An itinerary in Roman Milan, here's what to see in the Lombard city of historical, characteristic and even different from the usual places.
Perhaps not everyone knows that Milan was also one Roman city of great importance.
Unfortunately there are few traces left, compared to other cities where domination is much more visible. In the south-west area of the city, near Corso di Porta Ticinese is the Archaeological Park of the Roman Amphitheater where there are some remains of the foundations of what must have been a large space able to accommodate up to 35.000 spectators and which was however destroyed by the barbarian invasions that followed the Roman domination.
Attached to the archaeological area was built in 2004 theAntiquarium "Alda Levi", in which several objects and furnishings have been collected, materials found in the area as evidence of the Roman city, the history and daily life of the population of that period. Park opening hours: winter Tuesday-Friday 9.30-16.30, Saturday 9-14; summer Tuesday-Friday 9-18, Saturday 9-14; from 16/7 to 31/8 it is open from Monday to Friday from 9 to 18. Antiquarium opening hours: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9-14
Other Roman finds are visible at archaeological Museum in Corso Magenta n. 15, in the center of Milan, where there is a section with sculptures, reliefs, jewels, bronzes, epigraphs, sarcophagi, mosaics, everyday objects such as ceramics, coins and vases and a model of the city in Roman times. In the courtyard of the museum there is a polygonal tower, part of the western section of the walls, almost completely destroyed by Frederick Barbarossa who conquered the city in 1162. Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday: 9.00am-17.30pm (last admission 17.00pm). Admission fee: full ticket € 2,00; reduced € 1,00;
Very close to the Archaeological Museum, in via Brisa you can see the remains of an imperial complex, built by Augustus Maximian after 291 AD when Mediolanum became the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Attached to the palace was the circus which was also destroyed and of which only a few traces are visible in via Circo.
Alongside these testimonies, other signs have recently re-emerged and the ancient pavement is now added to the sites already known. Roman forum which is visible and can be visited. The archaeological site is located under the Ambrosiana Picture Gallery, was found in the 90s and was opened to the public after a long restoration. For the moment it will be possible to visit it only on the first Saturday of the month, from 10.30 to 16.30 by reservation, at the only cost of 3,00 euros, definitely low cost.
For now, admissions are limited but we are sure that the opening hours will be extended later because a series of buildings and monuments will be part of the tour of Roman Milan, as part of the 'Milan Archeology for Expo 2015' project. which will be a fundamental part of next year's tourist itineraries.
Il Forum represented the main square of the city, where civil and religious activities took place, it was the meeting place of the most important personalities of Mediolanum, this is the name of ancient Milan, which means "Middle Earth" and therefore a crossroads of business, traffic economic and meeting places of authorities such as Ambrose, Theodosius, Simpliciano and Agostino. The main buildings of the city faced the Forum: the Curia, the Basilica and the shops, the artisan shops and the taverns, the fulcrum of the life and interests of the ancient Milanese. On the site, panels have been set up with captions and indications and there are also audiovisuals that accompany visitors to discover this ancient and hitherto unexplored place in Milan.
This is an unusual itinerary for lovers of art and ancient history in a city to discover, because Milan is not just business, fashion and design.
