Vigevano | Italian Medieval and Renaissance Jewel

 

Vigevano | Italian Medieval and Renaissance Jewel

 

Vigevano is the second center of the Pavese province located halfway between Milan and Pavia, a medieval and Renaissance jewell of Italy with a unique charm.

 The city was developed in 963 on the right bank of the Ticino river boasting a historic center considered among  the best of the Italian peninsula for its artistic patrimony and urban planning with is main core around the magnificent Piazza Ducale developed in 1492 the year corresponding to the end of the Middle Ages at the behest of Ludovico Sforza, known as il “Moro” born in the city who strongly wanted, apart from the reclamation of the territories, the creation of the Sforza Farm and the development of the flourishing wool and linen trade,works of which he was the proponent an elegant city salon next to the castle.

Vigevano is historically a center that strongly reflects that chronological transition between the medieval and the renaissance  and it was always ready to unleash the immense talent of artists who came to the Visconti court from central Italy, first of all Donato Bramante and Leonardo da Vinci, undisputed masters and standard-bearers of this style and artistic movement with totally innovative concepts.

You can start the visit from the beautiful and stylish Piazza Ducale, a Renaissance masterpiece included in the list of the most fascinating squares in Italy, a jewel of urban architecture of the fifteenth century with immense refinement but also with functionality representing an eclectic fulcrum connected to various complexes.

 

Developed on a rectangular plan, 48.0 meters wide and 138.0 meters long, magnificent porticoes were built on three sides with arches supported by 84 columns with capitals, while on the fourth side there is a small square in front of the Cathedral.

The porticoes originally ended under the imposing Torre del Bramante, a high tower where originally a staircase leading to the castle was built, later replaced by a ramp that could also be passed on horseback that connected the square to the entrance door of the Sforza residence.

That passage was then eliminated during the works that modeled the new urban design in the late seventeenth century, which saw the closure of the side where the Cathedral stands.

You will then stop in front of the magnificent Cathedral dedicated to Sant' Ambrogio, built in 1532 on the remains of a fourteenth-century church at the behest of Duke Francesco Sforza, despite the fact that it was finished almost a hundred years later and completely renovated in the nineteenth century.

You can admire the extraordinary elliptical façade of baroque matrix completed in 1680, works commissioned by the Iberian Bishop Juan Caramunel Lobkovitz with the intention of eliminating some aesthetic anomalies in the architectural background.

The decoration, although appearing typically fifteenth century, was carried out at the beginning of the 900 in a sort of revival starring the artists Luigi Bocca and Casimiro Ottone who talentedly reproduced what must have been the face of the ecclesiastical complex by making a sort of cast of the past with depictions of noble coats of arms and honorific medallions of famous personalities of the Duchy of Milan with mythological, allegorical and floral representations.

Undoubtedly an eclectic and at the same time illusionistic work, reviving with bright colors and refined architecture the canons existing during the glories and dawn of a glorious era.

In the beautiful interior you will  have the opportunity to appreciate the Museum of the Treasure of the Cathedral containing beautiful tapestries of  Flemish school and a rich collection of goldsmiths dating back to the sixteenth century.

Continuation of your visit with the mperious Torre del Bramante located on an extreme side of the square at the passage that leads to the Castle, a construction that was built on a medieval base in the late twelfth century but developed by the immense genius of Donato Bramante three centuries later, a work that inspired the construction of the tower of the Sforza Castle in Milan.

Once you reach its top you will be able to enjoy a wonderful view of the entire Piazza Ducale from another perspective and fully admire the structural complex of the Castle and then continuation with the Stables consisting of a magnificent colonnade with cross vaults works commissioned by Ludovico il Moro.

Very close you can visit the Falconry which consists of a beautiful building with a loggia totally modified by the talent of Donato Bramante at the end of the fifteenth century, created as a domicile for the rapacious faithful companions of the Dukes during hunting trips in the local woods.

We will then reach the Covered Road also called "Strada Sterrata" which partially dates back to 1300 but created in its complete concepts in the sixteenth century at the desire of the duke Luchino Visconti,.

It is a passage conceived as a conduit for escapes without being spotted by the subjects in case of danger or popular rebellions bypassing the entire village through a ravelin connecting the male to the old stronghold that immediately had access to the Vigevano countryside overcoming a difference in height of over 10.0 meters, 167.0 meters long and about 7.0 meters wide.

The road also connects to the Cavallerizza, a wooden building with refined trusses dating back to the nineteenth century used in the past as a riding school while in modern times used as a venue for cultural events and demonstrations.

For the same reasons, as an alternative under the dirt road, the basement was designed with two passages connected in a strategically designed system leading to the horsewoman and the moat of the manor's male.

In a while you will reach the Loggia delle Dame which, as the name suggests, was a palace dedicated to the ladies hosted at the court of Ludovico Sforza, another great work by Bramante.

Continuing your visit you will then entering in a  very large courtyard of the Castle built in the first half of the 1500, although modified in several subsequent periods, with assumptions that the great Leonardo da Vinci contributed to its execution. This fortified complex covers about 70,000 square meters with four imposing quadrangular towers erected in the corners and the keep that occupies three sides of the fortress, an arrangement ordered by Luchino Visconti.

The concept of its construction was focused on creating a massive defensive construction, impregnable and at the same time suitable and functional to accommodate the guests, giving them the opportunity to move around the complex easily reaching the different sections of the court.

In fact, moving to the center you will notice how the Loggia delle Dame is easily accessible and along the colonnade of the Falconiera access to the stables is also very easy and once you reach the riding school you can to reach in a while the other spaces of the complex.

Around Piazza Ducale you can enjoy picturesque alleys and narrow streets adjacent to the old Sforza walls and dedicate a visit to the beautiful Church of San Pietro Martire dating back to the fifteenth century developed in a traditional Gothic style of Lombard matrix.

Inside you can the crypt that houses the remains of Blessed Matteo Carreri, a religious figure native of Mantua, elevated to protector of Vigevano who lived for a long time in the adjacent convent.

It’s time for your lunch and Vigevano offers delicious typical plates. Very suggested are  Risotto alla Certosina or Meat Ravioli with Butter and Sage, as second courses you can choose between Beef Stew with Boiled Potatoes or Roast Goose with Savoy cabbage and do not miss excellent wines from Oltrepo’ Pavese.

After your lunch you can dedicate time to visit the very interesting  Pietro Bertolini Civic Museum created in 1958 linked to one of the flagships of the economy of Vigevano, namely the Footwear Industry, an exhibition space that illustrate the history of the Vigevano shoemaking masters from the 19tth century to today. The visit can end here, Vigevano will certainly remain in your happy memories for its beauty and charm.

 

Note : This is a program that I have planned for years at the tour operator level, I hope that this itinerary has been useful to have an idea about this fascinating city or maybe transmitting you the desire to visit it in the future.

 

Link : https://www.comune.vigevano.pv.it/