Castello Visconteo in Cassano d'Adda hosts meetings, conferences, company dinners, weddings and celebrations in six halls that hold 40 to 350 guests, plus a 1,000 square meter courtyard and 30 bedrooms. The castle stands on the river Adda between Milan and Bergamo, and its team handles the whole event, from the rooms to the kitchen.
Seminars and company events
Two halls suit business programs. Terrazza Leonardo has large windows over the river and is set up for conferences, meetings and workshops in theatre, cocktail, round tables, imperial tables or school desks, up to 350 people. It has a platform, a basic sound system, a projector and a screen. Camera Ducale, on the second floor, takes small conferences and closed meetings of up to 50 people in theatre, cabaret, school desk, round table or horseshoe layouts. For a plenary dinner afterward, Salone Francesco II Sforza seats up to about 250 at round tables, and Salone del Gran Camino, which can be combined with other rooms, takes up to 300. The castle also arranges wine tastings in the old dungeons, the Segrete.
Weddings and receptions
The castle lists weddings and celebrations among its events. The inner courtyard, 1,000 square meters with an arcade and evening lighting, serves for outdoor dinners and ceremonies. Sala Bernabò Visconti seats up to 140 for banquets, buffets or gala dinners. Sala Beatrice d'Este Sforza, also called the Throne Room, suits small receptions for up to 50, and Sala Bianca Maria Sforza takes up to 40. A catering arm, Castello Ricevimenti, and a bistro operate under the same team.
Rooms and capacities
Salone Francesco II Sforza: 367 square meters, 43 by 8.5 meters, ground floor, frescoes, up to 250. Terrazza Leonardo: 38 by 9.3 meters, up to 350. Salone del Gran Camino: 294 square meters on the second floor with an old fireplace, up to 300. Sala Bernabò Visconti: 170 square meters, ground floor, up to 140. Sala Beatrice d'Este Sforza: 7.9 by 8.5 meters, up to 50. Sala Bianca Maria Sforza: 7.1 by 8.9 meters, up to 40. Camera Ducale: 9.2 by 8.5 meters, up to 50. The courtyard has 1,000 square meters.
Accommodation
The castle has 30 bedrooms: 20 standard rooms of about 20 square meters for two guests, and 10 suites each named after an illustrious guest, with a living room, king-size bed and a bathroom with tub and shower. Rooms are reserved first for guests of events held at the castle and for large groups, and bookings go through a written request.
Catering
The kitchen is led by chef Paolo Franchi, who has worked in Italy and Germany. Menus are made to measure for each event, with the aim of simple dishes prepared with attention to detail.
History and setting
The castle stands at a strategic crossing of the Adda, bordered by the Muzza canal, which for centuries marked the boundary between the Duchy of Milan and the Republic of Venice. Archbishop Ottone Visconti, in office from 1261 to 1295, built the present castle. In the 15th century, Bartolomeo Gadio designed the great wall down to the Muzza. Leonardo da Vinci stayed in the castle tower, from which he studied the flight of birds. Restoration began in the 1960s and uncovered the old decoration.
Getting there
Castello Visconteo is at Piazza Perrucchetti 3, 20062 Cassano d'Adda, in the province of Milan. The site has a page on how to reach the castle and offers visits by appointment.
