Lombardy

Main attractions

Because of its long history and for his great wealth over time in Lombardy there are many cities of great artistic value. Among the major cities to be visited include:

Milan

Milan is recognized as a world capital of fashion and design, with a great influence in the world in commerce, industry, music, sports, literature, and art. The Lombard metropolis is particularly famous for its fashion houses and shops (such as via Montenapoleone) and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Piazza Duomo (reputed to be world's oldest shopping mall). The city has a rich cultural, musical and artistic.

The largest and most important example of Gothic architecture in Italy, the Duomo of Milan, is the fourth largest cathedral in the world. Built between 1386 and 1577, houses the largest collection of marble statues in the world with a statue of Our Lady of gold widely visible on the top of the spire, dubbed by the people of Milan as Madunina, now a symbol of the city.

During the rule of the Sforza family, between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the ancient castle of the Visconti was enlarged and embellished to become the Castello Sforzesco, home of a Renaissance court surrounded by walls and a magnificent park, a former hunting reserve of Sforza family.

Always striving for the period are also numerous works by Donato Bramante, including Santa Maria at San Satiro (a reconstruction of a small church in the ninth century), three cloisters of Sant'Ambrogio and the tribune of Santa Maria delle Grazie seat of the Last Supper, the famous fresco by Leonardo da Vinci.

San Carlo Borromeo and his cousin, Cardinal Federico Borromeo, during the Spanish rule, gave great impetus to the city culture, with the creation of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in a building designed by Francesco Maria Ricchino and the nearby Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, while of the next period of Austrian domination are many buildings that still are the pride of the city, including the Teatro alla Scala, which opened August 3, 1778, and today is the most famous opera houses in the world.

Mantua

The lords of the city, Gonzaga, lovers of art and culture, have hosted many major artists such as Leon Battista Alberti, Andrea Mantegna, Giulio Romano, Donatello, Peter Paul Rubens, Pisanello, Domenico Fetti, Luca Fancelli e Niccolò Sebregondi. Although many of the masterpieces are missing, the cultural value of Mantua is still exceptional. Many monuments are examples of the unique heritage of the town of Lombardy.

Among the major remember:

• The Palazzo Te (1525-1535), a creation of Giulio Romano (who lived in Mantua in his later years) of Renaissance style and with some hints of mannerism by Raphael. Summer residence of Frederick II of Gonzaga, now houses the Museo Civico.
• The Palazzo Ducale, the famous residence of the Gonzaga family, consisting of a series of buildings, courtyards and gardens around the Palazzo del Capitano, the Magna Domus, and the Castello di San Giorgio.
• The Basilica di Sant'Andrea
• The Cathedral
• The Round of San Lorenzo
• Theater Bibiena
• The church of San Sebastiano
• The Bishop's Palace
• The Palace of Uberti
• The Tower Cage
• The Palazzo del Podestà which houses the museum of Tazio Nuvolari
• The Palace of Reason with the Clock Tower
• The Palazzo Valenti Gonzaga, an example of architecture and decorations of the Baroque period, decorated with frescoes attributed to the Flemish painter Frans Geffels.

Pavia

Most famous monument of Pavia is the Certosa, or Carthusian monastery, founded in 1396 and located eight kilometers north of the city known for the exuberance of its Gothic and Renaissance architecture, and its collection of art works, which are particularly representative of the region.

Among the other important structures are:

• The cathedral, begun in 1488, although the facade and the dome, the third largest in Italy, have been completed later.
• San Michele Maggiore, an extraordinary example of Romanesque architecture in Lombardy and characterized by extensive use of sandstone and a very long transept. It is the church where Emperor Frederick Barbarossa was crowned in 1155.
• The great Visconti Castle (1360-1365 built by Galeazzo Visconti II) used as a private residence, rather than as a stronghold. The castle is now home to the city museums and the park is a popular attraction for children. An unconfirmed legend has it that the castle is connected by a secret underground tunnel with the Certosa.
• The church of Santa Maria del Carmine is one of the best examples of brick Gothic architecture in northern Italy. It is the second largest church in the city after the cathedral and is built on a Latin cross plan. The characteristic facade has a large rose window and seven cusps.
• The Renaissance church of Santa Maria di Canepanova is attributed to Bramante.