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 The castle, or Rocca,
is a rare case of perfectly conserved medieval fortification. The fort rises on a spur of calcareous rock which
dominates the mouth of Lake  Maggiore. Down through history, the Rocca has been a stronghold for the
control of traffic and navigation across the lake. Thought to have been founded on the site of an earlier
Roman fortification, in the Middle Ages the fort passed into the hands of Milan's bishops, the Visconti family, who were originally
from the Verbano area.
Under the Visconti it was largely rebuild, embellished and amplified. In 1449  became property (today also) and stable
residence of Borromeo's family.
The Rocca today is a complex and spectacular building constructed around a
central
court-yard, with a main tower with square base. From the top the tower offers a truly extraordinary panorama across
the lake, Arona, the pre-Alps and the Alps which form a corona of incomparable beauty.
The "Sala di Giustizia" (Justice Room) presents a cycle of frescoes datable to 1300 or late 1200, an important
witness of Italian painting of first 1300. It celebrates Ottone Visconti and his political and military
exploits (the victory over the Torriani commanded by Napo  della Torre in 1277).
Since 1988 the Rocca Borromeo has been home to the "Museo della Bambola" (Dolls' Museum), 12 rooms
over the two centuries doll's history. The collection  comprises an unparalleled assemblage
of dolls, toys, books, miniature furniture, board games which, with over 1.000 pieces,
constitutes one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Dolls made of wood, wax,
papier-mâché, porcelain, cloth,
celluloid and plastic materials, all illustrate the evolution over time of this extraordinary medium, a
medium that has always played a primary role in childhood. As direct compliment to the dolls' museum,
there is the Children's fashion Museum, in three rooms, a collection of pieces spanning the 17th century
to the 1940s.
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