Lose Yourself in Magical Milan

In 1450, Francesco Sforza rebuilt the castle after defeating the Ambrosian Republic. He made it his residence and went further to hire a sculptor. In 1452, he got Filarete, an architect and sculptor, to design the central tower. The tower got named after the sculptor still goes by its name Torres del Filarete. His son took over the construction work after Filarete died. He worked with Benedetto Ferrini. Local painters worked on the designs in the castle.

After Ludovico Sforza became the Lord of Milan in 1494, he called numerous artists to decorate the castle. Leonardo da Vinci was one of the artists commissioned. He worked on the frescoes in several rooms in the castle in collaboration with Bernardino Zenale and Bernardino Butinone. Another artist that worked on the frescoes in the castle was Bramante. He is responsible for the Sala del Tesoro. Around 1498, Leonardo da Vinci worked at the ceiling of the Sala delle Asse, where he painted it in vegetable motifs. The main architect, Filarete, blended the aesthetics of early medieval Milan with the 15th-century architectural plan.

Leonardo moved to Milan in 1482 to be a court painter for the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. He lived in the Castle while creating many of his masterpieces such as the Madonna of the Rocks, Lady with an Ermine and The Last Supper fresco. Leonardo also took part in other fields such as planning, engineering, and event planning. The Duke gifted him with a small vineyard in 1498. It was from there that Leonardo painted the Last Supper.