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The Visconti-Sforza Castle, or some fortification surrounded by a moat, was documented first time already in 1057. In 1154, Federico Barbarossa destroyed the fortifications near the Ticino river defended by the Milanese, and among them, Galliate. In 1168 Galliate was occupied by the Milanese, who rebuilt the fortification. Between the 12th and the 13th century, the castle was attacked and ruined by the Novara people.
After being taken by the Visconti, the castle was rebuilt by Galeazzo II Visconti in 1350-1360 as an outpost near the Ticino river's bridgehead. In 1414 Filippo Maria Visconti had the Rocchetta built on the eastern side of the current castle area.
In 1476, the Duke of Milan Galeazzo Maria Sforza began constructing the castle in the forms we see today. The building was completed in 1496 under the rule of Ludovico il Moro. A canal was excavated to bring water into the moat surrounding the castle. The building had an overall rectangular layout. Its sides measured 108 m and 80 m.
In 1717, the castle passed from the Sforza to Luchino del Maino, and then to their heirs. Their property was eventually divided and sold to private individuals. Later, the Galliate municipality took over and subsequently restored a part of the castle.
The facade of the castle occupies the entire northern side of the central Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Partly private and partly owned by the municipality, the castle houses the civic library, the Angelo Bozzola Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Achille Varzi Museum, dedicated to the Grand-Prix driver born in Galliate.
References:The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).
The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.
The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.
The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.