The castle of the Palaiologi is a fortress that arose in the fourteenth century in Casale Monferrato. It was built in 1352 by Giovanni II Palaiologos, to strengthen the fortifications that already existed. In the Visconti period it was equipped with firearms; in the fifteenth century it was enlarged and transformed by Guglielmo VIII Palaiologos and his successor Bonifacio. After the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis of 1559 the town passed to the Gonzaga of Mantua, and the castle ceased to be a residence and became a fortress again: the flanks and the towers were strengthened and the ravelins added, in the same years in which the building of the Citadel began.
What to see
The plan is an asymmetrical hexagon, with circular towers at the corners, and all around runs a deep dry moat. Above the main gate, as a symbol of the lords' power, a marble bas-relief brings together the arms of those who ruled Montferrat: the Aleramici, the Palaiologi and the Gonzaga.
The structure given by the Gonzaga remained intact until the middle of the nineteenth century. From 1856, because of the need for new urban space, the demolition of the ravelins began.
Visiting
The castle can be visited in part and has become a cultural venue for the town: openings, times and current events should be checked with the town council of Casale Monferrato.
Our editors' tip
Ask about the wall-walks and the underground rooms of the west wing, which were rebuilt in the eighteenth century: both are reported as open to visitors.
