The monumental complex of Scaldasole, one of the most significant archetectonic fortress of the Province of Pavia and of the whole region, is formed by a castle and by a shelter. This building which is unique in the Lombard scenario, is very common in Piedmonte. The original core of the castle was built up between the end of the X century and the XIII. In 1404, Ardengo Folperti, who was a Visconti high dignitary, ordered to build the shelter which acted as a drill ground and as a popular refuge, whereas the castle became a
stately home. In the second half of the century, the marquesses Malaspina, new feudatories of Scaldasole, adorned it with a portico and a loggia.
The building complex with its seven medieval towers, vaults, renaissance fireplaces and nineteenthcentury rooms, was visited by distinguished people. In 1491 Isabelle of Aragon, betrothed of the Duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Sforza: in 1497 the emperor Maximilian I of Asburg and in 1533 Charles V and in the XIX century the Minister Count Camillo di Cavour and other politicians of that time.
