Medici Castle in Melegnano - Central body

Piazza Vittoria, 11 20077 Melegnano (MI)

Visits:
Saturday: 14:30 to 17:30
Sunday: 15:00 to 19:00
Phone: 02 9838397
promelegnano@alice.it
www.comune.melegnano.mi.it

Restoration of the central body

The restoration project of the central body of the castle, wanted by the City of Melegnano, shows three interesting aspects: a new loft in the Retirement Village hosted on the ground floor (replacing the municipal library expected in a first time), a new glass elevator, and a guided tour in the attic. Taking into consideration the "reversibility" of each new intervention, the main framework of the lofts is made by iron girders, bolted together and fixed to the weight bearing wall with a plate provided in a niche in the wall. Awoodenfloorboard, placedat 45° with respectto thebeams, highlights thenew, lightweight, slabplaced at about ameter and a halffrom the walls in order to maintain a view totheoriginal sizeof the environment. The lift is made entirely of glass: it passes through the castle, from top to bottom, and in its eleven-meter path reveals the different architectural styles, materials, construction techniques, ancient and modern. From the top floor - where the elevator gets - you enter the attic floor with a modern iron and stone staircase. Herea protected path was made, eight inchesfrom thefloorofthe original attic, that allows you tosee the beautifulsixteenth-centurywooden beamscrossing thecentral partof the castle, andthen downto the main floor(where there arelarge the sixteenth century frescoed hallsby brothersCampi) bythe new staircase, made in thenorth-easterntower. And it seemsthat, for thiscastle,sevencenturies old, a first partial rebirth startedwith the ThirdMillennium.

By Beniamino Rocca