Castello di Masnago - Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea

Masnago Castle in Varese combines a medieval defensive tower, a fifteenth-century residence and a seventeenth-century wing. The castle now houses the city’s Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Why it matters

The building’s successive phases reflect its changing role, from medieval stronghold to noble residence and later civic museum. Its fifteenth-century rooms preserve fresco cycles associated with International Gothic, probably commissioned between 1443 and 1453 by Maria Lampugnani, wife of Giovanni Castiglioni. The modern and contemporary collection adds a later artistic history to the historic interiors.

What to notice

The Sala degli Svaghi depicts noble pastimes, including falconry, boating, card play and music, among scenes of animals and garden life. In the Sala dei Vizi e delle Virtù, groups of female figures represent virtues and vices. The Sala della Musica, originally a studiolo, has early sixteenth-century decoration; the Sala della Crocifissione is thought to have served as a chapel. The art collection includes works by Morazzone, Hayez, Cremona, Ranzoni, Pellizza and Enrico Baj. Francesco Hayez’s Tamar di Giuda, painted in 1847, is a notable work in the collection.

Context and history

The medieval tower formed the core of a rural stronghold. A fifteenth-century residence was added by the Castiglioni family, with Maria Lampugnani identified as the probable patron of the fresco cycles. A seventeenth-century wing adapted the complex to the style of a country residence. The municipality later acquired the castle and made it a seat of the civic museums; the modern and contemporary collections are housed here, while the archaeological collections are at Villa Mirabello. The castle stands within Parco Mantegazza.