I cortili

The Courtyard of Arms

Entering from the Filarete Tower, one walks into the vast Courtyard of Arms, extensively restored by the architect, Luca Beltrami. On the side facing the Carmine gate, stand the remnants of a by-gone age: stone sarcophagi from the late Roman period (3rd - 4th century AD), fragments of statues and archaeological artefacts. Façades that decorated two buildings on what today are via Bassano Porrone and via Spadari, in central Milan, have been attached to the courtyard wall. On the opposite side of the courtyard is the Spanish hospital, while, moving towards the Ducal courtyard one comes upon the moat surrounding the medieval walls, known as the dead moat. Before reaching the moat one passes the 18th century white marble statue of Saint John Nepomucene.

The Spanish Hospital

During the Spanish occupation, one of the older buildings of the Courtyard of Arms was repurposed, by order of the castle governor, Sancho de Guevara y Padilla, to serve as an infirmary for the soldiers of the garrison. The ceiling of the infirmary depicted the apostles surrounded by garlands and scrolls bearing the apostles creed, while one of the walls carries the Spanish Royal Coat of Arms and another the Arms of the Spanish nobility. A graffito with the date 1517 probably coincides with the year in which the decoration was completed. The hospital and adjacent pharmacy were in use until at least the 18th century. Thanks to the Mangili bequest, the building was restored by Luca Beltrami in 1907, who, between 1907 and 1908 also had the top floor demolished, without however touching the internal spaces.

The Ducal Courtyard

The Portico of the Elephant, designed by the Tuscan architect, Benedetto Ferrini in 1473, and so called for the fresco that is still visible to this day, marks the beginning of the ducal residence. On the wall adjacent to the portico one can also make out the paws of what must have been another imposing animal, most probably a lion. The residence of Galeazzo Maria Sforza since 1468, the ducal apartments were on both the ground and first floors and were connected by a shallow-stepped staircase that allowed the duke access to the upper floor apartments on horseback.

The Rocchetta Courtyard

A fortress within the fortress, the Rocchetta was, for a brief period, the refuge of Bona di Savoia, who commissioned the construction of the high tower, before Ludovico il Moro assumed power. The bunker-like appearance of the exterior, with its high and windowless walls is rendered lighter and more appealing by the addition of three portico wings in which, in line with the wishes of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, the capitals of the columns are adorned with the coats of arms of the Visconti and Sforza families. On the side facing the the Ducal Courtyard, the coats of arms that have the addition of a half moon, the symbol of the Spanish castle governor Alvaro de Luna, indicate areas dating to the 1500s. The restorations that took place between 2010 and 2013 brought to light the Sforza motif decorations wanted by Luca Beltrami in the early 1900s.

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