Bereguardo Castle, Bereguardo, Italy

Bereguardo Castle, also called the Castello Visconteo of Bereguardo, was built in the first half of the 14th century, commissioned by Luchino Visconti to present a defense to the western borders of the Milan. It was also used as a winter residence and hunting lodge by Galeazzo II Visconti.

By the 15th century some refurbishment was pursued by Filippo Maria Visconti, who also constructed the Naviglio di Bereguardo, a canal linking to the Naviglio Grande.

The Duke Francesco I Sforza granted the castle to then Lord of Bereguardo, Giovanni Maruzzi da Tolentino, a captain and counselor to the Duke. In 1648, and it remained in this family's possession till the 18th century. After passing through a number of owners, it was donated in 1897 to the commune by the engineer Giulio Pisa. Presently, it houses city hall and the town library.

Originally, the castle was a square, made of brick, but the northern wing was razed. The southern end maintains a moated bridge and shows the original crenellations. The Eastern end has a bifore or single mullioned window. The castle lost a surrounding wall and the interiors are highly modified.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Sarb Ghuman (2 years ago)
Very nice place

Mina Polizzi (3 years ago)
Esternamente cade a pezzi. Transenne e puntelli messi, rovinano la vista. A parte questo, è un edificio piuttosto attivo che accoglie anche diverse manifestazioni durante l'anno, secondo me potrebbe fare MOLTO di più !!

J P Giammattei (3 years ago)
Nice place!!!!

Gattinaelegante . (3 years ago)
The office of my daughter's pediatrician is in the castle and there is the town municipality as well, but not much else.

Carlo M. Bajetta (4 years ago)
Nice from the outside, but... You can only visit the courtyard. Do not confuse the castle itself with the local pizzeria (which is not bad, apparently...).

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The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick. The tower was likely inhabited by the principal family or clan of the area but also served as a last resort for the village in case of an attack.

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In the 9th century, a Norse woman was buried at the site in a stone-lined grave with two bronze brooches and a sickle and knife made from iron. Other finds suggest that Norse men were buried here too.

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