The Visconti and the Enigma of the Tarot in Milan: The Labyrinths of the Arcana｜Italy

It is to Filippo Maria Visconti, an ambiguous and mysterious man, that we owe the expansion of the Sforza Castle (known as the Porta Giovia Castle in the 15th century) and the birth of the Tarot (initially called Trumps). This itinerary, which continues from the Sforzesco Castle along Via Garibaldi until reaching the gate of the same name, will introduce us to these "new cards": from the artists who painted them to court life, from the rules of the game to the world of divination through occult meanings. During the walk, the sites we visit will be associated with some of the Major Arcana. Calvino wrote about the Castle of Crossed Destinies: "The meaning of each individual card depends on its place in the sequence of cards that precede or follow it." Hence the idea of creating links and different connections between images and places. A route that is also intended to be a game, never abandoning the historical facts.


Sights visited: Sforza Castle, Piazza del Carmine, Corso Garibaldi, Fossati Theater, Church of San Semplificano, Fossati Theater, Largo La Foppa, Church of Santa Maria Incoronata, Porta Garibaldi.