Sforza Castle - Armor Museum
One of the places I wanted to revisit while in Milan at the end of our recent 2014 trip was the Sforza Castle. When we visited in 2009, we walked the grounds but did not have time to tour the museums within the castle, itself. With a day and a half in Milan at the end of the trip, that would change.
Sforza Castle is only a short walk from the center of Milan and the city centerpiece of the Duomo. The fortress was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza then the Duke of Milan. the 15th century fortress was built upon the remains of an earlier, 14th century fortress. At one time, it was one of the largest citadels in Europe.
Today, it houses several museums including an armor museum. The armor room contains an interesting variety of arms and armor including several suits of three-quarter cuirassier armor with two-tone metal work.
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| Note detailing on morion |
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| C3PO? |
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| Note the stock inlays |
Beautiful pics, love these armors..but I'm not sure for C3PO!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Phil! I thought that one suit of armor reminded me of C3PO from Star Wars. I guess not!
DeleteWork takes me to Milan once or twice a year and I've seen the place from the outside, but never entered the museum - apparently a mistake. The castle itself is an impressive and detailed building like your pictures show. I'll be back for a look at that armory next time I'm there. Thanks for sharing the pics!
ReplyDeleteNext time you are in Milano, add this place to your list of places to see. Sforza also contains an Egyptian collection worth seeing too.
DeleteHave you visited the Risorgemento Museum near the Brera district?
For drink and food, make sure to hit Happy Hour at the bars in the Brera district.
Great looking castle and collection of arms/armor. Beautiful day too! Best, Dean
ReplyDeleteDean! It was a beautiful day! In fact, perfect weather for a stroll around Milano.
DeleteThat's a fantastic looking castle! I'd like to visit it someday. I believe the family played an important role in the Italian Wars.
ReplyDeleteChristopher
The castle is a massive structure. Most of the outer walls were destroyed during the Napoleonic era and later reconstructed after Italian unification.
DeleteThanks for sharing all the pics, wonderful stuff!
ReplyDeleteJason, glad you enjoyed it!
DeleteThanks for sharing, Jonathan! I could lose myself in such a great museum.
ReplyDeleteThe MMOA in NYC has a smallish section of "middle ages" arms and armor and I had to be pulled from there by my family. Ah well...
I hear that! You should see the look on my wife's face when I saw, "let's stop for a short battlefield walk." Priceless!
DeleteOf course, there is no such thing as a short walk but she is a good sport no matter what we must climb over to reach the site.
You're clearly blessed with a gem of a wife. Without her love and support, this wouldn't work...meaning the painting, blogging, museum visits and more. It is a great blessing!
DeleteMonty, all things have a cost... After a week in Seattle for work, I am spending the weekend in Vancouver B.C. attending a Michael Buble concert. Concert was actually very good and exceeded my expectations.
Delete:-)
DeleteAnd there is my answer. Fascinating! I've never seen MB. It reminds me of shows I didn't want to see but the performer was such that I was won over. Good to have an open mind.
Yes, I slid the answer into this posting.
DeleteWas lucky enough to be taken through the Sforza with my cousins who were local Milanese we were staying with. They were amazed that we knew so much about the period and when I revealed my hobby they understood. Particularly lived the array of armour on show. Need to fig my ok'd photos and video (long time ago!!) out. Thanks for the prompt.
ReplyDeleteCarlo! The armory section of the museum was a highlight for me too. The Egyptian section was quite a surprise.
DeleteI look forward to seeing your photos.