Abbiategrasso

The castle was built starting from 1381 on the traces of a previous building, the castrum novum, owned by the archbishops of Milan. It was in a point of strategic importance between the Naviglio Grande and the Milan - Vigevano connection road. The castle became the summer residence of some duchesses. Until 1635 it played a defensive role for the Duchy of Milan. A few years later, the Governor of Milan began to dismantle it, so that it did not fall into the hands of the French. It has been subjected several times to important changes in the 15th, 17th and 19th centuries, the last of which aimed at using the remains of the castle as a private dwelling. It then became municipal property, first as a school and then as the seat of associations in the town of Abbiategrasso. An important restoration in 1995 recovered and enhanced the different superimpositions of the architectural structure and the various decorative elements. An attempt was made to bring the ancient Visconti structure back to light, recovering the large pointed arches that delimit the refined internal courtyard and leaving broad traces of an older cladding to be seen, such as in the round windows on the facade. On the inside we find the frescoes commissioned by the Visconti who marked the building's transition from a military outpost to a stately home. The castle is the seat of the Romeo Brambilla civic library and seat of meetings, exhibitions and cultural and social initiatives.

The first fair was held in the late 15th century as an agricultural fair. The Abbiategrasso Regional Agricultural Fair is one of the oldest fairs in the province of Milan.

The convent was begun in 1469 and finished in 1472, while the church was consecrated with the title of S. Maria Annunziata in 1477. In 1810 the convent was suppressed and the following year it was transformed into a hospital. The convent complex was then divided up and sold to private individuals, changing its destination several times use, to the point of becoming a complex of small social housing. The Municipal Administration acquired the entire building and its restoration was completed in 2007. The complex is used by the Municipal Administration for cultural events such as conferences, courses, exhibitions, theatrical performances and concerts.