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| MILAN HOMEPAGE » DUOMO AREA » WHAT TO SEE |
Duomo of Milan |
The throbbing heart of Milan is Piazza del Duomo,
the whole city seems to revolve around the square; people are everywere,
either on their way to the office or factory, a shopping or theater
date, or else slowly strolling around and windows-shopping the fashonable
stores under the arcade. The huge rectangular square was renovated
in the 19th century by Giuseppe Mengoni who restored all the surrounding
buildings to armonize with the Cathedral, which makes an ideal beckground
setting. The two long side are actually arcaded buildings, the North
Building and the South Building, the former pierced by the triumphal
arch of Vittorio Emanuele Arcade and the latter followed by two
minor arcaded buildings of 1939 known as the "propilei".
In the center of the square is Ercole Rosa's 1896 equestrian monument
to Vittorio Emanuele II.
Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery |
The cathedral, now symbol of Milan, was commissioned in 1386 and
is the world's fourth-largest church. The late-Gothic wonder features
a forest of spires and statuary, marble pinnacles and pillars, all
woven together with a web of flying buttresses. A gilded copper
statue of the Madonna rises above the myriad vertices, distracting
awed observers from the church's most interesting omission: The
duomo has no bell tower.
The duomo's finest relic is a nail purportedly used to pin Jesus
to a cross all those years ago. Every September, the Archbishop
of Milan retrieves the sacred bit of metal from its perch high above
the nave and presents it to an adoring congregation. The neighboring
Museo del Duomo chronicles the church's six centuries and displays
an interesting collection of art and artifacts. This area, that
comprehends the most of the centre of Milan is full of history:
Churches, Museums, ancient buildings and Basilicas are here located.
We’ll try to resume all this sights to give to the visitor
an idea of this city so interesting and fascinating.
Sforza's Castle |
The well-known Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is
a huge and elegant, glass-roofed shopping arcade in Milan. The interior
contains cafés, restaurants, and shops. It was designed by
Giuseppe Mengoni, who fell from the roof and died a few days before
the inauguration of the arcade in 1878.
The gallery was built to connect Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della
Scala and formed part of an ambitious urban project. On the floor
there are the arms of the four most important italian cities: the
bull of Turin, the wolf of Rome, the lily of Florence and the red
cross on a white ground (Milan).
A beautilful symbol of Milan is the ancient and imposing Castello
Sforzesco. This beautiful castle was constructed by Francesco
Sforza as his residence and fortress in 1450. It was much loved
by the Sforza family, especially Galeazzo Maria Sforza and Ludovico
il Moro who added many decorative features to the castle. After
its abandon, the castle nearly became victim to an urbanization
scheme calling for its demolition - luckily the plan was defeated
and the castle restored by Luigi Beltrami, at the turn of this century.
The castle houses many museums and collections.
Since 1896, the Castello Sforzesco has housed the Civic Museum,
one of the largest collections of art in Milan.
Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio |
The ‘Corte Ducale’ houses the ‘Raccolte di Arte
Antica’ and the art and sculpture gallery as well as the furniture
collection and the Trivulzio Tapestries. All around this castle
is Parco Sempione, it covers a surface area of about 115 acres and
is rich of gorgeous trees such as beechs, planes, pines, red oaks,
Lebanon cedars, elms and many more. In 1890 , the architect Alemagna
gave to the park its present appearance. It is a Romantic style
park with English style organization. Walking through this beautiful
park, you’ll find monuments to Napoleon III by Francesco Barzaghi,
a sculpture fountain by De Chirico (the ‘Mysterious Baths’)and
a tower by Giò Ponti dated 1932. The Arena Civica, is located
in the Castello Sforzesco area in order to provide a stable home
for festivities and celebratory events for the Repubblica Cisalpina
and the new Regno d'Italia. It was designed by the architect Luigi
Canonica in 1806 near the verdant Parco Sempione.
Built with materials taken from the castle ruins, the Arena Civica
is modelled as a roman amphitheatres
Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie |
Today it is used as a sports ground. The elegant construction has
been remodelled durind the centuries to increase spectator capacity.
This Triumphal gate (Arco della Pace), located at the beginning
of Piazza Sempione, was built by Luigi Cagnola in 1807 to celebrate
Napoleon’s victories. It was finished in 1838 for the occasion
of the coronation of Ferdinando I as King of Lombardy-Venetia. The
style reminds the one of the Roman Settimio Severo’s arch.
On the trabeation the four rivers of Lombardy-Venetia are featured:
the Po, the Ticino, the Adige and the Tagliamento) surrounded by
bas-reliefs that feature episodes from the Restoration.
From the top of the arch, is possible to admire a great view of
the Castello Sforzesco and a close view of the bronze Chariot of
Peace, created by Abbondio Sangiorgio. Once, the Chariot faced France,
but when Milan was ceded to Austria, it was turned to face the centre
of the city.
Brera |
One of the Italian genious of the past is Leonardo da Vinci. This
city has one of the most famous work of Leonardo: the “Last
Supper” in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria
delle Grazie. It is on the north wall of the refectory.
The room in which is represented the Last Supper was used as a stabled
during the Napoleonic era and was badly damaged by bombs in 1943.
Fortunately, the work was saved because it was protected by sandbags.
An important Basilica is located in this area: the Basilica
of Sant’Ambrogio. Ambrose founded the church which
bears his name in 379; the building was rebuilt and modified on
several occasions. The main parts of the present church date from
the 11th century. There is a sunny courtyard in front of the church,
from which you can admire the church's two belltowers.
Interesting examples of religious art can be seen in the side chapels
- but watch out for the slippery marble steps up to these. One of
the oldest things in the church is the sarcophagus incorporated
into a later pulpit. Dating to around 385, the large marble memorial
was probably dedicated to a Roman military official. The striking
Romanesque pulpit on top dates to 1080.
St. Ambrose himself was buried here; he lies in state in the crypt,
in a silver and crystal reliquary. Dressed in white robes, St. Ambrose
is flanked by two martyrs clad in red. Its museum, includes paintings,
fabrics from the fourth century, illuminated manuscripts, stained
glass and mosaics. The museum is located in the portico that was
left unfinished by Bramante (1492-4) and rebuilt after the Second
World War.
Columns of San Lorenzo |
In Duomo Area, you can't miss to visit the famous "Columns of San Lorenzo", the only monument that dates back to the Roman era. These sixteen columns that stand opposite the wonderfull Basilica of San Lorenzo are all that remains of an ancient Roman temple.
Go around and discover Milan: from the Public Gardens with the Planetarium
and its Museums; from the beautiful Villa Reale and the interesting
“Galleria d’Arte Moderna”; from the Brera district,
with its lanes and charming history...all here in Milan has to be
discovered! Enjoy this city with us!
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