• About

    Piazza Ducale is the main square of Vigevano, located in the historical center of the city.

    Piazza Ducale is one of the first Renaissance-style squares in Italy and is among the best examples of Lombard architecture of the 15th century.

     

    SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA DUCALE

    Piazza Ducale - VigevanoThe area on which the square currently stands was characterized by a wide road surrounded by buildings with porticos, the result of the 14th-century expansion of the village.

    The Sforzesco Castle, located in an elevated position in the immediate vicinity, was accessed via a ramp or a stairway placed in correspondence with the current Bramante Tower (Torre del Bramante).

    Piazza Ducale was built between 1492 and 1494 at the behest of Ludovico Maria Sforza, also known as Ludovico il Moro (the Moor), as an antechamber of the castle.

    Under the direction of the ducal architect Ambrogio da Corte, some of the buildings located in the area were demolished and some of them had their facades aligned.

    The southern side of Piazza Ducale was interrupted by a wide ramp, in correspondence with the tower, connecting the square to the castle.

    The western side of the square was divided into two parts joined by a triumphal arch at the entrance to Via del Popolo.

    On the northern side, across the square from the ramp on the southern side, another triumphal arch was built, corresponding to the entrance to Via Giorgio Silva.

    The facades of the buildings enclosing the square were decorated with frescoes, very similar to the contemporary frescoes of Palazzo Bottigella in Pavia.

    The current appearance of Piazza Ducale is the result of an intervention carried out in 1680 by the Spanish bishop Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, in which the ramp was demolished and a staircase was built.

    The layout of the square was definitively modified by Caramuel with the construction of the new facade of the Cathedral of Vigevano.

    Around the middle of the 18th century, the triumphal arches were replaced, and the Austrian occupiers placed a statue of San Giovanni Nepomuceno (Saint John of Nepomuk) in the western part of the square.

    The paving with pebbles dates back to the mid-19th century, when the paving of the arcades, originally in herringbone bricks, was also replaced with the current one.

    Between 1905 and 1910, an extensive restoration of the square was carried out, which brought to light the fragments of the ancient frescoes. The frescoes were redone by the local painters Casimiro Ottone and Luigi Bocca.

    During the works, the roofs of the buildings were also redone, with the construction of the Eclectic chimneys, and the current lampposts were installed.

    In 1911, the paving of the square was changed again, with white pebbles inserts, after a design by the architect Gaetano Moretti.

    Between 1992 and 1996, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the construction of the square, Piazza Ducale was renovated and the original frescoes were restored.

     

    ARCHITECTURE OF PIAZZA DUCALE

    Piazza Ducale is 134 meters long and 48 wide, and is enclosed on three sides by homogeneous buildings with uniform facades and porticoes.

    The porticoes are supported by 84 columns with capitals of different shapes. Above each column, there is a medallion depicting Roman and Renaissance characters, with some mottos and proverbs.

    The fourth side of the square is occupied by the Cathedral of Sant’Ambrogio, erected starting with 1532 by Francesco II Sforza.

    The cathedral, with a beautiful concave facade built in 1680 by Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, acts as a theatrical backdrop for the square, making Piazza Ducale one of the most beautiful in Italy.

     

    HOW TO GET TO PIAZZA DUCALE

    Piazza Ducale is located about 600 meters or about 10 minutes on foot from the Vigevano railway station. To easily find the square, use the map below.

  • Find a place to stay
  • Photos
  • Map

    No Records Found

    Sorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again.

    Google Map Not Loaded

    Sorry, unable to load Google Maps API.

  • Reviews

    Leave a Review

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate this Place (overall):
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
     

    Drop files to upload


    Please drag & drop the images to rearrange the order

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.