Malpaga Castle

Malpaga Castle, locally known as Castello di Malpaga, lies north of the town of Ghisalba, in the Bergamo province in the Lombardy region in Italy.

Between the 12th and 14th century there was a conflict in Northern Italy between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, factions who were supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor respectively. Malpaga Castle was built around the middle of the 14th century by a member of the Ghibelline party, definitely before the advent of gunpowder.

By 1450 the castle was in the hands of the city of Bergamo and was in an abandoned and ruined state after a raid in the 1440s. Then, in 1456, Malpaga Castle was bought by Bartolomeo Colleoni, a condottiero (captain of a mercenary company) who had become Captain General of the Republic of Venice the previous year. By then, the castle was no longer defendable, due to the introduction of the use of gunpowder. He then restored the castle; enlarging and enriching it, not only as a military base for his troops, but also as a seigneurial residence, in the typical Italian Renaissance fashion.

Colleoni and his wife Tisbe Martinengo moved into the restored castle in 1458. During his residence in the castle he then received, hosted and entertained the big names of his time, amongst whom Christian I, King of Denmark, in 1474. Colleoni died the next year, and as he and his wife only had daughters, the castle passed to his nephews; the sons of Gerardo Martinengo and Ursina Colleoni. Malpaga stayed in the hands of the Martinengo-Colleoni family for the following centuries and they had the internal walls almost entirely covered with frescoes.

The castle was sold to the noble Roncalli family in 1859 and came into the hands of the Crespi family in 1924.

Malpaga Castle now serves as a museum, so it can be visited for a fee. Sadly enough, when I came by, the museum was having a children-only day, so I could not go inside. Too bad, I would have loved to see the famous frescoes. A beautiful castle.

Gallery