Giants in Milan Vol.7: The Sforza Castle (2015)

The Sforza Castle is a symbol of the city of Milan, such as the Duomo cathedral and the La Scala theatre. It was built in the 15 th century by Francesco Sforza and it had played a leading role throughout the ages. It was also invaded by Spanish, French, Austrians and even by Napoleone who would change its appearance with no success, fortunately. This documentary shows everything that concerns the castle and its history: the museums, the architecture, its creepy secret cellars and the artists connected to it, especially Leonardo Da Vinci. There is also a detailed study about the Michelangelo artwork, Pietà Rondanini, now placed in the castle. The director of the Milanese department of historic archives, Francesco Martelli, tells the particular story about how the Michelangelo sculpture has been buyed. Actually, in 1953 some important family from Milan, as the Rizzoli's, the Crespi's, the Scott's, the Gerbi's, the Marmonti Ferrania's, the Stramazzi's and the Borletti's, decided to collect their money to buy it from the Vimercati Sanseverino collection, paying 135 milions lira. The Pietà of Michelangelo is considered an art miracle in the world. Furthermore, in this documentary Angelo Stella told the story of the "Colonna Infame" gravestone, a story that Manzoni would include in his novel "The betrothed" and then published separetly.