Page 86 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Milan & The Lakes

84  MILAN AREA B Y AREA

The busy Via Torino, bustling with people
2 Piazza della Until 1840 the square was 3 Largo Carrobbio
Vetra and medieval used for the public hangings and Via Torino
Porta Ticinese of condemned commoners, Map 7 B2. v 2, 3, 14. Museo Messina:
while nobles were decapitated
Map 7 B2. v 2, 3, 14, 15. @ 94. in front of the law court, the Via San Sisto 4. Tel 02-86 45 30 05.
Broletto (see p56). Open 10am–7pm Tue–Sat.
The vast area of greenery During the Roman era there Closed 1 Jan, Easter, 1 May, 15 Aug,
dominated by a column was a small port here, at the 25 Dec. ^ 7
bearing the statue of San point where the Seveso and
Lazzaro (1728) is also called Nirone rivers converged in The vast Carrobbio
Parco delle Basiliche, because the navigable Vettabbia canal. square, which
it lies between the basilicas of This square is worth visiting connects Via Torino
San Lorenzo and Sant’Eustorgio. just for the magnificent view and Corso di Porta
The name “Vetra” seems to of the apses of the basilicas. In Ticinese, was either
derive from the Latin castra the 12th century, when the city named after the
vetera, which probably alluded walls were enlarged to include quadrivium, a
to the Roman military camps San Lorenzo, the Roman gate crossroads of
positioned here to defend the at present-day Largo Carrobbio four streets, or
nearby imperial palace. The was replaced by the “new” after carrubium, a
name was also given to a medieval Porta Ticinese. A moat road reserved for
canal that was once on the ran around the new walls and carts. One of the
northern side of the square along present-day Via Molino towers flanking the
and was lined with tanners’ delle Armi, which was named Roman Porta Ticinese
workshops (the tanners after the water mills (molini) still stands at the
were called vetraschi). used mostly to forge weapons. corner of Via
Porta Ticinese was Medici and
remodelled after 1329 Via del Torchio.
by Azzone Visconti and The name
decorated with a taber- of the gate Female nude
nacle of the Madonna derived from by Francesco
and Child with St Ambrose the fact that it Messina (1967)
Proffering the Model of the opened onto
City by the workshop of the road for Pavia, which in
Giovanni di Balduccio ancient times was called
(14th century). This city Ticinum. At the junction with Via
gate – the only one, along San Sisto is the deconse crated
with Porta Nuova 17th-century church of San
on Via Manzoni, still Sisto. In 1976 it became the
standing – was museum-studio of sculptor
Detail of the tabernacle of Porta Ticinese: Madonna and fortified with two Francesco Messina (who died
Child with St Ambrose by Giovanni di Balduccio’s workshop towers in 1865. in 1990) and now houses a

084-085_EW_Milan.indd 84 20/10/16 3:19 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.7)
Date 1st October 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm