Visconti Castle - Sartirana Lomellina

The original core of the Castle dates back to the last quarter of the fourteenth century, when Sartirana was conquered by Galeazzo Visconti. It has a quadrangular plan, a moat, an internal courtyard and four towers at the corners, with the peculiarity of the cylindrical keep.
Under the Sforza, in 1452, the castle was assigned to Cicco Simonetta. In 1463 the elevation of the tower was completed by the architect Ridolfo Fioravanti, known as Aristotle of Bologna.
With the end of the Milanese dukedom it became a fiefdom of the Secretary of State of the Emperor Charles V. Cardinal Mercurino Arborio Gattinara. The heirs of the Gattinara family acquired the title of Marquesses of Breme and Dukes of Sartirana and lived in the manor until 1934. The last Duchess of Sartirana, Margherita, appointed the Dukes of Aosta as heir to all the family possessions.
Since 1980 the stately home has been home to the collections of the Lomellina Study Center and since 1993 of the Sartirana Art Foundation, which was created by the art collector Giorgio Forni, who died in recent years. Various exhibitions and collections are hosted in the rooms on the ground floor and on the main floor.