Among the rare castles in the plains, the Castle stands as a post in a lavish land because it is blessed by the confluence of many water streams, in a privileged position, for the passage of wealthy merchants on the famous “Via del Sale” (Salt route) and the pilgrims who walked the “Via Francigena” from Rome to Paris.
It passed unscathed under multiple dominations, from the Visconti of Milan, lords of the territory in 1300, who ordered its construction, to the Mandelli, to the Sforza, to the Gallarati, and then it returned to the Visconti family.
In the 1500 it was given to Colonel Don Alvaro De Sandez, inaugurating the marquise title with this donation. And then to Don Carlo Omodeo and from his son to the Genoese noble Francesco Maria Balbi who obtained his investiture as the last feudal lord by Amedeo III of Savoy in 1651.
The Marquises Balbi owned the vast agricultural land and the castle until the twentieth century, carrying on extensive renovations that transformed the mighty fourteenth-century fortress into a stately home, giving the whole estate a romantic appearance.
The last heirs, the nobles Doria and Odescalchi gave it to the current owner, their cousin, Count Niccolò Calvi di Bergolo in the late 1960s.
The Count has created, inside the castle and in the garden, evocative and interesting historical-artistic paths open to the public that he accompanies with his charismatic presence.
