Villa Scheibler

The original palace was surrounded by a moat on three sides. This is perhaps the reason that led to the name of "Castellazzo". 

The first document that mentions a palace, woods and land in the territory of Castellazzo is from the beginning of 1500 and the owners were the Simonetta family, accountants of Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan. They came to the Villa to hunt and to get wood.

Through the ages the palace was expanded and modified and, in the seventeenth century, houses for the peasants were added; at that time the lands further away towards Pogliano were deforested to be cultivated and for their irrigation a proper canal, that used the water of the Olona river, with a "mouth" called Simonetta, was excavated.

At the beginning of 1900s a new separate building for the peasants was built, called "Cascina Hira", from the name of the winning horse of the villa's owner, Mr. Scheibler. In the large entrance courtyard to Castellazzo there is also the small church dedicated to Saint  Carlo. He stayed a few days in the villa, when he came to Rho to decide if the miracle of the "crying of the Madonna" was true. After that the sanctuary of Rho was built.

The owner at the end of the 1800s was Mr. Felice Scheibler who modified the building in the Anglo-Saxon style. Horse lover and expert, he had a winning stable. Later a racecourse was built; in 1883 the equestrian Grand Prix of Milan was held there, because the San Siro racecourse was not yet ready. Now 50 families live in the building. 

Description:

Villa Scheibler, as we see it today, is the result of several interventions.  It is surrounded by four big courtyards added for the farmers that lived and worked there and to host stables, sheds and barns. One of these, Cascina Pozzo, has been restored keeping the 19th century style of a traditional farmhouse (cascina lombarda) and is a popular restaurant. 

In the 15th century the first building was built, which today is recognizable from the windows with terracotta frames placed in the tower. The main body of the villa features a U shape with a specific direction and crosses the courtyard; the tower is located in the center and continues into the garden, in the rear tree-lined avenue. The part of the villa located in the garden and the park is linear. The stretch on the inside of the courtyard is more elaborated: it has a facade with a portico and six openings and arches arranged on stone columns, closed by large windows. On the side towards Rho there is the three-storey loggia with a staircase of honor. The garden is delimited on three sides by a brick wall, in which there are three monumental doors that allow access from both the countryside and the tree-lined avenue.

In the gate towards the avenue, that is 400m long, is inserted the crest of the Gallarati Scotti family. The avenue is embellished with hornbeams, a hedge and trees.

Near Rho there is also the 19th century extension of Pozzo farmhouse, a construction made for rural purposes with a huge tree-lined courtyard.