Ticinese Gate
Porta Ticinese is situated on an ancient Roman route leading from Milan to Pavia. The foundations of the gate rest upon the material of an earlier, 12th-century structure, part of the city’s Medieval fortification system. The contemporary Porta Ticinese is of Neo-Classical design. It was designed by Luigi Cagnola as part of a monumental project including bastions – which have been since dismantled – as well as the square located in the direction of San Gottardo, surrounded by houses holding the local market and offices. The buildings sat on both sides of Porta Ticinese and ran symmetrically to the road.
The construction of the gate was begun in 1801. The official occasion was the celebration of Napoleon’s victory in the Battle of Marengo a year earlier and the subsequent arrival of the French army. However, the building process was stalled in 1814, with only the gate and two smaller toll-gates completed. It was never resumed. Nevertheless, Porta Ticinese is an imposing landmark of pink granite from Baveno, somewhat dulled by decades of exposure to smog. The most outstanding feature of the structure are the massive pillars and columns in the Vitruvian Doric style and the large tympanum, which make the gate one of the most prominent examples of the Milanese neo-Classicism.
Name: Ticinese Gate
Address: Piazzale XXIV Maggio
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