Completion of the restoration and redevelopment works of the adjacent areas

Piazza Castello 20081 Abbiategrasso (MI)

The castle is the seat of the Civic Library
Phone 02-94692454
Fax 02-94692459
E-mail biblioteca@comune.abbiategrasso.mi.it

The project involved the completion of the recovery of the Visconti Castle, with the arrangement of spaces in the basements, of the courtyard and of the fourteenth-century arches, facing also the unresolved problem represented by the relationship between the building and the outside areas. This last aspect entailed long debates and studies, and was finally solved by displacing the road close to the castle and creating a green perimetral strip, recalling the ancient moat: vehicular traffic was also cancelled and large pedestrian areas were given back to the citizens. Conservation works on the walls and vaults of the stables in the basement, on the arches overlooking the courtyard and inside the room of the northern part of the building were carried out inside the castle. The restoration of the frescoes on the façade and the paving of the courtyard, with new lighting systems, gave again dignity to the building, heavily mutilated in the course of its history, and but now evaluated as the main cultural center and historical symbol of the town.

By Alberto Ambrosini