Castello Visconteo

Visconti Castle Italian: Castello Visconteo is a castle in Locarno, Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

In January 2004, the Italian historian Marino Vigano' speculated that it may have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci: after 7 years of studies, the Leonardo's Rivellino was recognized as a Da Vinci project.

While there was a royal palace in Locarno in 866 and a noble family with a castle in the 10th century, the oldest remaining parts of the Castello (part of the ring wall and residential tract and foundation of a tower) date to the late 12th or 13th century. In 1164 Emperor Frederick Barbarossa granted Locarno the right to hold a market and for the first time mentioned the Capitanei di Locarno or noble families that administered the town and the Pieve or local church. While the Capitanei enjoyed the right of imperial immediacy, they did not always support the emperor. By around 1240 Locarno had become a stronghold of the Guelph faction which supported the pope against the emperor, possibly leading to the construction or expansion of the castle.

In 1260 the Castello was attacked and destroyed by the pro-emperor Ghibellines, leading Simone Orelli, the most powerful member of the Capitanei to join the Ghibellines and bring the town to the emperor's side until his death in 1290. The castle was rebuilt following the destruction of 1260.

During the 14th century Milan under the Visconti aggressively expanded into the valleys at the foot of the Alps. In 1342 Luchino and Giovanni Visconti besieged and captured the castle from both the landward and lake sides. Many members of the Capitanei were captured. After accepting the Visconti as their new overlords, they were quickly released from captivity and restored to their former positions under a podestà appointed by Milan. The podestà became the only resident of the castle and some of the buildings were allowed to fall into ruin. However, under the Visconti the fortifications were strengthened and new defensive walls were built.

In 1439 the Visconti appointed Franchino Rusca as podestà in Locarno. Under the Rusca family, the castle was renovated, repaired and expanded. It was transformed into an ornate late medieval administrative castle. A little south of the old main tower, a palazzo was built with ornate halls, large chimneys, and an arcade leading to the courtyard.

Text adapted from “Visconti Castle (Locarno)” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Castello Visconteo ranks #3,512 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #33 of the 201 mapped in Switzerland. Founded 1341, it is older than 60% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 604 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. 4 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Lugano, 22 km away. See how Switzerland compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗