Vigevano’s Piazza Ducale was commissioned by Ludovico il Moro, lord of Milan, as an entrance antechamber to the imposing Visconti-Sforza Castle. Construction events date back to 1492, work lasted two years, and in October 1494 the new square welcomed the visit of Charles VIII.
Certain is the design intervention by Bramante, while Leonardo da Vinci present at the works drew inspiration for some drawings contained in his codes.
Piazza Ducale is one of the first Renaissance squares executed on the model of the Roman "forum," as well as one of the best examples of 15th-century Lombard architecture. It appears as an elongated rectangle 134 meters long and 48 meters wide built on three sides (the fourth is occupied by the cathedral church)
