Art in Lombardy

Prehistory

The foreign rulers and cultures that have followed one another in the 25 centuries of its history have left Lombardy with an extensive artistic heritage in the form of basilicas, monasteries, abbeys, churches, castles, noble mansions, palaces and theatres.

An itinerary through the history of art in Lombardy could begin with the Valcamonica rock carvings (Tour: Prehistoric Lombardy) which date from the Neolithic age (6000 B.C.) up to the Roman conquest (200 B.C.). Other carvings dating back to Neolithic times and to the Bronze and Iron ages can be seen in the Grosio park in the province of Sondrio and in the local museums, such as the Valcamonica Archaeological Museum and the Val Sabbia Archaeological Museum.

The Roman Period

Remains from the Roman period were ravaged by the Ostrogoths and the Huns and, later, by the Franks who depleted the ancient Roman sites for their own building materials. The most important traces are in Milan in theColumns of San Lorenzo which lead into the churchyard of the basilica of the same name which is dominated by a bronze copy of the statue of the Emperor Constantine; in the remains of the circus and in the foundations of the Amphitheatre. The municipal museum of archaeology preserves a vast collection of minor finds. In Brescia, another important Roman town, there are the remains of the Capitoline Temple built by Vespasian in 73 A.D.. Important objects are preserved in the Roman Museum. At Desenzano on Lake Garda there is a Roman Villa with some excellent mosaics.

The Early Christian period

The basilica of San Lorenzo in Milan is certainly the most important testimony of the Early Christian period: built at the end of the fourth century it has undergone restoration in many stages, evident in a mixture of elements, though mainly stemming from the Early Christian and Romanesque periods and from the late sixteenth century.

Romanesque

The queen and mother of all churches in Lombardy is the basilica of Sant'Ambrogio which holds testimony of sixteen centuries of history. The high altar, coated in silver and gold leaf and studded with precious stones, is the work of Volvinio; the apse is covered in a magnificent mosaic dating back to the twelfth century. A second remarkable monument of Romanesque architecture is the basilica of Sant'Eustorgio erected in the fourth century but rebuilt in the eleventh century. In the right transept is the chapel of the Magi, whose relics were stolen by Barbarossa in 1164 and only partially returned in 1903. Behind the apse there is the Portinari Chapel, a jewel of Renaissance architecture, with walls covered in frescoes by Vincenzo Foppa. One of the greatest examples of Romanesque architecture in Lombardy is Cremona cathedral with a façade with two tiers of open arcades and the front decorated with reliefs. Beside it is the tall twelfth-century bell-tower, known as theTorrazzo, the symbol of the town with a clock that marks the hours, days, the constellations of the zodiac, the phases of the moon and the eclipses.

Gothic

Milan Cathedral is the masterpiece of Lombard Gothic; a magnificent marble edifice with over 3500 statues which took the city more than 400 years to build. The façade has five sixteenth century doors; the lower part is in the Baroque style while the upper part is Gothic. Of the same period is theSforzesco Castle, erected in 1386; destroyed several times and rebuilt in the nineteenth century - it was the home and fortress of the Sforza family. Today, its spacious rooms house the municipal arts museums: Early Christian, Roman and Egyptian art, musical instruments, furniture, bronzes, paintings of the Lombard school and sculptures, including the Rondanini Pietà, an unfinished work by Michelangelo.

The Renaissance

The golden age of the Renaissance has left a wealth of treasures in Lombardy; the masterpiece is probably the basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan where Bramante designed the Tribune, the Cloister and the Old Sacristy. In the Dominican convent Leonardo da Vinci left his formidable mark in his painting of the Last Supper which covers the refectory wall. One of the jewels of the Renaissance in Lombardy is the Santuario dell'Incoronata in Lodi with its octagonal design, dome and elegant loggia and valuable paintings over the altars including four precious panels by Bergognone. In Mantua the basilica of Sant'Andrea is one of the finest religious buildings while Piazza della Loggia in Brescia is perhaps the most beautiful of the Lombard Renaissance.

Baroque

In the Baroque period, which began under Spanish rule 1536 - 1700, a large number of buildings, palaces and churches were built. The most outstanding of these are in Milan: Palazzo Marino, the current seat of Milan's City Hall, thePinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Casa degli Omenoni, the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, the Senate building, the church of Santa Maria della Passione, the Archbishop's palace. In Bergamo in the Baroque style there are the church of San Bartolomeo with the sixteenth century chancel and a painting by Lorenzo Lotto, author of another remarkable work preserved in the church of the Santo Spirito; this church also contains a wonderful polyptych with eight panels by Bergognone. The late eighteenth century Palazzo Ducale in Varese has interesting Baroque forms and a magnificent Italian garden.

Rococò

The Rococo period began during Austria's domination of Lombardy - 1700 - and has left us its greatest monuments in the Milanese palaces: Trivulzio, Littawith a wide, scenographic staircase which leads down into a paired column courtyard, the Palazzo Sormani and the Besana Rotunda, an ancient lazaret, or hospital for infectious diseases.

The Neo-Classical Period

The main protagonist of the neo-classical period - after about 1770 - was the architect Piermarini to whom we owe an impressive number of buildings in Lombardy and in Milan: the Palazzo Reale, the Teatro alla Scala, the Palazzo Belgioioso and the portal of the Brera palace the seat of the Accademia di Belle Arti, the Villa Reale in Monza and the Villa Borromeo in Cassano d'Adda. In 1810 the majestic neo-classical building of the Accademia di Carrara was built in Bergamo, seat of a sizeable art gallery, second in Lombardy only to the Brera gallery.

The Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries

The late nineteenth century has given us the monumental central station in Milan, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a fashionable arcade beloved of the Milanese, lined with restaurants, bars, bookstores, jewellery and dress shops.

The Modern Period

The best-known symbol of modern and contemporary architecture is the Pirelli skyscraper; more recently the city has acquired the Mondadori building, the 3M and IBM buildings in Segrate, the new services sector poles in Milano Fiori and residential quarters in Milano San Felice and Milano 2. The recently enlarged and roofed Meazza stadium in Milan's San Siro quarter, is the largest construction in Lombardy.