Porta Sempione
Encyclopedia
Porta Sempione is a city gate of Milan
, Italy
. The name "Porta Sempione" is used both to refer to the gate proper and to the surrounding district ("quartiere
"), a part of the Zone 1
division (the historic city centre), including the major avenue of Corso Sempione. The gate is marked by a landmark triumphal arch
called Arco della Pace ("Arch of Peace"), dating back to the 19th century, but its origins can be traced back to a gate of the Roman walls of Milan.
of Milan. It was called "Porta Giovia" ("Jupiter's Gate") and was located at the end of modern Via San Giovanni sul Muro. At the time, the gate was meant to control an important road leading to what is now Castelseprio
. Very little remains of the original Roman
structure; some Roman tombstones that used to by placed by the outer side of the walls have been employed in the construction of later buildings such as the Basilica of Saint Simplician (located in Corso Garibaldi).
In the middle ages, part of the Roman walls in the Porta Sempione area were adapted as part of the new walls
. The gate itself was moved north, in a place that is now occupied by the Sforza Castle. The Castle itself was completed in the 15th Century, under duke Filippo Maria Visconti
, and the gate itself became part of the Castle.
In 1807, under the Napoleonic
rule, the Arch of Peace was built by architect Luigi Cagnola
. This new gate marked the place where the new Strada del Sempione entered Milan. This road, which is still in use today, connects Milan to Paris
through the Simplon Pass
crossing the Alps
. At the time, the gate was still called "Porta Giovia". When the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy
fell and Milan was conquered by the Austrian Empire
, the gate was not yet completed, and the construction was abandoned for a while.
The construction of the Arch was resumed, again by Cagnola, in 1826, for Emperor Francis II
, who dedicated the monument to the 1815 Congress of Vienna
. When Cagnola died in 1833, his project was taken over by Francesco Londonio
and Francesco Peverelli, who brought it to completion in 1838.
The gate was the scene of several prominent events in the Milanese history of the 19th century. In 22 March 1848, the Austria
n army led by marshal Josef Radetzky escaped from Milan through Porta Giovia after being defeated in the Five Days of Milan
rebellion. On 8 June 1859, four days after the Battle of Magenta
, Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
triumphally entered Milan through the gate.
, the main city park of Milan, which was designed with the explicit intent of providing panoramic views encompassing both the Arch and the nearby Sforza Castle.
It is neoclassical
triumphal arch, 25 m high and 24 m wide, decorated with a number of bas-reliefs, statue
s, and corinthian
columns. Bas-reliefs and statues are made of a variety of materials, including marble
, bronze
, wood
, and stucco
. Many of such decorations, especially bas-reliefs, are dedicated to major events in the history of Italy and Europe, such as the Battle of Leipzig
, the foundation of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
, the Congress of Vienna
. Other decorations have classical mythology subjects such as Mars
, Ceres
, Minerva
, Apollo
, and Victoria
-Nike
. There are also a group of statues that are allegories
of major rivers in North Italy such as the Po
, the Adige and the Ticino
. Notable artists that have collaborated to the decoration of the gate include Pompeo Marchesi
, Luigi Acquisti
, Grazioso Rusca, Luigi Buzzi Leone, Giovanni Battista Comolli, Luigi Marchesi
, Nicola Pirovano, Francesco Peverelli, Benedetto Cacciatori, Giovanni Antonio Labus, Claudio Monti, Gaetano Monti
, Camillo Pacetti
, Antonio Pasquali, Giovambattista Perabò, Angelo Pizzi, Grazioso Rusca, Girolamo Rusca, and Francesco Somaini
.
At the sides of the Arch of Peace there are two minor rectangular buildings that used to be the customs office.
The main landmark of the area is the Sforza Castle, which dominates the Simplon Park
, the largest and most important city park in the centre of Milan. The park houses other renowned monuments and places of interest, such as the Branca Tower
, 108 m high, the Palazzo dell'Arte (one of the seats of the Triennale
art expo), sculptures by Giorgio de Chirico
, and the public aquarium
.
The whole area is one of the centres of the so-called Milanese movida (night life), with a number of bars, pubs, restaurants, and discos; since the RAI
public television company, as well as some major radio station
s, have their headquarters in the area, frequent appearances of celebrities contribute to the popularity of the Sempione's night life venues.
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The name "Porta Sempione" is used both to refer to the gate proper and to the surrounding district ("quartiere
Quartiere
A quartiere is a subdivision of certain Italian towns. The word is from quarto, or fourth, and was thus properly used only for towns divided into four neighborhoods. The English word "quarter" to mean a neighborhood A quartiere (plural: quartieri) is a subdivision of certain Italian towns. The...
"), a part of the Zone 1
Zone 1 of Milan
The Zone 1 of Milan is one of the 9 administrative zones of Milan, Italy. The zone includes the historical center and the city's main turist sights.-Notable places in Zone 1:* Piazza del Duomo and the cathedral;...
division (the historic city centre), including the major avenue of Corso Sempione. The gate is marked by a landmark triumphal arch
Triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
called Arco della Pace ("Arch of Peace"), dating back to the 19th century, but its origins can be traced back to a gate of the Roman walls of Milan.
History
A gate that roughly corresponds to modern Porta Sempione was already part of Roman wallsWalls of Milan
The city Milan, Italy, has had three different systems of defending walls. The oldest, Roman walls were developed in two stages, the first in the Republican and the second in the Imperial era. The second wall system was realized in the Middle Ages , after the destruction of the city by Frederick...
of Milan. It was called "Porta Giovia" ("Jupiter's Gate") and was located at the end of modern Via San Giovanni sul Muro. At the time, the gate was meant to control an important road leading to what is now Castelseprio
Castelseprio
Castelseprio was the site of a Roman fort in antiquity, and a significant Lombard town in the early Middle Ages, before being destroyed and abandoned in 1287. It is today preserved as an archaeological park in the modern comune of Castelseprio, near the modern village of the same name...
. Very little remains of the original Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
structure; some Roman tombstones that used to by placed by the outer side of the walls have been employed in the construction of later buildings such as the Basilica of Saint Simplician (located in Corso Garibaldi).
In the middle ages, part of the Roman walls in the Porta Sempione area were adapted as part of the new walls
Walls of Milan
The city Milan, Italy, has had three different systems of defending walls. The oldest, Roman walls were developed in two stages, the first in the Republican and the second in the Imperial era. The second wall system was realized in the Middle Ages , after the destruction of the city by Frederick...
. The gate itself was moved north, in a place that is now occupied by the Sforza Castle. The Castle itself was completed in the 15th Century, under duke Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti was ruler of Milan from 1412 to 1447.-Biography:Filippo Maria Visconti, who had become nominal ruler of Pavia in 1402, succeeded his assassinated brother Gian Maria Visconti as Duke of Milan in 1412. They were the sons of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Gian Maria's predecessor, by...
, and the gate itself became part of the Castle.
In 1807, under the Napoleonic
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
rule, the Arch of Peace was built by architect Luigi Cagnola
Luigi Cagnola
Marchese Luigi Cagnola was an Italian architect.Cagnola was born in Milan. He was sent at the age of fourteen to the Clementine College at Rome, and afterwards studied at the University of Pavia...
. This new gate marked the place where the new Strada del Sempione entered Milan. This road, which is still in use today, connects Milan to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
through the Simplon Pass
Simplon Pass
Simplon Pass is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig in the canton of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont . The pass itself and the villages on each side of it, such as Gondo, are in Switzerland...
crossing the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. At the time, the gate was still called "Porta Giovia". When the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
fell and Milan was conquered by the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
, the gate was not yet completed, and the construction was abandoned for a while.
The construction of the Arch was resumed, again by Cagnola, in 1826, for Emperor Francis II
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
, who dedicated the monument to the 1815 Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
. When Cagnola died in 1833, his project was taken over by Francesco Londonio
Francesco Londonio
- External links :**...
and Francesco Peverelli, who brought it to completion in 1838.
The gate was the scene of several prominent events in the Milanese history of the 19th century. In 22 March 1848, the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n army led by marshal Josef Radetzky escaped from Milan through Porta Giovia after being defeated in the Five Days of Milan
Five Days of Milan
The Five Days of Milan was a major event in the Revolutionary Year of 1848 and the start of the First Italian War of Independence. On March 18th, the city of Milan, rose, and in five days of street fighting drove Marshal Radetzky and his men from the city....
rebellion. On 8 June 1859, four days after the Battle of Magenta
Battle of Magenta
The Battle of Magenta was fought on June 4, 1859 during the Second Italian War of Independence, resulting in a French-Sardinian victory under Napoleon III against the Austrians under Marshal Ferencz Gyulai....
, Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emanuel II was king of Sardinia from 1849 and, on 17 March 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878...
triumphally entered Milan through the gate.
Structure and location
The Simplon Gate is located at the center of a wide round square known as "Piazza Sempione" (Simplon Square). It is adjacent to the Simplon ParkParco Sempione
Parco Sempione is a large city park in Milan, Italy. Established in 1888, it has an overall area of 386,000 m², and it is located in the historic centre of the city, inside the Zone 1 administrative division. It owes its name to Corso Sempione, a major thoroughfare of Milan, dating back to the...
, the main city park of Milan, which was designed with the explicit intent of providing panoramic views encompassing both the Arch and the nearby Sforza Castle.
It is neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
triumphal arch, 25 m high and 24 m wide, decorated with a number of bas-reliefs, statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
s, and corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns. Bas-reliefs and statues are made of a variety of materials, including marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
, wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, and stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
. Many of such decorations, especially bas-reliefs, are dedicated to major events in the history of Italy and Europe, such as the Battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
, the foundation of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia was created at the Congress of Vienna, which recognised the House of Habsburg's rights to Lombardy and Venetia after the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed by Napoleon in 1805, had collapsed...
, the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
. Other decorations have classical mythology subjects such as Mars
Mars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
, Ceres
Ceres (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion, Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. She was originally the central deity in Rome's so-called plebeian or Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans described as "the Greek rites of Ceres"...
, Minerva
Minerva
Minerva was the Roman goddess whom Romans from the 2nd century BC onwards equated with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic...
, Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, and Victoria
Victoria (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion, Victoria was the personified goddess of victory. She is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Nike, and was associated with Bellona. She was adapted from the Sabine agricultural goddess Vacuna and had a temple on the Palatine Hill...
-Nike
Nike (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Nike was a goddess who personified victory, also known as the Winged Goddess of Victory. The Roman equivalent was Victoria. Depending upon the time of various myths, she was described as the daughter of Pallas and Styx and the sister of Kratos , Bia , and Zelus...
. There are also a group of statues that are allegories
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
of major rivers in North Italy such as the Po
Po River
The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...
, the Adige and the Ticino
Ticino River
The river Ticino is a left-bank tributary of the Po River. It has given its name to the Swiss canton through which its upper portion flows.-The course:...
. Notable artists that have collaborated to the decoration of the gate include Pompeo Marchesi
Pompeo Marchesi
Pompeo Marchesi was a Lombard sculptor of the neoclassical school.He first studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan, and then in 1804 he won a scholarship to study in Rome under Canova, from whom he received much encouragement...
, Luigi Acquisti
Luigi Acquisti
Luigi Acquisti was an Italian sculptor mainly known for his works in the neoclassical style.He was born in Forlì the 29 March 1747 and died in Bologna in 1823. His works are distributed throughout Italy...
, Grazioso Rusca, Luigi Buzzi Leone, Giovanni Battista Comolli, Luigi Marchesi
Luigi Marchesi
Luigi Marchesi was an Italian castrato singer, one of the most prominent and charismatic to appear in Europe during the second half of the eighteenth century.-Biography:Luigi Ludovico Marchesi was born in Milan...
, Nicola Pirovano, Francesco Peverelli, Benedetto Cacciatori, Giovanni Antonio Labus, Claudio Monti, Gaetano Monti
Gaetano Monti
Gaetano Monti was an Italian sculptor, active in Milan. Little is known about his career; he was, for a time, active as a teacher of anatomy at the Ospedale Maggiore, where he numbered among his pupils Andrea Appiani and Gaetano Matteo Monti...
, Camillo Pacetti
Camillo Pacetti
.Camillo Pacetti was an Italian sculptor. He was the brother of Vincenzo Pacetti, another sculptor.A student of the Accademia di San Luca, he later worked in various churches in Rome and Milan...
, Antonio Pasquali, Giovambattista Perabò, Angelo Pizzi, Grazioso Rusca, Girolamo Rusca, and Francesco Somaini
Francesco Somaini
Francesco Somaini was an Italian sculptor.-Biography:-1946-1957 - Artistic formation:...
.
At the sides of the Arch of Peace there are two minor rectangular buildings that used to be the customs office.
The district
The area surrounding Porta Sempione is a prominent historic district of Milan. The district also includes part of Corso Sempione, a large avenue leading to Porta Sempione from north-west. Some of the most important streets in the area are Via Canonica, Via Luigi Cagnola, Via Abbondio Sangiorgio, Via Mario Pagano, Via Agostino Bertani, Via Antonio Canova, and Via Francesco Melzi d'Eril. Via Melzi d'Eril and Via Antonio Canova form a half circle concentric to Piazza Sempione.The main landmark of the area is the Sforza Castle, which dominates the Simplon Park
Parco Sempione
Parco Sempione is a large city park in Milan, Italy. Established in 1888, it has an overall area of 386,000 m², and it is located in the historic centre of the city, inside the Zone 1 administrative division. It owes its name to Corso Sempione, a major thoroughfare of Milan, dating back to the...
, the largest and most important city park in the centre of Milan. The park houses other renowned monuments and places of interest, such as the Branca Tower
Torre Branca
Torre Branca is an iron panoramic tower located in Parco Sempione, the main city park of Milan, Italy. It is 108.6 m high, which makes it the fourth highest structure in Milan after Palazzo Lombardia , the Pirelli Tower and the Breda Tower...
, 108 m high, the Palazzo dell'Arte (one of the seats of the Triennale
Triennale
La Triennale di Milano is a design museum and events venue in Milan, Italy, located inside the Palace of Art building, part of Parco Sempione, the park grounds adjacent to Castello Sforzesco. It hosts exhibitions and events which highlight contemporary Italian design, urban planning, architecture,...
art expo), sculptures by Giorgio de Chirico
Giorgio de Chirico
Giorgio de Chirico was a pre-Surrealist and then Surrealist Italian painter born in Volos, Greece, to a Genovese mother and a Sicilian father. He founded the scuola metafisica art movement...
, and the public aquarium
Public aquarium
A public aquarium is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, housing living aquatic species for viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, as well as smaller tanks. Since the first public aquariums were built in the mid-19th century, they have become popular...
.
The whole area is one of the centres of the so-called Milanese movida (night life), with a number of bars, pubs, restaurants, and discos; since the RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
public television company, as well as some major radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s, have their headquarters in the area, frequent appearances of celebrities contribute to the popularity of the Sempione's night life venues.