According to a document of 1152 , drafted up by Frederick Barbarossa, that confirms the jurisdiction on the land of Sizzano besides other territories in this region to the Earl Guido di Biandrate, the Castle of Sizzano was built around the middle of the XII century. Little is known on how the fortification looked like in the Middle Ages, we know for sure that the parish church of San Vittore stood in its interior. From the vision of the cadastral maps “Teresiana” (XVIII century) and “Rabbini” (XIX century) we can see how the whole castle area was structured until demolitions of a large part of the buildings and the 15th-century took place between 1866 and 1867. The irregular ring structure of the castle had only one access westward and was surrounded of a moat full of water; the church stood at the centre of the castle while the houses radiated out of it. The demolished area is used today as courtyard of the parish church and as the village main square. Of the ancient castle remains a semicircle of houses once representing a unique recurring housing model: all houses were composed of a room at the ground floor – called “canepa”, used as cellar or warehouse – and one at the first floor, called “solarium”, that is to say the home. The two floors were connected to each other by an external wooden staircase. This part of ancient burg, whose dimensions are quite reduced, still shows the original wall structure, formed by herringbone pebble stones alternated with bricks, which are layered in horizontal courses. Its perfect preservation hands down the fascinating picture of a distant past.


Opening Only partially – For a complete visit, please apply to the Town Hall offices
Tariffs Free admission
Additional Info: Comune di Sizzano - Tel.0321.820214