[6] [...] With the Torre dei Preti estate bordered another property Joiosus or Zoiosus; perhaps originally a center of cultivation, but later came into the possession of the Dukes of Milan, here attracted by the abundant game, transformed into fortifications, in the shape of a small castle, to which courtiers, poachers, hunters convened, following the Ducal Court Convennero from neighboring countries families to settle, and thus was formed the settlement numerous enough to supplant even S. James: Zoioso had its greatest development under Galeazzo II and Cian Galeazzo.[...]

Later the predicate of Belgioioso was added to the name of that household, which was then the seat of a Vicariate of considerable size that included the parishes of Vaccarizza [it], Ospitaletto, Genzone, Pissarello, Spessa, Filighera, Montesano [it], Torre de' Negri, Gerenzago and San Zenone.

Wealthy, powerful, lord of vast fiefdoms, of a battler's spirit, ardent, ambitious, he formed a company of fortune of 200 lances and participated, among other exploits, in the siege and destruction of Cesena [it] (it seems, however, that he deplored this fratricidal war).

No foreigners, however, were a part of it, for Alberic, a broad-minded leader, expert in the military art, and who very well knew the souls of mercenaries, never wanted to accept Italians to serve under his banner.

In 1769 he was named prince of the Holy Roman Empire and of Belgioioso, a title transmissible to first-born males with various privileges, including that of minting the so-called "ostentation coin" [it]” with his effigy.

In the 1970s the western part and the large park of the castle were acquired by a group of private individuals and are now mainly used for fairs and cultural events, while the eastern wing of the complex was purchased by the municipality of Belgioioso between 2007 and 2008.

Other rooms in this wing of the castle, on the other hand, are decorated with telamons and heraldic devices of the Barbiano di Belgioioso family dating from the late 16th century.

[4] The west wing of the castle, in neoclassical style and dominated by a large balcony, was rebuilt by Prince Antonio Barbiano di Belgioioso, who entrusted the work to Francesco Croce.

On this side of the castle are the noble rooms of the manor, connected by a grand stone staircase, on the walls of which hang tapestries, flags, and weapons bearing the coat of arms of the princes.

Also on the second floor is the large ballroom (measuring 13 x 13 meters), which is entirely frescoed according to a decorative program designed by Leopoldo Pollack,[3], and the gallery of the ancestors, enriched by white marble fireplaces and Baroque stuccoes made between 1740 and 1760 by Carlo Beretta [it] in which are depicted the busts of 19 members of the lineage and the exploits they conducted described with inscriptions in pure gold.

The castle wing opens onto the large Italian garden, remodeled in the same years again by Prince Antonio, featuring seven rows of giant magnolias, statues, small stone obelisks, and the monumental fountain with Neptune and Thetis surrounded by nymphs, an 18th-century work by Carlo Beretta.

The garden ends to the west with a large gate, with six tall pillars surmounted by statues, nymphs, putti, and vases (all by Carlo Beretta), called the “Teatro de Rastelli”, designed by Giovanni and Ruggeri [it] and finished by Francesco Croce in 1737.