Scaldasole PV

Scaldasole Castle

The monumental complex of Scaldasole comprises a castle and a ricetto, a type of building almost unique in Lombardy but common in neighboring Piedmont. Over the centuries, it has undergone various modifications due to the different feudal lords and owners who succeeded one another in its management. The earliest fortifications in Scaldasole likely date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, but the castle was extensively rebuilt during the Visconti period, especially by the Folperti family between the 14th and 15th centuries. This reconstruction incorporated some of the ancient structures, including the majestic tower visible from the courtyard.

In 1404, Ardengo Folperti, a high-ranking Visconti dignitary of noble Pavesian origins, had the ricetto built, assigning it the role of an arms square and popular refuge, while the castle became the lordly residence. In the second half of the century, the Malaspina marquises enriched the building with a portico and a loggia, contributing to its maximum splendor. Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio (1527-1607) created a sumptuous garden (of which only two magnolias remain today), well-preserved stables near the north entrance, and a chapel-oratory. The cardinal’s heirs, the Gallio Trivulzio dukes of Alvito, maintained the castle until 1799 when it was ceded to Carlo Brielli, who, in turn, granted it in perpetual investiture to the noble Giovanni Antonio Strada of Garlasco. Points of interest include the Camera Longa, dating back to the 15th century and used for the administration of feudal jurisdiction, a ballroom in Louis-Philippe style frescoed in 1846, a library with volumes on Pavesian and Lombard history, the Camera degli Orologi, and the Camera Turchina.