The Villa Medici del Vascello, one of the most important residential castles in the province of Cremona, reopened at the beginning of May after a nine-year restoration process.
The castle, located in San Giovanni in Croce, is famous for having been the residence of Cecilia Gallerani, the subject of a famous Leonardo painting, Lady with an Ermine, painted between 1488 and 1490. Gallerani was the favorite and most celebrated of the many mistresses of Ludovico Sforza, known as il Moro, the Duke of Milan. Gallerani moved to the castle after the death of her husband, whom she had married after her relationship to Sforza was discovered by Beatrice d’Este, Ludovico’s wife.
The residence was built on the ruins of an existing castle at the beginning of the 15th century by Cabrino Fondulo, lord of Cremona, and is immersed in the Oglio Sud Regional Park.
It hasn’t been inhabited since the end of World War II, and was in really bad conditions when the city of San Giovanni Croce bought it in 2002 and proceeded to restore it.
The villa is open every Sunday until the end of October. Advance reservations are required if you wish to visit during the week.
