The View from Castel San Pietro

A couple of weeks ago, I took the funicular to the Castel San Pietro. Giangaleazzo Visconti built the original castle in 1398 over the ruins of a late 9th/early 10th century fortress, but the area has been occupied since Roman times. Visconti’s castle was blown up by the French in 1801 and completely demolished by the Austrians in 1840 together with the Romanesque church that was also on the site. Between 1851 and 1856, the Austrians constructed a Romanesque Revival fortress and barrack where the castle and church had been, and that is what is there today.

Castel San Pietro has suffered badly from years of neglect and is finally under restoration, so it’s not yet open to the public. The views of the city from the Piazzale San Pietro are what make the visit worthwhile. The bridges visible in some of the photographs have been rebuilt after being destroyed by the retreating Germans in 1945, in some cases using as much of the original materials as could be recovered from the river.Read more