At the turn of the 14th century, at the apex of the Renaissance lordships, the Vigevano fief - a fortified village of Lombard origin - was experiencing a golden age with the rise to power of Ludovico Sforza known as il Moro.

It was Ludovico who re-built the town centre and porticoed Piazza Ducale in what was one of the noblest Italian town planning undertakings of any period of Italian history, a veritable public salon antechamber to the grandiose castle complex which was accessed by means of a wide stairway or flight of steps in the area of the tower, along the building's south side where the entrance is now virtually concealed by porticoes.