelets to Feed the Children of Africa. They creep up alongside you unnoticed until you realize that a flimsy bracelet made of horrifically clashing colors has been tied tightly around your wrist. As an avid fan of wearing hundreds of mismatched yarn bracelets at once, I had a naively excited reaction when I saw I now had a bracelet from Milan to go with the ones I've collected from elsewhere in the world. I thanked the man and started to walk away when another man (or maybe the same one?) materialized in front of me demanding to know how much I would pay to help the children of Africa. "Five euro? Six?" He asked. Seeing no way out, I told him that I too was a starving child, gave him one euro and boldly continued on my way despite his protests. 

These Cheapo Yarn Bracelet men are actually all over the city, along with Long Stemmed Red Rose men and of course, Fake Prada and Gucci Purse men, but they seem to really congregate around Sforza Castle. The moral of the story is: don't be so caught up staring at the glorious bell tower that you fail to notice the fifty yarn bracelets now secured around your wrists.