Castello Sforzesco
- Address: Piazza Castello, Milan
- Hours: Open Daily 7am - 7pm in Summer (until 6pm in Winter). Museums open 9am - 5:30pm Tues - Sun, closed on holidays.
- Admission: Free. Admission to museums: € 3
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Cultural Experience,
Monument - Historical,
Museum
The Castello Sforzesco (or Sforza Castle) is a huge, classically crenellated pile of red-brick masonry on the western edge of central Milan.
The castle was built by the earlier Visconti dynasty, but became home to the ruling Sforza family in 1450. Stark and domineering, the castle is propped up with massive round battlements, and a stepped tower overlooks the central courtyard and gardens. Leonardo da Vinci helped design the defensive walls.
Today the castle houses a handful of excellent museums and galleries. See sculptures by Michelangelo in the Museum of Ancient Art off the courtyard, and a rich collection of paintings by the likes of Titian and Bellini in the Pinacoteca ("art gallery") on the 1st floor.
Wooden sculptures and furnishings fill the Museum of Applied Arts, again on the 1st floor, next door to the Museum of Musical Instruments. You’ll also find Egyptian and prehistoric collections in this huge castle complex.
Latest Reviews
Review by mark s, April 2013
Doing what: Milan Half-Day Sightseeing Tour with da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'
For a half day tour giving you the chance to get an idea of where everthing is and seeing some sights, it would not be possible to do it better. The viewing of "The Last Supper" is wonderful - it is on a timed ticket giving 15 minutes to look at the painting. This applies however you organise to see the painting. La Scala was not doing a production so we had a good view. The duomo and castle are done quickly, but probably best done at a leasurely pace when you know where they are at a later date. The guide was informative, but it is necessary to make sure your radio receiver is working. The group was large (49) so it is necessary to make sure you position yourself well at all times. It is important that you know you are looking for a yellow bus which arrives about 20 minutes before the tour leaves.
Review by Ronda C, March 2013
Doing what: Milan Half-Day Sightseeing Tour with da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'
We had a wonderful time on the tour. Our guide, Helena or Elena, was knowledgable, friendly, helpful, humorous, and full of interesting information about the sites we visited. We liked the use of radios, even in our small group, because it made it easy to look around and see the ceilings, walls, windows, and walkways without having to be in front of her. We enjoyed visiting the Duomo, La Scala, a castle, but the highlight was seeing the Last Supper. The organization was amazing to see the painting: 30 people at a time can view the painting for 15 minutes. I was surprised how close we were to the painting. Our guide explained the painting had been repaired and restored over the centuries. A final restoration that lasted 21 years was unveiled in 1999, and it is breathtaking to see a 500 year old painting looking very much like Leonardo painted it. I would highly recommend Viator tours. The online booking was easy. We received timely confirmations and reminders. We found the office easily, and the yellow bus was clean and comfortable.
Review by Steph, October 2012
Doing what: Milan Half-Day Sightseeing Tour with da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'
A wonderful tour. Seeing the Castle was interesting. Of course the highlight was seeing The Last Supper. We made our reservations several months in advance. We talked to people that tried to see it and could not because they were not signed up for a tour. You only get to be there for 15 min, but it is well worth it. The visit to the La Scala is also worth it. The guide was fun, knowledgeable and enthusiatic.
Practical Info
The Castello Sforzesco is at the northern end of Via Dante, which runs off the western end of central Piazza del Duomo. Handy underground metro stops include Lanza, Cairoli and Cadorna Triennale.
