When Ludovico Sforza, known as il Moro, decided to transfer his court from Milan to Vigevano, making it his summer residence, he brought with him, in addition to his wife Beatrice d’Este and his court, two exceptional consultants: Leonardo da Vinci and Donato Bramante. It was 1493 and the influence of these two giants has survived to this day. 

Vigevano is a beautiful town in the province of Pavia, known today for the many footwear and engineering companies. From its Lombard origins onwards it has always played a prominent role first thanks to the Milanese families of the Visconti and Sforza, then as a free municipality and in modern times as a world-class footwear industry and then for precision mechanics.