We visit the ancient beauties of Italy such as the Grazzano Visconti castle. It is a small fortress that we find in the homonymous hamlet of the Italian municipality of Vigolzone, in the province of Piacenza. A place that is mentioned for the first time in documents dating back to around the year XNUMX. Above all we talk about the Middle Ages, years in which the castle experiences battles and riots. A piece of history in the rural reality of Piacenza. It is a question of visiting a characteristic Italian village. Above all we can walk through history. An experience that changes the conception of the Middle Ages. There is talk of an era of great ferment.
A leap into Italian history and the Middle Ages
The avenue leading to the Grazzano Visconti castle was built in 1395 by Giovanni Anguissola following his marriage to Beatrice Visconti. Beatrice is also the sister of the Duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo. Subsequently, we are in 1414, the castle passes to Bernardo Anguissola. But, due to the hostility of the Piacenza nobles, he was unable to impose his power on the area until 1438. The Duke of Milan Filippo Maria Visconti, with the power of a knife, granted independence from the jurisdiction of the Piacenza municipality. While, in the following years, Duke Francesco Sforza confirms the ownership of the fief to Giovanni Anguissola. While, following a peasant rebellion against the Sforza power, a battle takes place near the castle between the soldiers sent by Sforza to quell the revolt and the rebels.
In 1521 the castle of Grazzano was razed to the ground and set on fire by the French troops. It is the leader Lautrec who commands to attack all the allied fortresses of the Scotti family. Also in 1526 the castle was attacked, this time by the lansquenets. In 1547 the castle of Grazzano hosted the meetings that led to the conspiracy for the killing of Duke Pier Luigi Farnese by Giovanni Anguissola. After his return from exile, Giovanni Anguissola regains ownership of the castle. Finally, between 1905 and 1906 the restoration works of the medieval castle began. Thus, between 1906 and 1908, a park was also built around the fort. But the works ended definitively only after 1915 with the restoration of the main square, known as the Biscione. Name that recalls the symbol of the family Visconti.
The Grazzano Visconti castle today
The castle of Grazzano Visconti has a quadrangular plan with towers placed on the four corners, two of them are cylindrical and two square. Particularly interesting is to see this building made of stone and brick. An alternation of two materials that also has a decorative function. The castle buildings make up three sides of the complex. While a fourth building has, inside, a square-shaped courtyard and arcades. A moat surrounds the fort. In fact, the entrance still shows the remains of a drawbridge. It is true that during the last century, the building underwent heavy alterations by Giuseppe Visconti di Modrone. In addition, the castle goes from two floors to the current three. The last one was born following the modifications that change the structure of the original castle.
But it is Giuseppe Visconti di Modrone himself who built the park that still surrounds the castle today. Park that was born between the end of the XNUMXth and the beginning of the XNUMXth. Also in the park we find native tree species, including English oak, elm, black poplar, hazelnut and field maple. But we also find other essences from abroad. In order to make the park more accessible in all seasons, Visconti asks for the presence of different species of conifers. In fact, here we find, in addition to cypress, also pine and holm oak. Among the plants, there are also some centuries-old trees.
