The Rocca Borromeo di Angera, or Rocca d'Angera, also called Borromeo Castle, is a
rocca on a hilltop above the town of
Angera
Angera (, ; ) is a town and ''comune'' located in the province of Varese, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. In Roman Empire, Roman times, it was an important lake port and road station. Formerly known as Anghiera, Angera received the titl ...
in the
Province of Varese
The province of Varese () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Varese (population of 80,857 inhabitants), but its largest city is Busto Arsizio. The headquarters of AgustaWestland, the compa ...
on the southern shores of
Lago Maggiore
Lake Maggiore (, ; ; ; ; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (; ) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the List of lakes of Italy, second largest lake in Italy and the List of lakes of Switzerland, largest in southern Sw ...
. It has medieval origins and initially belonged to the
Milanese archbishop. It passed then to the
Visconti of Milan
The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the V ...
and later to the
Borromeos, who are still the owners.
It is visible across the lake from
Arona, where the remains of another castle with the same property history, the Rocca di Arona, stand.
The fortress comprises four parts, built in different periods, that enclose an internal courtyard. On the northeastern side, a wall with corner turrets extends outside the building and bends towards the lake until the edge of the cliff enclosing a garden.
History
Origins

The origin of the Rocca traces back to an early medieval watchtower, around which the other parts of the building later developed. The tower belonged to the
Milanese church, and in the 13th century, it was the refuge of Archbishop Leone da Perego after being forced to flee
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
by the city faction led by the
Della Torre
The House of Della Torre (Torriani or Thurn) was an Italian noble family who dominated Lombardy and much of northern Italy between the 12th and 14th centuries. They owned the Lordship of Milan, before being expelled by the Visconti. They were membe ...
family.
Visconti period
The Della Torre were defeated by the Visconti family, leader of the party of the Milanese nobility, in the
battle of Desio
The Battle of Desio was fought on 21 January 1277 between the Della Torre and Visconti families for the control of Milan and its countryside. The battlefield is located near the modern Desio, a commune outside the city in Lombardy, Northern It ...
in 1277.
Ottone Visconti
Ottone Visconti (1207 8 August 1295) was Archbishop of Milan and Lord of Milan, the first of the Visconti line.
Under his rule, the commune of Milan became a strong Ghibelline city and one of the Holy Roman Empire's seats in Italy.
Biograp ...
, archbishop and first lord of Milan, expanded the fortress, adding a new wing today called the Ottonian or Visconti wing. After Ottone's death, the Viscontis took possession of the Rocca and other properties belonging to the Milanese church. They paid great attention to Angera because they considered it their legendary place of origin.

Entirely built in squared and smooth local stone, the Ottonian wing is an excellent example of 13th-century residential architecture. It has a front marked by simple narrow windows on the ground floor and mullioned windows on the upper floor. The body of the building was erected against the ancient keep, closing off the original access to the keep.
The Ottonian wing contains the Hall of Justice, decorated by an unknown painter with
fresco
Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
es representing episodes from the life of Archbishop Ottone Visconti, his victory against the Della Torre, and the subsequent pacification of Milan. The frescoes were probably commissioned by Ottone's nephew,
Matteo Visconti
Matteo I Visconti (1250–1322) was the second of the Milanese Visconti family to govern Milan. Matteo was born to Teobaldo Visconti and Anastasia Pirovano.
In 1287, Matteo's uncle Ottone Visconti, archbishop and first lord of Milan, nominate ...
, to celebrate his memory.
They underline the magnanimity of Ottone Visconti and his will to peacefully obtain the city's government, as shown by the constant presence of the
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as representing the crucifixion of Jesus, is a religious symbol, symbol of Christianity. It is related to the crucifix, a cross that includes a ''corpus'' (a representation of Jesus' body, usually three-dimensional) a ...
above his head.
Astrological
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions of celesti ...
symbols accompany Ottone's events in the upper part of the wall. The frescoes had to cover the six sides of the Hall of Justice to house all twelve
zodiacal signs. A wall, whose frescoes have partly survived, shows the
Wheel of Fortune to symbolize the alternation of events that saw the Della Torre pass from dominating the city of Milan to their defeat.
Between 1375 and 1385, for his wife
Regina Della Scala,
Bernabò Visconti
Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti (1323 – 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he ...
built a third wing known as Ala Scaligera (Della Scala wing).
Borromeo period
The political instabilities in Milan following the death of
Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti (16 October 1351 – 3 September 1402), was the first duke of Duchy of Milan, Milan (1395) and ruled that late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance. He also ruled Lombardy jointly with his uncle Bernabò V ...
(1402) led to the loss of the direct influence of the dukes of Milan over Angera. Initially, Gaspare Visconti of Uberto, a powerful count of nearby Arona and a distant cousin of the dukes, took advantage of it, obtaining rights over Angera town and perhaps its castle.

In 1439
Duke Filippo Maria, trying to cancel the domain of Gaspare's descendants over the southern portion of Lake Maggiore, ceded Arona to his treasurer
Vitaliano Borromeo Vitaliano Borromeo may refer to:
* Vitaliano I Borromeo (died 1449), count of Arona
* (1620–1690), marquis of Angera
* Vitaliano Borromeo (cardinal) (1720–1793)
* (1792-1874), marquis of Angera
{{hndis ...
, a descendant of a wealthy family of Paduan and Tuscan merchants and bankers. Ten years later, in 1449, the new count of Arona acquired jurisdiction over Angera for 12,800 lire. From that moment, Angera became a part of the small state the Borromeos were building around Lake Maggiore. Except for the brief period after 1497, when Angera returned under the direct control of the
Sforzas
The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ended with the de ...
, new dukes of Milan, the Rocca di Angera always belonged to the Borromeos, who still hold it today.
The fourth building, which is called the Borromean wing, closes the Rocca to the southeast. Initially built by the Visconti, it was transformed between 1564 and 1631 during the Borromean period.
Today

Rocca di Angera is today in excellent condition and opens for visitors. The internal courtyard (Corte Nobile) is the castle's first part after the entrance. The nearby former stables house a mighty
winepress
A winepress is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during winemaking. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts controll ...
, considered one of the largest in Europe.

The Rocca is best known for the Hall of Justice with its significant frescos. Two other rooms are the Sala delle Cerimonie (Hall of the Ceremonies), with 15th-century frescoes recovered from the
Palazzo Borromeo in Milan after the bombings of the Second World War, and the Sala dei Fasti Borromeo (Hall of the Borromean Splendors), containing paintings glorifying the Borromeo family.

The castle also contains a Museo della Bambola e del Giocattolo (Museum of the Doll and Toy), founded in 1988 by Princess Bona Borromeo Arese, displaying over a thousand dolls from all over the world made between the 18th century and the present day. The keep offers a broad view of the southern Lake Maggiore region.
Externally, toward the lake, a medieval garden stands with medicinal plants, aromatic herbs, and a vineyard.
References
Sources
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External links
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Rocca Borromeo - complessoCopyright Regione Lombardia
VisitAngera - Rocca di Angera
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borromeo di Angera
Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century
Castles in Lombardy