Located in Milan, Italy, the fortification was originally built by the Visconti family. During the Renaissance, the Sforza family rebuilt the castle and named it Castello Sforzesco. They hired many outstanding artists to decorate their residence.
In the 15th century, Leonardo Da Vinci spent 18 years living in Milan and working on his new ideas. He also painted frescoes in the castle and portraits of members of the Sforza family. In 1489 he painted the mistress of Ludovico Sforza. The portrait known as Lady with an Ermine—part of the Czartoryski collection in Krakow, Poland—is one of the most famous paintings of the Renaissance.
There also speculations that Leonardo was overseeing construction of bastions based on designs in his notebooks. Castle of Milan might be a rare example of fortification where parts were constructed under supervision of Leonardo da Vinci.
