It has stopped raining here in Milan, Italy. We’re taking a mini-tour today that will take us to Sforza Castle and to the convent of Santa Maria della Grazie, where we’ll get to see Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper. Our gigantic tour bus is pulling up to Sforza Castle now. Whoa. I’ve seen a few castles in my day, but I’ve never seen one that looks like this.
Sforza Castle, (or Castello Sforzesco), is a monstrous, imposing structure. The huge tower over the main gate radiates power. It looks like the last place you’d want to be if you were a prisoner back in the day. Hollywood could film scenes from the Wicked Witch of the West’s castle here with no need for props or animation to make it look real.
Back in the Day…
Our visit to Sforza Castle is just long enough to learn about its history and to get a taste of what there is to see here. The Visconti family started building it when they were in power in the 13th century. As previously noted, noble families fought each other for control of Milan for years. When the Sforzas came to power, they moved into the castle, expanded it, and made it their own.
Under Sforza rule, there was finally peace in Milan. (There wasn’t anyone left who could give ‘em a fight). After four generations, Ludovico Sforza came along. By all accounts, he had big ideas for Milan, he was on the ball, and he made things happen.
Ludovico Sforza became Regent of Milan in 1481. He married a beautiful girl named Beatrice. Or perhaps she married him. Either way, Beatrice seems to have been the Jackie Onassis of the day. Life in Milan was good. Ludovico and Beatrice were quite the popular couple.
“Beatrice” was a popular name in the 15th century. Dante Alighieri’s true love was named Beatrice. Italians pronounce it like this: “beh-ah-TREE-cheh,” with a little tongue roll on the “TR”. If you say it a few times to get the hang of it, you’ll find that it’s a very nice-sounding name.
Good Times (Tempi Buoni) at Sforza Castle
When Ludovico and Beatrice were in their prime, they really had it going on at the old Sforza place. But it wasn’t just fancy balls and parties. They brought in the best artists and craftsmen from all over and commissioned them to do great works in Milan.
Ludovico was best buddies with the one and only Leonardo da Vinci. He even put Leonardo up in one of the spare rooms at the Sforza place for a few years. (Not that it was a big imposition, since they probably had a couple of hundred spare rooms at Sforza Castle).
Under Ludovico Sforza’s rule, the Milanese spent a lot of money to make improvements in the city. Streets were widened. Public parks were established. Investments were made that allowed growth in the textile and farming industries. Ludovico was on a roll. He made a couple of mistakes, though, and they were whoppers.
Two Whoppers (Due Grandi Errori)
Ludovico got wind of a plan whereby the King of Naples and the Pope were going to join forces, come up to Milan, and wipe out the Sforzas. In order to counter the threat, he decided to go to the King of France for help. They agreed that the French army would come to Milan, rest up for a while, then head south to teach the Pope and the Neapolitans a lesson.
Ludovico’s plan worked like a charm, at first. The French and Milanese armies clobbered the combined armies of the Pope and the Kingdom of Naples. So far, so good.
Unfortunately, the King of Spain was very tight with the King of Naples, and he didn’t take kindly to the idea of the French beating up on his pal. He ordered the Spanish army to sail to Naples and beat up on the French, who high-tailed it back up north toward Milan.
But instead of going all the way home to France, the French decided to stay and occupy the city. After all, there weren’t a lot of places in France where one could get Italian sausage on polenta or a plate of pasta Bolognese, eh?
For the citizens of Milan, this was a most unwelcome development. And since Ludovico Sforza was the mastermind who had the bright idea of inviting the French to Milan in the first place, he became a rather unpopular fellow. But wait – it gets worse….
Au Revoir!
To get the French out of Milan, Ludovico made a deal with the Austrians. (Or to be more specific, he offered the hand of his niece, Bianca, in marriage to the Austrian Emperor. That’s how they did it in those days). The Austrians had always had their eye on certain parts of northern Italy. This was their chance. The Austrian army attacked the French occupying Milan, who promptly decided to say “au revoir.”
Now it was the Austrians who moved in to occupy Milan. But guess what? The Spanish, who were still down south in Naples, must have been bored. They decided to go up north and attack the Austrians, who were probably worn out after battling the French.
Long story short, for hundreds of years thereafter, Northern Italy was the stomping ground of the French, Austrian, and Spanish armies, who took turns occupying the whole area. I told you that Ludovico’s mistakes were whoppers, eh?
To be continued…
Just for fun…
Santa Maria della Grazie – Holy Mary of Grace
Castello Sforzesco – Sforza Castle
Tempi buoni – Good times
Tempi difficili – Bad times
Un errore – One error
Due errori – Two errors
