XI MILANO FOOTBALL FESTIVAL - EASTER 2010
Tourist Information

 

The Sforza Castle and the Sempione Park The Sforza Castle is located 300 meters away from the Cadorna station. This castle was commissioned by Galeazzo II between 1358 and 1368. Over the centuries, it has been used both as a fortress and as a mansion, and then it was demolished and reconstructed. The present structure is shaped as a large four-sided stronghold surrounded by walls featuring a facade surmounted by Filarete’s tower, a parade ground and the Duke’s court housing different museums. Behind the Castle, there is the Sempione Park, the city’s largest green area encompassing the Arena and the futuristic Torre del Parco, 109 meters high, designed by Giò Ponti. Santa Maria delle Grazie and Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper Santa Maria delle Grazie is a Lombard late Gothic art example. It belongs to a vast architectural compound including also a convent, whose refectory hosts “The Last Supper”, Leonardo da Vinci’s celebrated fresco, declared as world heritage masterpiece by the Unesco. Churches : S.Ambrogio, S. Lorenzo Maggiore, Sant Eustorgio ”The Martyrum” Basilica” was built by Bishop Ambrogio between 379 and 386. It is an important example of Romanesque Architecture. It features important works of art such as the early Christian sarcophagus (called Stilicone’s sarcophagus) and the gold altar, a goldsmith’s work of art dating back to Charlemagne’s time. S. Lorenzo Maggiore is a late ‘500’s church built on the remains of an early Christian building constructed between the end of the IVth century and the beginning of the Vth and already restructured in 1200 with a Romanesque style. In front of the church there are sixteen marble columns with Corinthian capitals, from an ancient Roman building back to 300 A.C. St. Eustorgio is located near Porta Ticinese. It was built with a Romanesque style in late 1100 on top of a very ancient building (IV century). It was destroyed in 1164 by Federico Barbarossa and reconstructed by the Dominicans between 1216 and 1220. The neoromanesque Facade was designed by Giovanni Brocca. Duomo The Duomo cathedral is the symbol of Milan. It is renowned for its size (it is the third largest Catholic Church in the world after St Peter’s in Rome and the Seville Cathedral) and for its many statues (more than 3400). Its construction probably started in 1386 and was finished during the 1800. Its predominant style is late Gothic, but with elements belonging to the Romanesque tradition, such as for example the “hut” shaped facade”. The Fashion District The fashion district is located between via Montenapoleone, via della Spiga, corso Venezia and via Sant'Andrea. It features the most renowned Italian and foreign fashion boutiques. Brera Pinacoteca The Brera Pinacoteca’s heritage is extremely vast. It features many works of art such as the eight portraits of “Uomini d’Arme”” painted by Bramante, “Cristo morto” by Andrea Mantegna and “La rissa in galleria” by the futurist artist Umberto Boccioni. Museum of Science and Technology The National Museum of Science and Technology “Leonardo da Vinci” is the largest technological and scientific museum in Italy and is one of the best in the world for both its quality and size. It is subdivided into thematic areas devoted to transportation, materials, energy, communications etc. Giuseppe Meazza Stadium The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, more commonly called the San Siro, is a football stadium in Milan, Italy. It is the home stadium for two of the three most successful Italian Football League clubs: A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale, and one of the most famous football stadiums in the world. Although it has been officially renamed in honour of Giuseppe Meazza, the Inter and Milan player of the 1930s and 1940s, it is still commonly called the San Siro. With the spectators being so close to the pitch, the stands being so steep and with a large roof, it is considered to have one of the best atmospheres of any stadium in the world. The stadium construction started in 1925 in the Milanese district of San Siro, which gave its original name. The idea to build a stadium in the same district of the horse racing track, belongs to the man who then was the president of A.C. Milan, Piero Pirelli. The architects designed a stadium only for football (there is no athletics track in it). The inauguration was on 19 September 1926, when 35,000 spectators saw Inter defeat Milan 6-3. Originally the ground was home and property of AC Milan, later Internazionale became tenants and the two have shared the ground ever since. Although Giuseppe Meazza played for both Internazionale and AC Milan, he enjoyed more success at Inter and is more favoured by the Inter faithful; as a result, Milan fans favour the term San Siro for the ground. As well as being used by Milan and Inter, the Italian national side also plays occasional games there and it has also been used for the 2000/01, 1969/1970 and 1964/65 Champions League/European Cup finals. The stadium was also used for UEFA Cup finals when played over home and away legs but has never featured since the competition changed to a single final structure in 1997/98. The stadium underwent further renovations for the 1990 World Cup with $60m being spent, bringing the stadium up to UEFA 5-star standard. As part of the renovations, the stadium became all seated, with an extra tier being added to 3 sides of the stadium. This entailed the building of 11 concrete towers around the outside of the stadium. Four of these concrete towers located at the corner to support a new roof which has distinctive protruding red girders