Milan Information Page
The ancient Mediolanum, as it has been called by the Romans since the third century B.C. (a name of
Celtic origin meaning "in the middle of the plains"), rose up around 400 B.C.,
the work of the Insubri Galles. The Romans, led by Gneo Scipio, conquered it
in 222 B.C. From the fourth to the fifth century it was the capital of the
Western Roman Empire, and thanks especially to Saint Ambrose, it became one of
the most active centers of the new Christian world. Around the year 1000 A.D. it
was already the most heavily populated city of Italy and became the most
active center of the Padana Plain because of its manufacturing of wool, silk,
metals and armaments. The period between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries
coincides with the consolidation of the free Commune, subsequently defeated by
Frederick Barbarossa, who wanted to re-establish imperial dominion.
From the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries the city came under the Signoria of the Visconti and then of the Sforza, to finally become capital of the Dukedom of Milan. At the end of the fifteenth century Louis XII, king of France, took over the Dukedom. The French in 1535 gave way to the Spanish, who governed until the beginning of the eighteenth century. In 1707 Austrian control began. With the exception of the Napoleonic interlude, the Austrians ruled until the celebrated "Five Days of Milan" in 1848, a revolutionary independence movement that chased them out permanently. During the Second World War Milan was one of the cities most heavily hit by aerial bombardment. Damages to historical monuments were especially serious; some were partially destroyed forever, but most were later restored. Since 1946 the recovery of industrial, economic and commercial activity has occurred rapidly, so that once more Milan has become the center of Italy's productive and economic life.
In the Roman period, only the Basilica of San Lorenzoand sixteen Corinthian columns from a third-century building remain.
Inscriptions, sculptures, architectural fragments and mosaics are conserved in the Archaeological Museum.
The Middle Ages was a period marked by fervent construction, which shows
Milan's important role at the time, along with Rome, Ravenna and Naples. Evidence
of that period is seen in the basilicas of Sant' Ambrogio and Sant' Eustorgio and the palace of La Ragione. The paintings of this period are mostly documented in miniatures such as the
codicils in Sant' Ambrogio and in the Ambrosian Library.
During the Renaissance, due mostly to the influence of Gian Galeazzo
Visconti, Francesco Sforza and Ludovico the Moor, the major monuments of the city
were built: the Duomo, the Maggiore Hospital, the Sforza Castle, Santa Maria delle Grazie and San Satiro. Bramante and Leonardo were only two of the great artists at work at the time.
In the Baroque period the two most important masters were Fabio Mangone (the Ambrosian Palace and the Senate) and Francesco Maria Richini (San Giuseppe Church, many palaces, the courtyard of the Brera Palace). The most important paintings were the frescoes of Tiepolo in the Clerici and Archinti palaces and the canvasses of A. Magnasco. During the Neoclassical period, the architecture gave the city its characteristic outline: in this period the Villa Reale of Monza, La Scala Theater and the Belgioioso Palace, all by Giuseppe Piermarini, were built, as well as the Peace Arch by L. Cagnola and the Arenaby L. Canonica. In the present period, we are witnessing a complete renovation of the architectural image of the city. Rapid industrial development and increasing demands of traffic have brought about a radical transformation in urban construction.