Sforza Castle

is one of the symbols of Milan together with the Madonnina and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Built within ten years between 1358 and 1368 under Galeazzo II Visconti. The Castle was partly destroyed in 1447 because of a decision of the Ambrosia Republic, it was rebuilt during Francesco Sforza’s period. The Castle suffered many adversities until 1880 when the government wanted to destroy it. The good sense prevailed and the Castle was restored under Luca Beltrami’s direction. The entrance is situated under the tower of Filarete; on the back you find the Bona di Savoia’s tower and on the left side the Rocchetta, a fortified part inside the Castle useful to get refuge during war attacks. The Rocchetta has a three sides internal portico, and inside its rooms there is the famous Bramante’s “Argus”. The Ducal Court was usually the residence of the lords. One of the rooms of Ducal Court, the “Sala delle Asse” is thought to have been frescoed by Leonardo da Vinci.

Piazza Mercanti

Very close to Piazza Duomo there is Piazza Mercanti. In this square the Palazzo della Ragione is situated, also called Borlotto Nuovo, the symbol of Milanese communal period. In the opposite side there is the Loggia degli Osii: built in black and white marble, was commissioned by Matteo Visconti in 1316. Next to the Loggia there is the Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine, designed by Carlo Buzzi and built between 1644 and 1645. At the end of the square there is the Status Office, built over the remains of Panigarola House (XV century). This place is called the “Medieval Heart” of the city.

Arena

The Arena, also called Stadium, is situated very close to the Sforza Castle. It was built in 1806 thanks to Luigi Canonica using the rests of the old castle fortifications. It was also used as a theatre or it was flooded with water of the Navigli to stage sea-battles.

Arch of Peace

The works for arch construction started in 1806 thanks to Luigi Cagnola, who was asked by Napoleon to build a celebrative arch. After Napoleon’s defeat of Waterloo, the arch was not completed and in 1826 Franz I of Austria ordered to finish the construction with some alternations, because he wanted to dedicate the Arch to the European Peace reached in 1815. When Cagnola died in 1833, the Arch was finished by Francesco Peverelli and Francesco Londonio. It was inaugurated on September 10th, 1838 by the Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria.

Royal Villa

One of the most important Milanese neo-classical buildings, the Royal Villa, was built in 1790 by Leopoldo Pollak. It has been the residence of Napolen and Josephine and also of Eugene Beauharnais and the General Radetzky. Pilasters and columns decorate all the building that is surrounded by an English-style garden. The insides are finely decorated with candelabras, sculptures, frescoes and other decorations typical of Lombard neo-classicism.

Monumental Cemetery

Carlo Maciachini built the Monumental Cemetery between 1863 and 1866 at Porta Volta. The numerous monuments are made by a multitude of artists such as Giacomo Manzù, Luca Beltreami, Pietro Cascella, Mosè Bianchi, Francesco Messina, Medardo Rosso, Adolfo Wildt, Vincenzo Vela and Ettore Ximenes. In this cemetery where important citizens were buried, such as Alessandro Manzoni, Pietro Mascagni, Arrigo Boito, Francesco Hayez, Carlo Forlanini, Maria Callas, Eugenio Montale, Elio Vittoriani, the General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa and many others.

The
Cathedral

Commissioned by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the Cathedral started being built in 1386. It is the third largest church in the world after St. Peter’s in Rome and after the Cathedral of Seville. It is overall made of marble, with immense statues, arches, pillars, pinnacles. The statues are about 3500, including the 96 gargoyles. The highest pinnacle is at the height of 108.5 metres, and it has on its top the statue of the Virgin Mary, best known as the “Madonnina”, covered of gold. Inside the church there are many interesting works of art: the tomb of Gian Giacomo Medici di Marignano, known as “Il Medeghino”; the crypt and St. Carlo Borromeo’s statue; the wooden choir-stails; the Tivulziano candelabrum; the Egyptian porphyry basin. There also old stained-glass windows of the XV century.
Visiting the Cathedral, it is possible to go on the roof where you have a overview of the city. It is also possible to visit the ruins of the Baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti (Baptistery of Sant’Ambrogio).

Santa Maria delle Grazie

This church was built between 1466 and 1490 by Giuniforte Solari and later partly modified by Bramante who re-designed the apse, the Tribuna, the Cloister and the Old Sacristy. In the Refectory there is one of the most famous paintings of Leonardo da Vinci: the “Last Supper”. The works of the fresco started in 1495 and finished in 1498. Unfortunately it started to deteriorate only 20 years after completion, so it had four restorations: in 1908, 1924, 1953 (after the bombings of Second World War) and in 1977. Inside the church there is also the Crucifixion of Donato Montorfano (1495).

The Basilica of
San Lorenzo Maggiore

Situated in Corso di Porta Ticinese and fronted by 16 Corinthian Columns from a 3rd century Roman Temple and by a bronze copy of the statue of the Emperor Constantine, the Basilica is a great example of Roman and early-Christian architecture. It was built at the end of the IV century, but it has been a victim of many misfortunes, so it was restored in 1911, 1916 and in 1937/38 . The dome was built later, in 1619, and the façade is of the XIX century. In the chapels of Sant’Aquilino, Sant’Ippolito and San Sisto there are some Christian mosaics and various frescoes.

San Maurizio at the Monastero Maggiore

The Church of San Maurizio was built in 1503 as an annexation to the oldest Benedictine convent of Milan, the “Monastero Maggiore”. In the inside there is nave but there aere not aisles. The wooden choir-stalls are still in great conditions; the walls are decorated with paintings of XV century; the foundations and part of the two towers are of the Roman period. The Organ, made in 1554 by Giacomo Antegnati still works and it is used during seasonal organ concerts.

The Certosa of Garegnano

The Certosa of Garegnano is a Carthusian monastery founded in1349 by the Archibishop Giovanni Visconti. It was re-built at the end of the XVI and at the beginning of XVII century by Pellegrino Tibaldi, so just a little part of the original structure still remains. Vincenzo Seregni has done the internal works, while Daniele Crespi decorated the walls of the nave with frescoes that represent some episodes from the history of the Carthusian Order and its founder St. Brunone. On the right part there also is a cloister built in the late XVI century.

The
Basilica
of Sant’Ambrogio

The Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio is a great example of Romanesque architecture.
This is one of the oldest churches in Milan and one of most historically medieval buildings in Lombardy. It was begun in 379 and 7 years later it was consecrated by St. Ambrose,who was probably bishop of Milan from 374 to his dead in 397, when he was buried beside the bodies of St. Gervase and St. Protasius inside the Church. In 739 the monastery of the Benedictine Monks was built next to the church and in the 9th century the simple right bell-tower, known as the bell-tower of the monks, was built. It was finished in 1889 with the completion of the three-arched loggia. At the end of the 15th century, Cardinal Ascanio Sforza gave the task of constructing the cloisters and the portico of the rectory to Bramante. In the following centuries other changes were made, but in 1857 the archduke Maximilian of Austria ordered that the baroque additions to the church have to be removed. It was bombed in August 1943 and restored by the architect Ferdinando Reggiori.
Inside there are many works of art, monuments belonging to sixteen centuries of history.
The original carved wooden door with scenes from the Life of David and Saul date from the 4th and 7th centuries; the fragments are kept in the museum of Sant’Ambrogio. The apse is decorated with a mosaic representing a blessing Christ; the ciborium has great Roman columns and a golden altar made by Volvino.

Santa Maria at San Satiro

In Via Torino, not so far from Piazza Duomo, there is the church of Santa Maria at San Satiro, that was firstly built in 879 and modified during the centuries, until its last rebuilding in 1476. The façade was begun by Amadeo and Bramante but was modified in the XIX century; the floor by Cristoforo Lombardo was designed in the first part of the XVI century; the bell tower, instead, belongs to X-XII century’s architecture.

The Basilica of Sant’Eustorgio

At the end of Corso di Porta Ticinese there is, in Sant’Eustorgio square, the homonymous church, the Basilica of Sant’Eustorgio, probably founded in the IV century by Bishop Eustorgio. The church was re-built in the XII century in Romanesque style. In the right transept there is the Chapel of the Magi with their relics that were stolen by Barbarossa in 1164 and partly returned in 1903. The Portinari Chapel with his two square rooms decorated with lots of colours, is located behind the apse.

Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace)

Situated in the south side of Piazza Duomo, the Palazzo Reale was, in 1138, the seat of the Old Town Hall. The original building was the residence of Torriani, Visconti and Sforza families. It was transformed in 1771-78 by Giuseppe Piermarini and during the World War II the Palazzo was hit by bombs. Only the most beautiful hall survived, the Sala delle Cariatidi and reminds as a grave. Now it is used as museum and exhibition centre.

Palazzo Marino

This palazzo was named after a person who commissioned its building that started in 1553 and finished in 1558. It was designed by the well-known architect Galeazzo Alessi. Inside the palazzo, which is situated in Piazza della Scala, is full of monuments, statues and paintings, as well as a beautiful inner courtyard. Now Palazzo Marino hosts the Town Hall.

Palazzo Isimbardi

In Corso Manforte 35 there is Palazzo Isimbardi, a XV century building enlarged and modified through the years. Many rooms inside were painted by Tiepolo and other painters. Now it hosts the Disctrict Council.

Palazzo del Senato

Firstly built during the Napoleonic period in 1620 for the Swiss College by Fabio Mangone, it was the Senate House of the Kingdom of Italy. Now, in this palazzo in Via Senato 10, there are the State Archives.

Palazzo Dugnani

Situated in Via Manin 2, Palzzo Dugnani now houses the Cinema Museum. It was built in the XVII century and has frescoes by Tiepolo, Ferdinando Porta and the Venetian school.

Palazzo di Brera

In Via Brera 28, there is the impressive Palazzo di Brera. Its construction started in 1651 but ended only in 1773. In 1780 Piermarini added a great portal. The inside courtyard is decorated by arches and columns and in the middle Antonio Canova’s bronze statue of Napoleon (1811). Now the palazzo is the seat of the Brera Art Gallery, the Brera Library, the Academy of Fine Arts, as well as the Astronomical Observatory.

Palazzo del Governo

It is a great neoclassical building in Corso Manforte 31. It was modified many times by its owners from the XVII century. The façade was designed by Piero Gilardoni in 1817. Since 1859 it has been hosting the Milan District Prefecture.

Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi

You can find this fine example of neo-Renaissance in Via Santo Spirito 7-10. It was built in the XIX century as a museum-home. The part at no. 7 was built in 1859 in Lombard style of the XV century. The other part (1882) was built reflecting the XVI century architecture.

Palazzo Castiglioni

In Corso Venezia 47 there is the first example of Art Nouveau building, Palazzo Castiglioni. It was designed in 1903 by Sommaruga and has particular decorations belonging to the “Floreale” style.

Palazzo delle Stelline

Built in the XVII century, the Palazzo delle Stelline was the monastery of the Disciples of Santa Maria della Stella at the beginning. Then there was founded a former girls’ orphanage. This building is situated in Corso Magenta 61.

House of Omenoni

Not so far from Piazza della Scala, in Via Omenoni 3, this palazzo has a great façade decorated by Antonio Abondio who sculpted on the front of the house the eight “Omenoni”. The house was built in 1565. Inside there is a nice courtyard decorated with a colonnade.

Palazzo Litta

Built in the baroque and rococo styles in 1648, Palazzo Litta is in Corso Magenta 24. It is characterized by a XVII courtyard with double columns, it has a fine Louis XV apartment inside.

Pirelli Skyscraper (Pirellone)

The other symbol of Milan, together with the Madonnina, the “Pirellone” is one of the tallest buildings in the world built in reinforced concrete. It was built between 1955 and 1959 in piazza Duca d’Aosta, near the Central Railway Station.