Pandino Castle

Pandino Castle, locally more commonly known as Castello Visconteo di Pandino, lies in the town of the same name, in the Cremona province in the Lombardy region in Italy.

Pandino Castle was built between 1355 and 1370 by Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan, to serve as a hunting lodge. Hunting was Bernabò's favorite pastime and then the lands around Pandino were wooded.

The building has the typical shape of the Visconti lowland castles of the time: a square plan with 4 square corner towers, an inner courtyard with a pointed arched portico on the ground floor and an upper loggia with square pillars. After construction, most of the walls were frescoed with mostly geometrical designs and the coat of arms of Bernabò Visconti; the snake, and his wife Beatrice Regina della Scala; the ladder. Originally the castle was circled by a moat.

During the 15th century, when it had passed to the Sforza family, Pandino Castle was strengthened with 2 gate towers and the southeast corner tower was raised. This was done to protect the castle from Venetian forces which had been drawing near. These measures apparently didn't help as later the castle was taken twice by the Venetians without much difficulty, after which they occupied it for a few years.

Later the castle passed through the hands of several noble families until 1552 when it came into the possession of the Marquis of Adda. The D'Addas then owned the castle until they sold it to the local council in 1947. By that time the castle had fallen into dilapidation and was used for agricultural purposes, so it was subsequently restored.

Pandino Castle now houses municipal offices, a library and a police post and is used for cultural purposes. During daytime you can freely enter the courtyard. A really nice castle.

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