Castello di Belgioioso, Castle in Belgioioso, Italy

Castello di Belgioioso is a Visconti castle in Belgioioso, near Pavia, built on a square plan about 100 metres per side, without corner towers, modelled on the castle of Pavia. It was conceived as a hunting residence and stands near the former Via Francigena and the oak forest of the Valle Porcaria.

Galeazzo II Visconti acquired the castle in 1376 and developed it into a hunting residence similar in scale to the castle of Pavia. The structure maintained its original military design across the following centuries.

The ballroom displays frescoes and an ancestor gallery with busts and stucco ornaments made by Carlo Beretta in the 18th century. These artworks represent some of the castle's finest interior embellishments.

The castle hosts exhibitions, art shows, and offers guided tours through its various rooms. It is wise to check in advance what exhibitions are on view and what areas are open to visitors.

Gian Galeazzo Visconti stayed at the castle so often that in a letter of 22 December 1393 he banned deer hunting and all other game from Belgioioso as far as Bereguardo, Vigevano and Abbiategrasso. The 1397 testament that founded the Certosa di Pavia nonetheless excluded Belgioioso from the lands given to the Carthusians.