Visconti Castle (Pandino)
{{Short description|Castle in Pandino, Lombardy, Italy}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name = Visconti Castle (Pandino)
|native_name = Castello Visconteo di Pandino
|image = Rocca visconti di pandino, externo 01.jpg
|caption = Southwestern corner with the south entrance barbican and the southeastern corner tower in the background
|location = Pandino
|map_type = Northern Italy
|coordinates = {{Coord|45|24|20|N|9|33|15|E|display= inline,title}}
|type = Medieval castle
|built = 1355-1361
|builder = Regina della Scala and Bernabò Visconti
|materials = Bricks
|height = {{convert|30|m|ft}} (2 towers)
|length = {{convert|66|m|ft}} (4 sides)
|condition = Good
|ownership = Pandino municipality
|open_to_public = Yes
}}
The Visconti Castle in Pandino (Castello Visconteo di Pandino) is a 14th-century castle located in the center of the town of Pandino, province of Cremona, region of Lombardy, Italy. It was built by Bernabò Visconti and his wife, Beatrice Regina della Scala, between 1355 and 1361. Today it essentially retains its original forms.{{sfnp|Conti|Hybsch|Vincenti|1992|p=62}}{{sfnp|Romano|2015|p=130}}
History
===Visconti and Sforza period===
In 1355, Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan, and his wife Regina Della Scala commissioned a castle at Pandino. They conceived the building as a courteous residence open to the landscape more than a fortification.{{sfnp|Romano|2015|p=130}}
File:Pandino castello cortile.JPG
The castle is quadrilateral in plan with corner towers and an internal courtyard with a hemming ground-floor portico with stout brick columns with pointed arches. A loggia with denser simple columns overlooks the courtyard on the upper floor. The outer sides measure {{convert|66|m|ft}}, and the corner towers are {{convert|30|m|ft}} high.{{sfnp|Sant'Ambrogio|1907|pp=428–429}}{{sfnp|Conti|Hybsch|Vincenti|1992|p=62}}{{sfnp|Romano|2015|p=130}}
Externally, it has single windows on the ground floor and mullioned pointed windows on the upper floor. A moat surrounded the castle.{{sfnp|Sant'Ambrogio|1907|p=429}}{{sfnp|Conti|Hybsch|Vincenti|1992|p=62}}
File:Castello Vesconteo - Pandino 01-2007 - panoramio - Zhang Yuan.jpg
In the 15th century, the Visconti were replaced by the Sforza. Other defensive structures, including two towers, were added to the castle's entrances.{{sfnp|Conti|Hybsch|Vincenti|1992|p=62}}
===Subsequent owners===
After the Sforza period, the castle changed hands a few times until 1552, when Marchese D'Adda acquired it. It remained the property of this family until the 19th century. The castle slowly deteriorated and was finally used to house farmers' families and for agricultural storage. In the 20th century, two corner towers fell into ruin.{{sfnp|Sant'Ambrogio|1907|pp=428–429}}
In 1947, it was purchased by the Pandino municipality, which initiated the restoration. Subsequently, the restoration extended to the original paintings with the geometric motif of the quatrefoil containing the alternated coats of arms of the Visconti and Della Scala.{{sfnp|Conti|Hybsch|Vincenti|1992|p=62}}
Today
Today the castle is the seat of the municipal offices. Of the four towers of the original building, only those of the eastern wing have remained intact. The interior retains the frescoed decoration, including painted architecture and friezes that often include the symbols of Bernabò and Regina’s families.{{sfnp|Sant'Ambrogio|1907|p=430}}{{sfnp|Conti|Hybsch|Vincenti|1992|p=62}}{{sfnp|Romano|2015|pp=131, 141}}
Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Pandino, 1980) - BEIC 6330811.jpg|Tower from the East
Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Pandino, 1980) - BEIC 6330815.jpg|Details of the windows
Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Pandino, 1980) - BEIC 6359693.jpg|Frescos
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{cite book |last1=Conti |first1=Flavio |last2=Hybsch|first2=Vincenzo |last3=Vincenti |first3=Antonello |title= I castelli della Lombardia. Provincie di Cemona e Mantova |publisher= Istituto Geografico de Agostini |location= Novara |year=1992 |language=it|isbn= 88-415-0147-2}}
- {{cite book |last= Romano |first=Serena |editor-last1= Foletti |editor-first1= Ivan |editor-last2= Frantovà |editor-first2= Zuzana |title= The Antique Memory and the Middle Ages |publisher= Brill |location= Leiden, Boston |year= 2015 |pages=127–147 |chapter= Visconti Painting at Pandino Castle. Antique and Modern in Fourtheenth-Century Lombardy |isbn=978-88-6728-157-2 }}
- {{cite book |last= Sant'Ambrogio |first=Diego |editor-last= |editor-first= |title= Ville e Castelli d’Italia. Lombardia e laghi |publisher= Edizioni della Tecnografica |location= Milan |year= 1907 |pages= 425–430 |chapter= Castello di Pandino. Proprietà del marchese d’Adda |language=it |isbn= }}
External links
- [http://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/architetture/schede/1A060-00388/Lombardia Beni Culturali – Castello di Pandino - Pandino (CR)]
- [https://www.comune.pandino.cr.it/itinerari/castello-visconteo/Comune di Pandino – Il Castello Visconteo]
{{Visconti of Milan}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1355