Meeting with the driver and the guide in hotel.
Brera Picture Gallery.
On a charming street in old Milan, Via Brera, stands the Brera Palace at number 28, flanked by other elegant l8th century places. . The Brera, one of Italy's finest, has an outstanding collection covering especially the Lombard and Venetian schools. The museum was founded during the Napoleonic period, in 1803. Opened to the public in 18O5, the museum collection was enriched by a century of acquisitions and bequests. Badly damaged by bombs in August 1943. It was rebuilt according to modern criteria by Modigliani, Portaluppi, and Wittgens who completed the renovations in 1950. The collection's range is amazing: from Luini's fresco cycle from Villa Pelucca to Gaudenzio Ferrari's from St. Maria della Pace, from Giovanni da Milano's exquisite 14th century panels to Veronese's huge 17th century canvases, from Tintoretto's dramatic Rediscovery of St. Mark's Body to Mantegna's understated Dead Christ, from the eight frescoes from the Panigarola House by Bramante and the same artist's Christ Bound at the Columns to the masterpieces by Raphael and Piero della Francesca. And to think these are only some of the famous names in Brera.
Church of San Giuseppe.
After leaving Piazza della Scala taking via Giuseppe Verdi, one sees on the right the elegant baroque façade of the church of San Giuseppe, one of finest architectural achievements of Francesco Maria Richini (1630).
Piazza Scala and her Palaces.
Crossing the Vittorio Emanuele Arcade from south to north, we come out in the famous Piazza della Scala. On the far side of the square we see La Scala Theatre and opposite us is Palazzo Marino, today Milan's City Hall. The monument in the centre of the square portays Leonardo Da Vinci sourrounded by his pupils. Galeazzo Alessi was commissioned by the 16th century Genovese merchant Tommaso Marino - a real tycoon in his day - to design the palace. One of its more striking features is the vast inner courtyard with an unusual decorative scheme of human and animal head sculptures surrounded by carved garlands and geometric patterns.
Vittorio Emanuele Arcade.
The galleria, in contrast to the delicate lacy effect of the Cathedral dominates the square with its weighty bulk and great triumphal archway cut into the long, northern arcade. Built between 1865 and 1877, it was designed by Giuseppe Mengoni. The cross-shaped structure is surmounted by an extraordinary coloured glass and iron dome. The modern technical skill and originality of the Milan Galleria have nothing to fear from a comparison with similar structures put up in London and Paris about the same time. Today this glassed-in street is a centre for both cultural and mundane activities with its well-stocked book and record shops, giant cafés, and famous eating spots.
Piazza del Duomo.
The throbbing heart of Milan is Piazza del Duomo, the whole city seems to revolve around the square; people are everywhere, either on their way to the office or factory, a shopping or theatre date, or else slowly strolling around and windows-shopping the fashionable stores under the arcade.
Return to hotel.
|
|
