Peschiera Castle

Peschiera Castle, locally more commonly known as Castello Borromeo di Peschiera, lies in the village of Peschiera Borromeo, in the Milan province in the Lombardy region in Italy.

Peschiera Castle started out as just a kind of fortified farmhouse of unknown age. In 1432, Vitaliano I Borromeo obtained the right to fortify the farmhouse even more from the Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti. Vitaliano then transformed the building into a small castle. The noble Borromeo family originated in Tuscany, had branched out to Lombardy and Vitaliano served as the banker of the Duke.

In 1567 Saint Carlo Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan, renounced it in favor of his uncle Giulio Cesare Borromeo. Giulio's son Renato I restored the castle in the last 20 years of the 16th century. He again gave the castle a residential character, almost devoid of its 15th century military appearance.

Peschiera Castle is still private property and can thus not be visited, except for special days or events.

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