ESN Milano: Erasmus Student Network

Cosa Vedere

Duomo

Milan's Duomo 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. Above the altar is a nail that is said to have come from Christ's cross. The view from the roof is the city's finest.
The neighbouring Museo del Duomo chronicles the church's six centuries and displays an interesting collection of art and artefacts.

 

Castello Sforzesco

Originally a military fortress, the Castello Sforzesco was completely remodelled by the more comfort-minded Francesco Sforza. The new and improved defences were designed by uber-engineer Leonardo da Vinci .The castle houses a collection of modern museums that are well stocked with impressive antiquities.

The excellent sculpture collection includes Michelangelo's Pietá Rondanini. There are also paintings by Bellini, Tiepolo, Mantegna, Correggio, Titian and Van Dyck. If you get bored with Italian masters, the collection of Egyptian artefacts should prove distracting.

 

Il Cencolo Vinciano

Leonardo da Vinci's iconic Last Supper was painted in an experimental mix of tempera and oil. The paint has been steadily peeling from the walls of this convent since 1498. Waves of restoration have removed all but an echo of the master's brushstrokes, but that's enough. It's a powerful piece of work.
To visit the refectory of the Convento di Santa Maria delle Grazie, where the painting was most recently restored in 1999, you'll need to plan ahead. To join a group of 25 (sluiced through every 15 minutes), book weeks in advance by phone and get ready to give your credit card a workout.
There are tales of travellers who managed to get in without making prior arrangements, but such miracles seem reserved for the truly faithful.

 

Teatro La Scala

La Scala , Milan 's famous and fabulous opera house , first raised its curtain in 1778. Practically destroyed during WWII, it was rebuilt and reopened in 1946 under the baton of Arturo Toscanini, who returned from New York after a 15-year absence. The adjoining Museo Teatrale alla Scala boasts such curiosities as Verdi's death mask (complete with the maestro's facial hairs).

 

The Gallery Vittorio Emanele II

This is the "Galleria" par excellence, the "salon of Milan ". It was designed by architect Giuseppe Mengoni and built between 1865 and 1877. The arcade has the shape of a cross with an octagon of iron and glass in the middle. It is 196 metres long in the North-South direction, 105.5 metres long in the East-West direction, 14.5 wide and 21 high and reaches a height of 47 metres in its central dome. The gallery houses restaurants, bars, cafes, bookshops, silversmiths and clothing shops which attract Milanese people and tourists alike.

 

The Arco della Pace

The Arco della Pace stands in the middle of the Sempione Park . It has been adapted to various historical functions through the years. It was begun by Luigi Cagnola in 1807 to celebrate the victories of Napoleon, but the architect had only completed two-thirds of the work when he had to stop after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo . In 1826 Franz I of Austria ordered the monument to be completed, with a few alterations, and dedicated to the European peace in 1815. Cagnola died in 1833, and the arch was finished by Francesco Peverelli and Francesco Londonio. It was officially unveiled by the Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria the 10th September 1838. The most spectacular part of the richly decorated arch, which is 25 metres high, is the bronze chariot with six horses, by Abbondio Sangiorgio.

 

BASILICA DI SANT'AMBROGIO

Construction of the basilica began in 379, and in 387 it was consecrated by St. Ambrose. Over the centuries the basilica has been modified, enlarged, damaged and even bombed, during the last World War. Despite this it has retained its air of austerity and solemnity, and is still considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Lombardy . Inside there are monuments, works of art, and relics bearing witness to sixteen centuries of history. The pulpit, decorated with columns and arches, rests on an early-Christian sarcophagus. The ciborium, with its Roman columns, rises above the golden altar by Volvinio. The apse is lined with a superb mosaic. The votive chapel of San Vittore in Ciel d'Oro dates back to the 4th century and the mosaics inside to the 5th. It is worth a visit the portico of the canons' house by Donato Bramante, the chapel of San Sigismondo and the Basilica Treasure. A few yards from the entrance to the basilica is a 1939 copy of a 14th century postern, which during the Middle Ages was part of the city-walls

 

BASILICA DI SAN LORENZO

The Basilica is an important example of Roman and early-Christian architecture. It is fronted by sixteen Corinthian columns from a 3rd century Roman temple and a courtyard with a bronze copy of the statue of Emperor Constantine in the centre. The basilica was built at the end of the 4th century, but through the years part of it collapsed. It was restored in 1911, 1916, and 1937-38, and can now be appreciated as a mainly early-Christian construction, with Romanesque and late fifteenth century additions. The grand dome, the largest in Milan , was built in 1619. The chapels of Sant'Aquilino, Sant'Ippolito and San Sisto are extremely beautiful, and contain early Christian mosaics and frescoes from various periods.

 

SAN SIRO STADIUM

The G. Meazza Stadium at San Siro was built in 1926, enlarged and modified in the 50s and in the 90s, solely for football matches. Until recently it had a double set of tiers reached by ramps which spiralled round the outside of the stadium, giving it its unmistakeable character. The most recent project added a third ring of tiers seating to the existing second ring. The covering has a metal net structure which supports a covering mantle made up of vaults in slabs of synthetic transparent material. The modernization project has also completely remodelled and updated the safety systems and the press and data transmission facilities, including the two giant video displays.

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