The Best of Milan & the Lakes - Milan and the Lakes - page 231

San Lorenzo Columns
Roman Mediolanum once had its forum in Piazza Carrobbio. Nearby, the 16 Cor-
inthian columns that now stand as portico to the Basilica di San Lorenzo ( Click
here ) were originally part of a Roman temple or bath. On Via Edmondo de Amicis
are the remains of the amphitheatre.
Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio
Sant'Ambrogio ( Click here ) was built on a paleo-Christian burial site and houses
the bones of Milan's favourite bishop, Saint Ambrose. Its mongrel Lom-
bard-Romanesque style speaks volumes of history. The oldest part is the apse,
with 4th-century mosaics depicting the Miracle of St Ambrose .
Tempio della Vittoria
Around the corner from the Basilica, the Temple of Victory commemorates
10,000 victims of the 'Great War'. Designed by Giovanni Munzio, its unadorned
appearance caused controversy in depressed, postwar Milan where Mussolini was
gaining support for his newly formed Blackshirts.
Museo Archeologico
Foundation walls of Roman Milan and a medieval tower form part of Milan's Ar-
chaeological Museum ( Click here ) , which has a model of the Roman city and
remnants of glass, grave goods and jewellery in its galleries. Next door Bernardino
Luini covered the walls of San Maurizio with frescoed saints.
Castello Sforzesco
Sforza fortress and Milan landmark, this turreted castle ( Click here ) embodies
Milan's chameleon-like survival instincts. The art within it charts the rise and fall
of the city's fortunes and from its ramparts you can look out over Parco Sempione
to Napoleon's Arco della Pace.