The Castello Sforzesco is one of the indisputable symbols of Milan. Its construction began shortly after the mid-14th century and extended, on and offThe Castello Sforzesco is one of the indisputable symbols of Milan. Its construction began shortly after the mid-14th century and extended, on and off, until the early 20th. Over its long history, the Castle has enjoyed various uses: it was built as a fortress but was subsequently transformed into the magnificent palace of the dukes of Milan, first the Viscontis and then the Sforzas. The period of greatest splendour for the Castle was the Renaissance: the Seigniors’ desire to rival the other Italian and European sovereigns, who were building their own residences in those same years, ensured that the greatest artists of the age came to Milan, from Bramante to Leonardo, to cite just the most famous. Leonardo lived in the Castle during the reign of Ludovico il Moro, and traces of the great master’s genius are still visible today in the famous Sala delle Asse. With the definitive fall of the Sforza Seigniory and the advent of the foreign dominations, from the French to the Spanish, from the Austrian presence to the Cisalpine Republic to the Unification of Italy, the Castle lost its role as a residence for princes and went back to housing the troops stationed in Milan. The Municipality of Milan acquired ownership of it at the end of the 19th century and began a vast campaign of restoration to return it to its ancient splendour and use it as the headquarters for major museum institutions. This is still very much its vocation, as today the Castle is a prestigious museum site and can boast works from the national and international artistic heritage in its collections, such as the famous Pietà Rondanini, Michelangelo’s final masterpiece.