Gala Dinner

The Castle of Vigevano

The Gala Dinner is scheduled for Thursday, September 21st at the Prima Scuderia of the Castle of Vigevano.

Vigevano is a small town just outside Pavia, a few kilometers from Milan.

The group of monuments composed of the Ducale Square and Visconteo-Sforzesco Castle as seen today, is the result of construction works which lasted over two centuries during the reigns of the Visconti and Sforza in Milan.
This was the period during which Vigevano reached its maximum splendour, becoming the ducal residence and an important commercial centre.
The town developed in a spiral around the castle which is one of the biggest fortified structures in Europe.

The architectonical complex Visconteo-Sforzesco castle of Vigevano features a group of buildings which together occupy a surface of over 70,000 square metres. It could contain Buckingham Palace twice over, St Peter’s Basilica three times over and Milan Cathedral six times over. It is considered to be one of the biggest fortified structures in Europe.

From the outset Vigevano castle was not designed as solely a fortified complex to meet military and defensive needs, but also as a prestigious residence, a status symbol, and as the favourite venue for the pastimes and pleasures of the court. In this respect it represents both a forerunner of the Renaissance palace which in many cases evolved from a pre-existing castle, and a refined version of the traditional Viscontean citadel.

The Prima Scuderia building has a rectangular layout on two levels. The vertical structures are in solid brick masonry, partly plastered and partly exposed both inside and out. On the ground floor there is a long room divided into three naves and bays with monolithic serizzo columns with sculpted capitals, even if only rough-hewn, covered with cross vaults.

We look forward to welcoming you to this splendid and historic space.

More info on Vigevano Castle here