Italy

Milan

Sixteen magnificent Roman columns standing in front of the Basilica of San Lorenzo form one of Milan's most dramatic connections to the ancient world. Dating from the 2nd or 3rd century AD, these Corinthian columns rise approximately seven and a half meters high and were originally part of a grander Roman structure, most likely a pagan temple elsewhere in the city. In the 4th century, as Christianity rose and pagan temples declined, the columns were salvaged and relocated to create an atrium in front of the basilica.

An arch topped with a cross occupies the center of the colonnade, a powerful physical symbol of Milan's transformation from Roman paganism to Christianity. This architectural recycling, known as "spolia," was common in late antiquity, but rarely has the result been as visually striking as these columns standing in ordered formation before a Christian church. The contrast between their classical elegance and their new religious context tells a story that spans the entire arc of Western civilization.

Today, the Colonne di San Lorenzo are among Milan's most beloved gathering spots. Located along Corso di Porta Ticinese, locals meet here for aperitivi on warm evenings while tourists photograph one of the few visible reminders that Milan was once the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Questo's tours through this neighborhood reveal how ancient Roman columns, medieval gates, and Renaissance churches exist side by side in a city most visitors associate only with fashion and design.

Columns of St. Lawrence

The Basilica di Sant'Eustorgio is built on one of Christianity's most extraordinary legends: that it once held the relics of the Three Magi, the wise men who visited the infant Jesus. According to tradition, Bishop Eustorgius I received a massive stone sarcophagus from Emperor Constans I in 344 AD, said to contain the Magi's remains, transported all the way from Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Legend says the oxen pulling the sarcophagus stopped from exhaustion near this spot, and the bishop took it as a divine sign to build a basilica right here.

The relics became the basilica's greatest treasure until the 12th century, when Frederick Barbarossa sacked Milan during the Guelph-Ghibelline conflicts and the precious remains were seized and taken to Cologne Cathedral, where they remain one of Germany's most prized religious artifacts. It took until 1903-1904 for fragments of the bones and garments to be returned to Sant'Eustorgio, partially healing a wound that had lasted seven centuries.

Today, visitors can venerate the returned fragments in a shrine above the Magi altar in the right transept. Every year on the Epiphany (January 6), thousands of worshippers process from Milan's Duomo to Sant'Eustorgio, recreating a pilgrimage that has connected these two churches for centuries. Questo's Milan adventures bring you to Sant'Eustorgio with the full story of the Magi relics, turning a church visit into a journey through one of the great treasure-hunt stories of European history.

Basilica di Sant'Eustorgio

Beneath the streets of Milan lies one of the city's most extraordinary hidden treasures: the Cripta di San Sepolcro. Founded in 1030 by Benedetto Rozzone, a Milanese mint master, on the site of the ancient Roman Forum of Mediolanum, this underground church was rededicated in 1100 following the reconquest of Jerusalem. Walk on its floor and you are actually stepping on 4th-century Roman Forum pavement, an archaeological layer connecting two wildly different historical periods in one dimly lit space.

The crypt's most famous admirer was Leonardo da Vinci. During his first stay in Milan at the court of Ludovico il Moro, Leonardo became fascinated with San Sepolcro and created detailed architectural drawings of both the upper church and the underground crypt. Pages from his Codex Atlanticus, preserved in the nearby Ambrosiana library, include Leonardo's precise sketches and a map of Milan with San Sepolcro marked as what he considered the city's true center.

After being closed to the public for 50 years, the crypt was finally reopened in 2016 following careful restoration that recovered decorated surfaces and renewed the installations. Today, descending into this atmospheric space is like stepping into a timeline that runs from ancient Rome through the medieval church to the Renaissance mind of Leonardo. Questo's Milan adventures lead you to hidden gems like this one, where the stories beneath the surface are even more fascinating than what you see above ground.

Cripta di San Sepolcro

The Ambrosian Library is one of the oldest public libraries in Europe and a treasure house of art and manuscripts in the centre of Milan. Founded by Cardinal Federico Borromeo on September 7, 1607, it was among the first libraries in the world to be open to the public.

Borromeo was driven by the ideals of the Counter-Reformation, believing that knowledge and art should be accessible to scholars and the public, not locked away in private collections. He sent agents across Western Europe, Greece, and Syria to acquire books and manuscripts. One of his greatest acquisitions was the library of the Benedictine monastery of Bobbio, whose manuscripts date to the early Middle Ages.

The library holds over 750,000 books and 30,000 manuscripts. Its crown jewel is Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus, a bound collection of over 1,000 pages of Leonardo's drawings, notes, and studies covering everything from engineering and anatomy to architecture and flight.

The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the art gallery attached to the library, was founded in 1618 when Borromeo donated his personal art collection. It includes works by Caravaggio, Raphael, Botticelli, Titian, and Leonardo. The gallery's most famous work is Raphael's preparatory cartoon for "The School of Athens."

If you're on a Questo quest through Milan's centro storico, the Ambrosian Library is a stop where one man's vision created a collection that spans art, science, and faith across 1,500 years.

Ambrosian Library (Accademia Ambrosiana)

Most visitors walking through central Milan have no idea they are strolling over the ruins of a Roman imperial palace. When Emperor Diocletian relocated the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Mediolanum (Milan) in 286 AD, his co-emperor Maximian built an enormous palatial complex covering approximately 80,000 square meters. This was not merely a house but an entire district, complete with a massive circus for chariot races measuring 470 by 85 meters, the grand Baths of Hercules, and numerous ceremonial buildings.

For over a century, from 286 to 402 AD, Milan served as the political and administrative heart of the Western Roman Empire, and Maximian's palace was the stage from which that empire was governed. The scale rivaled anything in Rome itself. Excavations between 1951 and 1962 revealed foundations, walls, and decorated floor sections that confirmed the written historical accounts.

The most accessible remains today can be found in an open-air archaeological area near Via Brisa, where visitors can observe the footprints of this once-magnificent center of power. Scattered fragments throughout central Milan serve as quiet reminders that this fashion capital was once a capital of a very different kind. Questo's historical Milan adventures connect these scattered ruins into a coherent story of the city's Roman past that most guidebooks barely mention.

Imperial Palace of Maximian

The Palazzo dei Giureconsulti is a Renaissance gem hiding in plain sight, tucked into Piazza Mercanti just steps from the Duomo. Built beginning in 1562, the palace was designed by architect Vincenzo Seregni and funded by Giovanni Angelo Medici, who would later become Pope Pius IV. It replaced a 13th-century structure and served as the seat of the Collegio dei Nobili Dottori, a prestigious school that trained Milan's future politicians and lawyers.

The building's bell tower has a story all its own. Preserved from an earlier structure by Napo Torriani, it houses a bell nicknamed "Zavataria" after its donor, Zavatario della Strada. This bell was rung to announce major civic events, including, rather grimly, public executions. In 1809, the Chamber of Merchants moved in and established Milan's first Stock Exchange in the west-side room, marking the palazzo's shift from education to commerce.

World War II brought severe damage from 1943 aerial bombing, but careful postwar restoration brought the palazzo back to life. The painter J.M.W. Turner captured its relationship to the Duomo in celebrated 1829 sketches of Piazza Mercanti. Today, the palazzo serves as an events venue and a quiet contrast to the bustling square outside. Questo's Milan adventures take you through Piazza Mercanti, where medieval and Renaissance history overlap in every archway.

Palazzo dei Giureconsulti

Palazzo Carmagnola has lived more lives than most buildings dream of. Originally a 15th-century Visconti residence, it gained fame in 1415 when Duke Filippo Maria Visconti gave it to Carmagnola, a celebrated military commander who renovated it extensively. Later, under Duke Ludovico Sforza, the palazzo was given to Cecilia Gallerani, and it was here that Leonardo da Vinci painted his masterpiece "The Lady with an Ermine," one of the most iconic portraits of the Renaissance, now housed in Krakow.

Leonardo left another mark on the palazzo: a sundial he installed in the courtyard. The building's role shifted through the centuries, housing the Banco di Sant'Ambrogio from 1714, civic archives from 1770, and a tribunal from 1773. Then came its most dramatic transformation: in 1947, Paolo Grassi and Giorgio Strehler chose the palazzo as the home of the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, one of Italy's most important theaters. Architects Ernesto Nathan Rogers and Marco Zanuso redesigned the interior for theatrical use.

In 2009, a magnificent Renaissance cloister named after Nina Vinchi was added to the complex. Today, the Teatro Grassi at Palazzo Carmagnola remains one of Milan's premier cultural venues, a building where Leonardo painted a masterpiece, where armies were planned, and where theater comes alive nightly. Questo's Milan tours weave past buildings like this, where every facade hides centuries of reinvention.

Palazzo Carmagnola

Milan's Duomo is the largest church in Italy (St. Peter's is technically in Vatican City) and one of the most ambitious building projects in European history. It took nearly six centuries to complete, from the first stone in 1386 to the final details in 1965.

Construction began under Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo during the rise of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, who dreamed of a cathedral that would rival anything in Europe. The Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, the institution created in 1387 to oversee the project, still exists today, maintaining and restoring the building.

The exterior is covered with 3,400 statues, 135 gargoyles, and 700 decorative figures, making it one of the most densely sculpted buildings in the world. The Madonnina, a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary, stands atop the main spire at 108.5 metres. By tradition, no building in Milan was allowed to be taller until the Pirelli Tower broke the rule in 1958 (though it placed a copy of the Madonnina on its roof).

The roof terraces are the cathedral's best-kept secret. You can walk across the top of the building among the spires and statues, with views stretching to the Alps on a clear day.

Napoleon ordered the facade completed in 1805, and it was finished in seven years. The 52 stained glass windows inside are among the largest in the world.

If you're on a Questo quest through Milan, the Duomo is impossible to ignore, and its rooftop is one of the most extraordinary walks in any European city.

Milan Duomo

Casa Atellani is a Renaissance mansion with an extraordinary secret in its backyard: Leonardo da Vinci's vineyard. Located on Corso Magenta near Santa Maria delle Grazie (where Leonardo painted the Last Supper), this elegant house was gifted in 1490 to Giacometto di Lucia dell'Atella, a trusted collaborator of Duke Ludovico il Moro. The interior features stunning 16th-century frescoes and a refined courtyard that transports visitors straight into the world of Renaissance Milan.

Behind the palazzo's facade lies a historic garden where Leonardo cultivated his personal vineyard during his years in Milan. In 2015, scholars and botanists from the University of Milan collaborated to replant Leonardo's vineyard using historical records. The restored vineyard produced its first harvest in 2018, yielding 330 bottles of wine from grapes growing in soil that Leonardo himself tended over 500 years ago.

The house was restored in the 1920s by architect Piero Portaluppi, who preserved elements dating to the 1400s. Now privately owned by Bernard Arnault, founder of LVMH, portions of the property remain open for cultural visits. The combination of Renaissance architecture, Leonardo's living vineyard, and proximity to the Last Supper makes Casa Atellani an unmissable stop for anyone interested in the human side of genius. Questo's Leonardo-themed Milan adventures bring you here with stories that no museum exhibit can match.

Casa Atellani

La Scala is one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, a temple of music where the greatest composers and performers have graced the stage since 1778.

The theatre was designed by neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini and opened on August 3, 1778, after the previous Teatro Regio Ducale burned down. It was built on the site of the Church of Santa Maria alla Scala, which gave the theatre its name. The church itself was named after Beatrice Regina della Scala, a 14th-century noblewoman.

La Scala has hosted world premieres by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi, the four great composers of Italian opera. Verdi's relationship with La Scala was particularly intense: "La Traviata" premiered here on March 6, 1853, and the audience booed. The work is now considered one of the greatest operas ever written.

The theatre was severely damaged by Allied air raids on August 15-16, 1943. It was one of the first buildings in Milan to be rebuilt, reopening on May 11, 1946, with a concert conducted by Arturo Toscanini. The restoration symbolized Italy's cultural resilience.

La Scala's season opens every year on December 7, the feast of Saint Ambrose, Milan's patron saint. It's the most important date in the Italian cultural calendar.

The Museo Teatrale alla Scala, located nearby, displays costumes, set designs, and instruments from the theatre's history. If you're on a Questo quest through Milan, La Scala is a stop where 250 years of music history reverberate through every seat.

Teatro alla Scala

Castello Sforzesco is a massive Renaissance fortress in the heart of Milan, originally built as a military stronghold and later transformed into one of the most splendid ducal palaces in Italy. Today, it houses multiple museums and some of the city's most important artworks.

The original fortification was built around 1370 by Galeazzo II Visconti. After the Visconti dynasty fell, the castle was partly demolished by the short-lived Ambrosian Republic. In 1450, Francesco Sforza, the new Duke of Milan, rebuilt it as a grand residence and seat of power.

Leonardo da Vinci himself worked at the castle around 1498, painting the ceiling of the Sala delle Asse with an elaborate design of intertwined tree branches and roots. The fresco was only rediscovered during a 19th-century restoration, and in 2025, tunnels sketched by Leonardo beneath the castle were identified.

The castle was extensively rebuilt between 1891 and 1905 by architect Luca Beltrami, who gave it much of its current appearance. The main tower, the Torre del Filarete, was reconstructed based on historical records.

Today, the castle's courtyards are free to explore and open daily. Inside, the museums house sculptures, paintings, decorative arts, and historical collections. The adjacent Parco Sempione, Milan's largest central park, extends behind the castle.

If you're on a Questo quest through Milan, Castello Sforzesco is a stop where centuries of power, art, and reinvention are packed within fortress walls.

Castello Sforzesco

Casa degli Omenoni is one of the most startling buildings in Milan: eight colossal stone giants stare down at you from the facade, and you cannot help but stare back. The palazzo was designed around 1565 by sculptor Leone Leoni as both his residence and private art gallery. The name "omenoni" comes from Milanese dialect for "big men," referring to the eight enormous telamones (male caryatids) carved by Antonio Abondio that dominate the ground floor.

These stone giants, believed to represent defeated barbarians, stand between arched windows with an intensity that borders on intimidating. The upper floors feature elegant Ionic columns and Renaissance proportions, while lions appear repeatedly throughout the decoration as a play on the owner's family name. One particularly dramatic relief shows two lions savaging a satyr beneath the cornice. Giorgio Vasari, the great Renaissance biographer, visited the house and called it "full of capricious inventions."

Leone Leoni and his son Pompeo were legendary art collectors who filled the palazzo with works by Titian, Correggio, drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, and plaster casts of classical sculptures. The house was a private museum before the concept really existed. Today, the facade remains one of Milan's most photographed architectural surprises. Questo's art-focused Milan adventures take you past buildings like this, where Renaissance personality bursts from every stone.

Casa degli Omenoni

Casa Manzoni at Via Morone 1 is where one of Italy's greatest novels was born. Alessandro Manzoni, author of "I Promessi Sposi" (The Betrothed), lived in this elegant palazzo from 1813 until his death in 1873. He moved here with his wife Enrichetta Blondel and his mother Giulia Beccaria after returning from Paris, and this house became the intellectual sanctuary where much of his most important work took shape over six decades.

The palazzo was not just a home but a gathering place for the brightest minds of 19th-century Italy. Tommaso Grossi, Antonio Rosmini, and Giovanni Berchet were regular visitors. In Manzoni's final years, the house welcomed some of Italy's most legendary figures, including Camillo Cavour, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and composer Giuseppe Verdi, all paying homage to the aging literary master. A new facade was added between 1861 and 1864 by architect Andrea Boni, and the building was fully restored in 2015.

Today, Casa Manzoni operates as a museum and the headquarters of the National Centre for Manzoni Studies. Visitors can explore Manzoni's study, view portraits, examine illustrated editions of his works, and get an intimate sense of how one of Italy's literary giants lived and created. Questo's literary Milan adventures lead you through the streets around Via Morone, where the city's rich tradition of writers, poets, and thinkers comes alive at every turn.

Casa Manzoni

The Monumento a Sandro Pertini is a striking piece of contemporary design honoring Italy's seventh and arguably most beloved president. Designed by the legendary architect Aldo Rossi and inaugurated on May 1, 1990, the monument celebrates Sandro Pertini, who served as president from 1978 to 1985 and was remembered as an unwavering champion of democracy and social justice.

The monument itself is an eight-meter cube constructed from Candoglia marble blocks in a distinctive pinkish gray tone. This is the same marble used to build Milan's Duomo, creating a visual and material link between the presidential memorial and one of the world's greatest cathedrals. The structure features a podium enclosed on three sides by stone walls, with the back wall incorporating a triangular duct from which water descends into a basin, adding a meditative fountain element to the design.

Positioned at the end of Via Croce Rossa at the intersection of Via Monte Napoleone and Via Alessandro Manzoni, the monument sits in one of Milan's most prestigious locations near the luxury shopping district. Thousands of people walk past it daily, many without knowing the story of the man it honors or the architectural genius behind its design. Questo's Milan adventures help you discover stories like Pertini's, turning a stroll through the fashion district into an unexpected encounter with Italian political history.

Monumento a Sandro Pertini

The Medieval Porta Ticinese is one of only three surviving medieval gates from Milan's 12th-century defensive walls, a remarkable relic in a city where most fortifications disappeared long ago. Built to protect Milan from attacks by Frederick Barbarossa during the Holy Roman Emperor's campaign against the city, the gate once guarded the navigable moat that ringed medieval Milan. Its Gothic crenellated battlements speak to an age when city walls were a matter of life and death.

The gate has earned some charming local nicknames over the centuries. Milanese residents called it "Porta Cicca" (from the Spanish "chica" meaning "little girl," since this was the only gate with a single entrance) and "Porta Snesa," a dialect twist on its own name. In 1861, architect Camillo Boito restored the gate, stripping away centuries of accumulated houses and debris and adding two lateral Gothic arches flanking the original central passage.

Standing near the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio and the Columns of San Lorenzo, the gate forms part of a remarkable cluster of medieval and Roman monuments that makes this corner of Milan feel like a time capsule. Questo's historical Milan adventures connect these monuments into a walking narrative that reveals how Milan's medieval defenses shaped the city you see today.

<ul><li>As one of the remaining medieval gateways to Milan, Porta Ticinese is a symbol of the city's rich architectural and historical heritage.</li><li>The area around the gates has evolved into a bustling hub of nightlife and culture, showcasing the adaptive reuse of historical spaces in Milan.</li><li>The gates serve as a popular meeting point for both locals and tourists, acting as a threshold between the old and the new, the historic and the contemporary.</li></ul>

Gateway to the Past: Exploring the Ancient Gates of Porta Ticinese

Milan Navigli: Save the Witch Before Midnight

Discover the Medieval Porta Ticinese, one of only three surviving 12th-century city gates in Milan, built to defend against Frederick Barbarossa's armies.

Ancient Gates of Porta Ticinese, Milan — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

About Ancient Gates of Porta Ticinese

Plan Your Visit

Frequently asked questions

Explore Ancient Gates of Porta Ticinese with a Questo quest