Between 2009 and 2012, excavations took place in the courtyard of Vigevano castle prior to the laying of services as part of the restoration of the keep.
The discovery of important structures led to the revision of the original project. In fact, rooms relating to an aristocratic palace, in particular a large reception room with a well-preserved opus signinum floor and plastered walls, dating to the first half of the 14th century were uncovered in the courtyard in front of the keep. This palace was demolished, after a short occupation period, when the present castle was built

In the courtyard behind the keep, the excavations identified the moat with counter-scarp wall and a series of small residential buildings, partly built on top of the moat fill or abutting the counter-scarp wall, between the 14th and 16th centuries.
This residential area abutting the castle was destroyed in the 16th century when the wing of the Loggia delle Dame and the garden in front of it were constructed.

These finds represent important elements for the reconstruction of the monument’s building phases and offer evidence for the town’s urban development in the medieval period.