Hebrew-English Guide to Soncino

27 THE FORTRESS In 1499 the fortress became a possession of the Venetians until 1509 and then passed to the French, again to the Sforza family and, in 1535, to the Spanish supremacy. In 1536 Charles V of Spain eleva- ted Soncino to “marchesato”, giving it to the Stampas, who gradually transformed it into a residence. In the XVI century famous painters such as Bernardino and Uriele Gatti respectively decorated the upper rooms, obtained by closing the walkways, and those ones on the ground floor. Unfortunately, the decoration is almost completely vanished and there are only a few traces. The fortress underwent a progressive abandonment and it became a lumber warehouse. In 1876 Massimiliano Cesare Stampa, the last Marquis of Soncino, left the structure to the Municipality by will. In 1886, under the leadership of the architect Luca Beltrami from Milan, the restora- tion work began and involved the demolition of arcades and other structures leaning against the walls. The work ended in 1895 with the restoration of the Rivellino. Located in a square, the fortress is surrounded by a moat. After crossing the access bridge, you enter the Rivelli- no, a small court with two stairs to reach the superior part, used by the soldiers to control the outskirts of the fortress. On the western side, a drawbridge could be used to reach an exit towards the countryside. Beyond the Rivellino, thanks to two bridges, one for peo- ple and the other one for horses and carts, you enter the real fortress. In the center of the courtyard there is a rebu- ilt well, the access to the vault, the Civic Archaeological Mu- seum “Aquaria” and, in the northeastern tower, the Hall dedica- ted to the Risorgimento, to the first and the second World War. From the courtyard there is the access to the vault.