• Art & Culture

Lodi, invitation to court

Scenes of court life in the majestic Castle of Sant'Angelo Lodigiano that dominates the plain with an unequaled past

It certainly cost Bernabò Visconti, a Lord of Milan during the 1300s, a pretty penny to transform a huge fortress into the majestic castle of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, with its mullioned windows and a tower that dominates the plains: 100,000 gold florins, if legend is to be believed.

 

That was how it was back then – far be it from the great and good of the time to simply buy flowers for their beloved. The lady in question was Beatrice della Scala, the firstborn of the Lord of Verona, who had married 10 daughters off to the heirs of (almost) all the courts in Europe: from the king of Cyprus to the Duke of Kent, Francesco I Gonzaga and Leopold III, Duke of Austria. Imagine them all in the Throne Room of the castle, which is home to a wide range of collections (from the Morando Bolognini museum/home, with its antique furniture and a generously stocked armoury, to the Museum of Bread and the Museum of Agricultural History).

The scene that springs to mind cannot be all that different to that offered by the fresco in the chapter house in Florence’s Santa Maria Novella: the couple are sitting down, he with a white mantle and a falcon on his left arm, she wonderfully elegant, beaming with ethereal beauty, a puppy in her lap, biting her finger. They were the couple of the century.

A visit to the castle of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano to see them is well worth the effort.

Take me here: Lodi, invitation to court

On the same topic

Monument Varese

Stately homes, religious buildings, fortifications and UNESCO treasures among the beauties of Varese and its surroundings
  • Art & Culture
Monument Varese, what to see

The Violin’s Museum

on Google Arts & Culture!
  • Art & Culture
The Violin’s Museum

10 good reasons visit Pavia

  • Art & Culture
10 good reasons visit Pavia

Open museums in Lombardy: an ode to female talent 

Lombardy’s museums are once again welcoming the public, art lovers, and other visitors with a wealth of exhibitions dedicated to women: artists, works of art, and mythological figures who have inspired exhibitions and shows
  • Art & Culture
Open museums in Lombardy: an ode to female talent 

6 Interactive museums for children

Explore Lombardy with your children! Experiential and interactive museums to stimulate curiosity and creativity.
  • Art & Culture
6 Interactive museums for children

The Fourteen Chapels of the Sacro Monte di Varese

  • Art & Culture
The Fourteen Chapels of the Sacro Monte di Varese

On the trail of traditional trades

Six destinations to explore crafts and tradition, on the trail of traditional trades in the timeless landscapes of Lombardy.
  • Art & Culture
On the trail of traditional trades

Leonardo in Lombardy: 8 itineraries to discover the places of Vinci

Eight itineraries in the Lombard capital to discover the genius of the Renaissance
  • Art & Culture
Leonardo da Vinci

A visit to Cerreto Abbey

Cerreto Abbey: a Cistercian jewel of the province of Lodi 
  • Art & Culture
Una visita all’Abbazia del Cerreto

Bergamo Alta and its beauties

A historic center remained completely intact and surrounded entirely by walls
  • Art & Culture
A magic place, preserved throughout centuries

Brescia, a Theatre City

From the Teatro Grande to the Brescia Opera Festival, to the Vittoriale degli Italiani in Gardone. Discover a stage city
  • Art & Culture
Brescia, a Theatre City

Lombardy in Paintings by Great Italian Artists

The paintings that most beautifully capture Lombardy's scenery, an immersion in the region's landscapes and cityscapes
  • Art & Culture
La Lombardia nei quadri dei grandi pittori italiani

Cremona and its music

Cremona's music is closer than what you think
  • Art & Culture
Cremona and its music

Monuments Mantua

The Gonzagas have made Mantua a jewel of the Italian Renaissance visible in its palaces, monuments, churches, culture and traditions
  • Art & Culture
Monuments Mantua, ideas for visiting

Urban sculptures and works of art: Lombardy's open-air museum

Lesser known statues, monuments, and works of art, concealed within the streets and piazzas of Lombardy's cities: a prestigious artistic heritage is waiting to be discovered 
  • Art & Culture
Opere e sculture urbane: il museo a cielo aperto della Lombardia

Milan, a novel city

Discovering the writers of the past, between the places and the atmospheres of Milan that have inspired great masterpieces of literature
  • Art & Culture
Milan, a novel city

The mantuan locations in Rigoletto

Between reality and fantasy, a musical itinerary retraces the locations of Verdi's opera set in Mantua in the sixteenth century
  • Art & Culture
The mantuan locations in Rigoletto

Castles Brescia

From Sirmione to Breno, from Desenzano to Padernello, a journey through the fortified manors to the discovery of local history
  • Art & Culture
Castles Brescia, discovering Lombardy

10 good reasons to visit Como

  • Art & Culture
10 good reasons to visit Como

Monuments in Lombardy

Cultural tourism and monuments in Lombardy
  • Art & Culture
Monuments in Lombardy, suggestions