Vigevano Ideal Town - Locanda San Bernando · 2017. 7. 16. · Fitted with two large water wheels...

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Città di VigevanoV e r s o e x p o 2 0 1 5

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VigevanoIdeal Town


With patronage of:

[This day 2 February 1494 at the Sforzesca I drew 25 steps of 2/3 of an arm each, 8 arms wide] (Leonardo da Vinci - Manuscript H, sheet 65 v.)

“Adì 2 di febraio 1494 alla Sforzesca ritrassi scalini 25 di 2/3 di braccio l’uno largo braccia 8” (Leonardo da Vinci - Manoscritto H, foglio 65 v.)

leonardo da Vinci and the “Ideal Town”

Leonardo da Vinci’s time in Vigevano is documented by the town’s significant cultural heritage, origins of which can be traced back to the Sforzesca era. A figure immediately evoking the happy combination of technology and art, Leonardo worked as an engineer for the Duke, Ludovico Sforza, known as “Il Moro”, for over twenty years. The Castle and Piazza Ducale clearly evoke the great master’s designs for the “Ideal Town”, as does the Sforzesca, with its network of canals, mills and the Colombarone, the first example of a Lombard farm.

VigevanoV E R S O E X P O 2 0 1 5

Piazza ducaleBuilt between 1492 and 1494 at the wishes of Ludovico il Moro, Piazza Ducale was one of the first models of a Renaissance square and is one of the best examples of XV century Lombard architecture. Donato Bramante was undoubtedly present among those architects involved in the work at the Milan nobles’ court. The Piazza was built to add lustre to the town as the preferred residence of the Duke. The antechamber to the entrance of the imposing Visconti-Sforza castle, it originally had a flight of stone steps permitting the triumphal entrance of the Dukes to the Castle residence. The pulsing hub of the town, it is surrounded by porticoes and arcades supported by 84 columns with capitals in different styles, and owes its present form to the Bishop Architect Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz who built the baroque facade of the Cathedral in 1680.


Sant’ambrogio CathedralCattedrale di Sant’ambrogio The building of the Cathedral dedicated to

Sant’Ambrogio, Bishop of Milan, was started by the Duke Francesco II Sforza in 1532 to a design by Antonio da Lonate and completed in 1606. The Baroque facade - designed by Bishop Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz-was juxtaposed to remedy the asymmetry of the square in front. Inside are important works of art among which valuable paintings by Macrino d’Alba and Bernardino Ferrari. Adjacent to the Cathedral of Sant’Ambrogio is the Museo del Tesoro del Duomo which contains, as well as precious corals and miniature codices by Ferrante Decio, an extremely valuable reliquary in gold-plated silver by the Lombard school, Flemish tapestries and a sixteenth century wall-hanging used in Monza for the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte.


The dukes‘ architecture le architetture del duca

The group of monuments composed of the Piazza Ducale 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 buildings composing it covering over 70,000 square metres.


Up until the mid 1300s the Maschio (Keep) – corresponding to the ancient “castrum” and probably of Lombard origin - was used for the defence of the residents and as a safe refuge for the inhabitants of the hamlet and suburbs.Its transformation into the Duke’s Palace began in 1345 and it was mainly Ludovico il Moro with the guidance of Donato Bramante who gave it the appearance of a renaissance palace. Lombard artists and artisans worked to adorn the great halls with frescoes and magnificent furnishings for the duke’s court, illustrious figures and sovereigns. Some of the frescoes, dating to the second half of the XV century, are still visible today; the Sala dell’Affresco is particularly important and depicts a hunting scene, the favourite pastime of the Dukes of Milan.


The duke’s PalacePalazzo ducale


Bramante TowerTorre del Bramante

This is the symbol of Vigevano inasmuch as standing at the highest point of the town.It was built in various stages starting in 1198 and was made a vantage point at the wishes of Ludovico il Moro and his wife Beatrice d’Este in 1492 - 1494, becoming the official entrance to the castle. Its unusual outline was used as the model for the reconstruction of the Filerete Tower in the Sforzesco castle in Milan in the XIX century: composed of gradually smaller sections, from its battlements it offers a complete panorama over the Piazza, Castle and entire town. The bronze dome was added in 1563 in place of the original conical spire.


Falconry | FalconieraThis is the elegant overhead loggia from which the art of falconry was practised during the time of the dukes of Milan. Recently restored, it is attributed to Donato Bramante and has round arches supported by slim granite columns with capitals similar to those of the ducal stables. Frescoes with decorative motifs of the renaissance period have been rediscovered on the colonnades.

The ladies’ loggia | loggia delle dame This was built beside the Palazzo Ducale around 1490 by Donato Bramante upon appointment by Ludovico il Moro and originally overlooked a hanging garden known as the “Duchess’ garden” below which the castle cellars were situated. The Loggia bears the typical features of Bramante’s designs with seven round arches in white marble resting on columns with elegant capitals in dark stone and floral motifs. This was the “ladies” part of the Castle, where Beatrice d’Este and her ladies in waiting resided.


Stables | Scuderie

Three long stables divide the Castle area from the

town. Imposing buildings, one of which - built at the

orders of Ludovico il Moro – recalls Leonardo da Vinci’s

designs for his “model stable” in the Paris Codex B and

the Trivulziano Codex.

One of the stables is the permanent home of the

Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Lomellina,

while the other two are used for temporary exhibitions.


Covered Road and Vaults Strada coperta e Sotterranee

The “Covered Road” or “Upper level” is a unique feature

throughout European castle architecture and was built to the

orders of Luchino Visconti starting in 1340. Its construction as

a fortified bridge served a specific purpose: that of protecting

the passage of the Milanese nobles and joining the Castle to

the Old Fort by a safe route.

The raised section of the Road thus provided room for the areas

at town level known as the “Vaults” or “Lower level”.

The Vaults blend in with the architecture of the Duke’s Palace

and are used for temporary exhibitions. From this level it’s

possible to admire the imposing foundations of the Duke’s Palace.


A majestic building with a interesting structure made of wooden trusses, it was built in 1837 on the area where the destroyed Old Fort once stood. Initially designed as an indoor riding stables, it was subsequently refurbished: the area of over 1500 square metres is used for events, shows, exhibitions, conferences and initiatives of various kinds and also includes a garden communicating with the Covered Road and the Vaults of the Castle.

Cavallerizza


Shoe Museum Museo della CalzaturaThe ‘’Pietro Bertolini” Shoe Museum in Vigevano is the only public museum in Italy dedicated to the history and evolution of shoes. Situated in the suggestive, fifteenth-century setting of the Sforzesco Castle, the museum sets out to express, through its narration of the shoe, both the history and economy of Vigevano and the international evolution of the shoe as a design and fashion object. The museum is divided into 4 sections: historic, ethnic, modern and interesting facts.Vigevano is famous throughout the world for its shoe-making tradition, an ancient trade documented in the Borough Statute dating back to 1392.


Picture Gallery | PinacotecaAbove the stables of Ludovico il Moro is the seat of the Civic Picture Gallery “Casimiro Ottone” containing the most important works of Lomellina artists. The gallery has 10 identical rooms containing various works, among which portions of the original frescoes of Piazza Ducale dating to the XV-XVI century and a valuable work of art by the Lombard artist Bernardino Ferrari, dating to 1515.


Cagnoni Civic Theatre | Civico Teatro Cagnoni In Vigevano live performances go on stage at the Cagnoni Civic Theatre. Music, drama, opera and operetta, comedies and charity shows. For 140 years generations of actors and spectators have succeeded each other to act, sing and experience unforgettable emotions. The Theatre seats 602 spectators divided among the stalls, three levels ofboxes and the central gallery. The Theatre foyer is used for meetings and ceremonies and seats up to 70.



San dionigi ChurchChiesa di San dionigi

The first document to contain a mention of the Church of San Dionigi dates back to 1323: originally situated near the Castle Keep, it was built as public oratory for use by the Confraternita della Misericordia. The building, which was extended in the XVI century, consisted of a rectangular room, rotated by 90° compared to its current layout. Further works were begun in 1750. Inside are two important works of art: a polychrome wooden group composed of eight statues portraying the deposition in the tomb - attributed to the XV century Piedmontese or Lombard workshop - and a painting by Cerano showing the martyrdom of Saint Denis.Since 2011 the Church of San Dionigi has become the Auditorium della Fondazione di Piacenza e Vigevano, where concerts, cultural events and conferences are held, and may be visited free of charge at weekends.

Merula Palace Built in the 1600s this Baroque gem in the heart of the town which was formerly an ancient convent and male orphanage is now the seat of the Town’s Historic Archive and contains ancient documents, parchments, incunabula and XVI century books.Palazzo Merula is also home to the Museo dell’Imprenditoria of Vigevano.


The mills | I muliniDuring his time at the service of the Duke of Milan Leonardo da Vinci planned reclamation works of most of the Vigevano area, drawing and studying the various mills already existing at the time. Among those remaining is the Mora Bassa Windmill, given by Ludovico il Moro to his wife Beatrice d’Este as a wedding present in 1494. Fitted with two large water wheels it is now the permanent home of Leonardo’s machines and includes functioning wooden models of his designs.


Colombarone della Sforzesca The Colombarone was the archetype model of a working farm in the Lombard area. The complex has the typical layout of a castle with four buildings along the sides and four towers at the corners called the “colombaroni”, around a practically square, central courtyard. The towers are decorated with pointed arched windows and sawtooth friezes. Built from 1486 onwards it later became the example for agricultural organisation in the Po valley area. It is situated in the Sforzesca village of Vigevano near the Ticino park, a place where Leonardo da Vinci also resided, helping to improve the land with waterworks designs for a better irrigation of the fields. The Leicester Code contains drawings showing the “molino della Scala”, a stepped construction of flowing water, still present today.


our territory Il nostro territorio

Vigevano is the most important town in the Lomellina, the historic and geographic region of the Po valley comprising the Sesia, Po, Ticino and bordering with the southern part of Novara. A land of rice fields, water works and castles it has many features to boast about; above all that of being an uncontaminated plain studded with a great artistic, fauna and naturalistic heritage. This area is interesting to visit at any time of year; the colours of the countryside, the deeply-rooted traditions, the many historic re-enactments and gastronomic excellences make it a unique and fascinating place.With its 60,000 inhabitants, Vigevano has the great advantage of being a “people-friendly” town: near Milan - just 35 km away - but far away from the hectic city pace.


Rice fields | le risaieIn Europe the first mention of rice farming refers precisely to this area, to the village of Villanova situated just a few kilometres from Vigevano. Today Vigevano is inside the rice triangle with the provinces of Pavia, Novara and Vercelli together forming the biggest rice producing area in Europe.“Rice” is in fact the name of an important event entirely dedicated to rice, held in Vigevano castle at harvesting time in September. Its main purpose is to identify through this excellent product not just the territory but also the ancient skills, traditions, farming and production methods entwined with the areas where the rice is grown.


The Ticino Park | Parco del TicinoVigevano is in the area of the Ticino park, a river reserve which is one of the M.A.B. Man and Biosphere natural areas recognised by UNESCO as one of the most important natural reserves in the world. The woods located in the Vigevano area are among those most important in terms of biodiversity. Boats and canoes can be used to sail along the Ticino river and the paths through the Park joining Vigevano to Pavia offer a natural trail of outstanding interest.


Typical products | Prodotti tipici

Vigevano’s gastronomic products consist of traditional Lombard dishes and a number of De.C.O., Denominazione Comunale d’Origine products, such as “Figadej” namely a cold cut made from pig liver, the “Cent Franc” biscuit and “La Viginuna” tart. The Dolce Riso del Moro made according to an ancient recipe of the Sforza era can also be counted among the rice-based delicacies.The many restaurants and trattorias scattered throughout the town centre and surrounding countryside offer a chance to savour local dishes, with menus specially designed to celebrate the gastronomic wealth of the area.


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The places presented in the previous pages, of inestimable value in

terms of history and beauty are the ideal location for holding various

types of event. Over the years important exhibitions, conventions,

gala dinners, events etc. have been held within the walls of the

monumental complex of the Sforzesco Castle, but also in the grand

locations nearby, organised by private operators or by Municipal

institutions.

E X H I B I T I O N S - C O N V E N T I O N S - M U S I C A L E V E N T S - S H O W S - G A L A D I N N E R S

CaValleRIzza

STaBleS

MeRula PalaCe

CaSTle CouRT


CoVeRed Road

M A P O F P L A C E S O F I N T E R E S T VigevanoV E R S O E X P O 2 0 1 5

In this pamphlet we have mentioned

the most important places of

historic interest in the Town of Vigevano:

here is a simplified map showing where

they are located.

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VIA ROMA

VIA MERULA

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VIA DE AMICIS

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VIA BUOZZI

VIA XXVI APRILE

VIA CARDUCCI

VIA CAIROLI

VIA L.IL MORO

VIA MARAZZANI

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VIA RIBERIA

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VIA DEL CARMINE

VIA DEL CARMINE

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PAVIA DIRECTION

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BRAMANTE TOWER | Torre del Bramante

PIAZZA DUCALE

SANT’ AMBROGIO CATHEDRAL | Cattedrale di Sant’ Ambrogio

SFORZESCO CASTLE | Castello Sforzesco

COVERED ROAD | Strada Coperta

CAVALLERIZZA

CAGNONI CIVIC THEATRE | Civico Teatro Cagnoni

MERULA PALACE

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SAN DIONIGI CHURCH | Chiesa di San Dionigi

COLOMBARONE DELLA SFORZESCA

THE MILLS | Mulini

CIVIC MUSEUM | Musei civici

Duke's Palace | Palazzo DucaleA

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Falconry | FalconieraThe ladies' loggia | Loggia delle Dame

Stables and Museum | Scuderie e Musei

H O W T O G E T T O V I G E V A N O VigevanoV E R S O E X P O 2 0 1 5

From Milan airports to Milan city centre:Milan airports are connected by train and shuttle to the centre of Milan. From there take the tube train M2 to the railway station of Porta Genova.

Private operators in Vigevano:A number of private operators have organised a “tailor made” service for their guests among which direct transport from Vigevano to Expo 2015 and back.

See the website below for further information: “VIGEVANO VERSO EXPO 2015” www.comune.vigevano.pv.it

Vigevano is located in a strategic position, practically equidistant from Milano (35 km), Novara (27 km) and Pavia (37 km).

From Milan by car: take the Tangenziale Ovest and SP ex SS 494 towards Abbiategrasso; or take the motorway Milano – Genova, Gropello Cairoli exit.

From Milan by train: from Milano P.ta Genova (MM2) or Milano San Cristoforo (MM2) take a train going towards Mortara – Alessandria.

From Milan Linate airport: - by car: follow the signs for Bologna / Tangenziale Ovest - come off at Vigevano-Lorenteggio, follow the signs for Vigevano.

From Milan Malpensa airport: - by car: take the dual carriageway SS336 towards Magenta; then follow the signs for Abbiategrasso and Vigevano. Continued through Robecco sul Naviglio and Abbiategrasso to Vigevano.

MALPENSA

NOVARA

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FS MI-AL

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MILANO

Abbiategrasso

MagentaLINATE

VIGEVANO

Mortara

W W W . C O M U N E . V I G E V A N O . P V . I T - V I G E V A N O V E R S O E X P O 2 0 1 5

Information

For further information regarding the locations and how to rent the premises, write to: Gian Paolo Degli Agosti [email protected]

Grazia Guglielmo [email protected]

For further tourist information contact:[email protected] | tel. 0381690269

[email protected] | tel. 0381691636website: www.comune.vigevano.pv.it

Publisher: © Comune di VigevanoGraphic designer: Roberta DondèPrinter: Logos Media s.r.l. - Garlasco (Pv)December 2013

For use of the pictures thanks to: D. Bassanini, V. Cantone, G. P. Degli Agosti, S. Facoetti, Studio Fassini, G. Gnemmi, J. Lattari, V. Li Vigni, M. Russo, F. Sacchiero,C. Vassalli.

VigevanoIdeal Town


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VigevanoIdeal Town

Vigevano Ideal Town - Locanda San Bernando · 2017. 7. 16. · Fitted with two large water wheels...

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