Pumenengo Castle ---

Also called Castello di Barbò, named after its most celebrated owners, the sight of this massive castle might surprise you. It does not, in fact, have the typical rectangular layout with a tower at each corner. Built to defend the territory (it stands in a strategic position for controlling the Naviglio Pallavicino and the Oglio river), it follows the shape of the land, thus assuming a trapezoidal structure. Of the three towers that formed the original structure, only two have remained intact. The castle was transformed into a peaceful noble residence when the periods of widespread warfare came to an end, typical of the centuries when Northern Italy was divided into numerous warring states and during which militias fought continuously.