Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chiesa di Santa Maria Presso di San Satiro
CHURCH
(Via Speronari 3; 7.30am-11.30am Mon-Fri, 3.30-6.30pm Sat; Duomo)
Here's an escape from
the Zara/Benneton/H&M maelstrom. Ludovico Sforza saw potential in this little church,
built on top of the 9th-century mausoleum of martyr San Satiro, and asked architect
Donato Bramante to refurbish it in 1482. His ambition wasn't dampened by the project's
scale: a trompe l'œil coffered niche on the shallow apse makes the backdrop to the altar
mimic the Pantheon in Rome.
Biblioteca e Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
GALLERY, LIBRARY
( 02 80 69 21;
www.ambrosiana.it
;
Piazza Pio XI 2; adult/conc €8/5; 10am-5.30pm Tue-Sun; Cordusio)
Europe's first public library, built in 1609, the
Biblioteca Ambrosiana
was more a symbol of
intellectual ferment than quiet scholarship. It houses over 75,000 volumes and 35,000
manuscripts including Leonardo da Vinci's priceless collection of drawings, the
Atlantic
Codex
. Later an art gallery, the
Pinacoteca
, was added exhibiting Italian paintings from the
14th to the 20th century, most famously Caravaggio's
Canestra di Frutta
(Basket of
Fruit), which launched his career and Italy's ultrarealist traditions.
SHOPPING ARCADE
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
(Piazza del Duomo; Duomo)
So much more than a shopping arcade, the neoclassical Galleria
Vittorio Emanuele is a soaring iron-and-glass structure known locally as
il salotto bueno,
the city's fine drawing room. Shaped like a crucifix, it also marks the
passeggiata
(even-
ing stroll) route from Piazza di Duomo to Piazza di Marino and the doors of La Scala.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
BEHIND THE SCENES AT LA SCALA
243353521;
www.teatroallascala.org
;
Via Bergognone 34; admission €5; individuals 3pm, groups 9am-noon
& 2-4pm Tue & Thu; Porto Genova) where the stage sets are crafted and painted, and where some 800 to
1000 new costumes are handmade each season. Tours on Tuesday and Thursday must be booked in advance and
are guided by the heads of each creative department.
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