| The Castello Sforzesco | ||
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The Castello Sforzesco was originally a fortress of the Visconti family, who were considerate enough to place it conveniently near a Mtero station. It was remodeled by Francesco Sforza in the 15th cebtury, with Leonardo da Vinci aiding in designing the defenses. Today it houses a series of wonderful museums with everything from Egyptian artifacts to needlework and old musical instruments- all open free to the public.
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At left are a few leftover stone cannonballs. Before the 1400s iron was much too costly to shoot at enemies so stone was hand-crafted to fit the cannons. The range, by the way, on these cannons was over a mile! Not bad for throwing rocks. The Spanish used the Castello for military purposes and the Hapsburgs rode in from Austria and took it over for awhile, so we're not sure whose cannonballs they are. At right, a detail on one of the marble sculptures inside the museum. The area of this photo is about four inches square. Notice the nicely crafted hands, the folds of the cloaks, and the strands of hair. (Click for a larger view.) |
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At left, the tomb of Bernabo Visconti, who died in 1385. This was clearly a guy who didn't want to be forgotten. At right, the drawbridge at the front of the castle. Ron had to wait forever for a group of school children to clear out so he could get this shot. The engineering of the mechanism was particularly interesting. Using gears and ratchets he gate could be raised by only one person, though very slowly, and dropped in seconds when necessary.
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