Visconteo Castle, Pagazzano

Visconteo Castle (Castello Visconteo di Pagazzano) is a centuries-old fortress built for military purposes. That is why, at first glance, it impresses with its stern might and formidable defensive structure. Having survived through tests of the centuries, nowadays the castle attracts many tourists with its legends and myths, architecture and museums on its territory.

History of the castle

The fortress, the way it is known today, dates back to the 14th century. Then it was erected in place of the old defensive structure. The construction was commitioned by the Visconti family who had strengthened their position in Milan. It was conditioned by the tense political situation between Milan and the Republic of Venice. The castle was built in 1354, and already in 1355 Lord Bernabo Visconti had visited it. Since the end of the 14th century, throughout the century, the castle was constantly passed over from one family to another, it was literally shaking with instability. The situation was settled only in 1465, when the fortress once again returned to the hands of Visconti. At the same time, the fortress was modernized. In 1551, the new owner, Galeazzo Visconti, reconstructed it. And in 1657 the last heir of the family died, and the castle became the property of the Bigli family.

The latter retained the property in its hands for almost 200 years, and only in 1828 Marquise Fulvia Bigli handed the castle over to her husband, Paolo Crivelli. The Crivelli family used the fortress as a huge farm, because the need for it as a defensive structure gradually disappeared. Since 1968, the castle had seen several owners, until in 1999 it was bought by the municipality of Pagazzano. The city authorities have carried out the restoration, and then it was in a good shape to welcome tourists.

Architecture and interior

The castle has a clear square structure, it is surrounded by a huge protective moat, which is still filled with water. It is the only one in the province of Bergamo in the present time. Beautifully preserved walls have brick facing. Only two out of four towers on the corners of the castle are preserved, and they have holes for archers and other protective devices.

The main entrance has long and narrow brackets, a gate and a winch that opens them. A drawbridge is tossed in front of the gate over the moat. If from the outside the castle looks like a defensive structure, then from inside everything has changed. The interior gradually changed from a noble palace to a manor. Today, the decoration of the 17th and 18th centuries has been restored with an original setting. The walls of the castle halls are decorated with magnificent frescoes and paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Museums in Visconteo Castle

Nowadays, there are several museums on the territory of the castle. They have small, but characteristic permanent exhibitions, which perfectly complement the visit to the fortress. There are only three such museums:

• Museum of peasant civilization. In addition to the protective function, the castle retains undamaged traces of permanent presence throughout the centuries of agricultural activity, actively conducted on the surrounding territory. This is a large grape press, farms, stables, barns, sheds and cellars. The exposition of the museum fully reflects the specific features of these spaces, old tools of labor are represented here. The exhibition is enriched with materials from private and public collections, and has about 2000 exhibits.
• Historical Museum. In the north-western wing, a stable, a granary and a barn were recently restored. In these rooms interactive multimedia stations were placed. Their goal is to show visitors the history of the castle, the recent restoration and operation of the grape wooden press, created in 1736.
• Archaeological Museum. It holds temporary and permanent exhibitions of archaeological artifacts found in the province during the ongoing excavations.

In addition to 3 permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions are held in the castle. The most famous of them was an exhibition of paintings by the famous artist Andy Warhol and modern Italian masters working in the style of pop art.

Myths and legends

Like every self-respecting ancient castle, the Visconteo Castle has several myths and unconfirmed facts that are firmly entrenched:

• The most famous one is the residence of the famous poet Francesco Petrarca in the castle. According to it, the poet wrote Triumph right here. It is precisely known that Petrarca was a guest of the Visconti family in Milan, visited Bergamo and the surrounding territories in the period 1353-1364. But the fact of his stay in the castle is not exactly established.
• There is a legend about soldiers who in the 14th century mocked the local peasants, assuring that they do not know their lord's name and would easily confuse his name with another similar one. The myth says that after this Bernabo Visconti invited condottiers to a feast, during which they were cruelly executed, while repeating the words of the warriors themselves.
• Another myth tells of a tunnel accidentally discovered in the late 20th century. A local resident had fallen into it drunk. After that, a study of the secret passage was organized, during which they discovered a huge hall leading to another tunnel. It was assumed that this is a secret underground passage through which the lord in the castle could escape in case of danger. But the study was interrupted by the sudden collapse of the vaults. Since then, no one has found the entrance to the secret shelter.
• Also there is a sad legend about the abducted girls. At one time, one of the owners of the castle ordered his soldiers to kidnap beautiful girls in the surrounding villages. After the deed, beauties disappeared without a trace. They say that their bodies were thrown into sewage wells.

How to get there

Visconteo Castle is located in the small commune of Pagazzano, on Piazza Castello, 1. It is 20 km south of the main city of the province, Bergamo. In the neighboring commune there is another Visconti Palace. It will be easy to get from Bergamo to Pagazzano. The easiest way is to go from the Terminal SAB to Pagazzano. The U route buses leave every hour. You need to get off at the Via Roma stop, next to there is the City hall. From the bus stop to the castle it is only 200 meters. If you are traveling by car, from Bergamo you need to travel along the road SP591, go to Morengo, and turn onto the road SP129 and follow the signs to Pagazzano.

Opening hours: the castle can be visited every first and third Sunday of the month, from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 18:30. The castle is closed in winter. To organize a visit at another time, as well as to book it, you need to call (+39) 0363 814629.

Admission: a complex ticket for visiting the castle and all museums costs 10 euros. The cost for families and visitors from 19 to 25 is 7 euros. For students, as well as people older than 70 years and under 18 –  visit is free of charge. Data of July 2018.