An imposing and strong building, surrounded by a vast moat, stands off downtown in the middle of a square. We are talking about the Castle of Visconti and Sforza in Galliate the duke of Milan Galeazzo Maria Visconti wanted to be built up on a previous military fortification of Visconti family. The works, assigned at first to the architects Ferrari and Danesio Mainerio, should have given the fortress the destination of hunting lodge as entertainment of the Milanese court and went on that way even after the duke’s death with the succession to Ludovico il Moro, an enthusiastic hunter as well. The building plan shows a rectangular scheme, whose sides measure 80mx108m. The side wall is outstanding: it is about 3 metres and a half thick and 7,50 metres high from the string-course to the battlements top. The wall is sack-style, i.e. built with two external brick walls, filled in the central gap with stones, salvage material and lime, just like it happened in the medieval and Roman walls. The defence system was planned as follows: a large moat all around with water derived from the irrigation ditch Codimonte nearby Bellinzago. Some bombardiers alternate with arrow slits along the moat. Four keeps, jutting out the walls ring, rise at the corners; they are linked together by underground passageways and today they show a good state of preservation. Long ago, the doors of the north and south entrances were equipped with drawbridge and postern, which are still today visible. The first improvement works started soon in 1496, with the opening of wide windows and the construction of new rooms. The embellishment and refurbishment works went on over the following centuries and the most important changes to the castle structure were made in the XIX century. From then on, in fact, both the civic administration of Galliate and some privates, partially owners, readapted the vast halls after the different requirements and functions. Just the north-east castellan tower and, partially, the adjacent parapet walk have housed the Museum “Angelo Bozzola” since 1998. It collects sculptures, paintings and graphic works donated by the artist of Galliate to his community of origin. The space adapted as town library in the rooms of the sleeve and the south-west corner tower, instead, is antecedent: besides the 14.000 volumes of the library, there are also over 10.000 rare pieces among incunabula and books published in the 16th century.