Editing Milan (section)

=== Architecture ===
{{main|History of architecture and art in Milan}}
{{See also|List of buildings in Milan|Villas and palaces in Milan}}
[[File:Milan Cathedral from Piazza del Duomo.jpg|thumb|[[Milan Cathedral]] is the largest church in the Italian Republic—the larger [[St. Peter's Basilica]] is in the [[State of Vatican City]], a sovereign state—and the [[List of largest churches|third largest in the world]].<ref name="ReferenceA">See [[List of largest church buildings in the world]].</ref>]]
[[File:Castello Sforzesco da alto.jpg|thumb|[[Sforza Castle]] (Castello Sforzesco), a historic medieval fortress]]
[[File:Veduta di tre quarti del Palazzo Reale di Milano.jpg|thumb|The [[Royal Palace of Milan]], the seat of government of the city for many centuries]]
[[File:Milano, villa reale, prospetto sul parco.jpg|thumb|[[Royal Villa of Milan]], one of the finest examples of [[Neoclassical architecture]] in Lombardy]]
[[File:Milan, Italy - panoramio (5).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Porta Sempione|Arch of the Peace]], dating back to the 19th century, although its origins can be traced back to a gate of the [[Walls of Milan#Roman walls|Roman walls]] of Milan]]
[[File:20161207 Palazzo Castiglioni.jpg|thumb|[[Palazzo Castiglioni (Milan)|Palazzo Castiglioni]], designed in the [[Liberty style]]]]

The [[History of architecture and art in Milan|architectural and artistic presence in Milan]] represents one of the attractions of the Lombard capital. Milan has been among the most important Italian centers in the [[history of architecture]], has made important contributions to the development of art history, and has been the cradle of a number of [[modern art]] movements.

There are only few remains of the ancient Roman city, notably the well-preserved [[Colonne di San Lorenzo]]. During the second half of the 4th century, Saint Ambrose, as bishop of Milan, had a strong influence on the layout of the city, reshaping the centre (although the cathedral and baptistery built in Roman times are now lost) and building the great basilicas at the city gates: Sant'Ambrogio, [[San Nazaro in Brolo]], [[Basilica of San Simpliciano|San Simpliciano]] and [[Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio|Sant'Eustorgio]], which still stand, refurbished over the centuries, as some of the finest and most important churches in Milan. [[Duomo di Milano|Milan's Cathedral]], built between 1386 and 1877, is the largest church in the Italian Republic—the larger [[St. Peter's Basilica]] is in the [[State of Vatican City]], a sovereign state—and the [[List of largest churches|third largest in the world]],<ref name="ReferenceA"/> as well as the most important example of [[Gothic architecture]] in Italy. The gilt bronze statue of the [[Madonnina (statue)|Virgin Mary]], placed in 1774 on the highest pinnacle of the Duomo, soon became one of the most enduring symbols of Milan.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Sharon|title=A perfect trip to Italy in the golden years.|year=2011|publisher=iUniverse Inc.|location=Bloomington, IN|isbn=978-1-4502-8443-1|page=93}}</ref>

In the 15th century, when the Sforza ruled the city, an old Viscontean fortress was enlarged and embellished to become the Castello Sforzesco, the seat of an elegant Renaissance court surrounded by a walled hunting park. Notable architects involved in the project included the [[Florence|Florentine]] [[Filarete]], who was commissioned to build the high central entrance tower, and the military specialist Bartolomeo Gadio.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.milanocastello.it/ing/lungaRicostruito.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030830184307/http://www.milanocastello.it/ing/lungaRicostruito.html |archive-date=30 August 2003 |title=The Castle Reconstructed by the Sforza |website=Castello Sforzesco website}}</ref> The alliance between Francesco Sforza and Florence's [[Cosimo de' Medici]] bore to Milan Tuscan models of Renaissance architecture, apparent in the [[Ospedale Maggiore]] and Bramante's work in the city, which includes Santa Maria presso San Satiro (a reconstruction of a small 9th-century church), the tribune of [[Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)|Santa Maria delle Grazie]] and three cloisters for Sant'Ambrogio.<ref name="murray"/> The [[Counter-Reformation]] in the 16th to 17th centuries was also the period of [[Spanish Empire|Spanish domination]] and was marked by two powerful figures: [[Charles Borromeo|Saint Charles Borromeo]] and his cousin, [[Federico Borromeo|Cardinal Federico Borromeo]]. Not only did they impose themselves as moral guides to the people of Milan, but they also gave a great impulse to culture, with the creation of the [[Biblioteca Ambrosiana]], in a building designed by [[Francesco Maria Richini]], and the nearby Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. Many notable churches and Baroque mansions were built in the city during this period by the architects, [[Pellegrino Tibaldi]], [[Galeazzo Alessi]] and Richini himself.<ref name="Wittkower"/>

Empress [[Maria Theresa of Austria]] was responsible for the significant renovations carried out in Milan during the 18th century.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Reill|editor-first=Peter Hanns|last=Wilson|first=Ellen Judy|title=Encyclopedia of the enlightenment|year=2004|publisher=Facts on File|location=New York, NY|isbn=0-8160-5335-9|page=392|edition=Rev.}}</ref> This urban and artistic renewal included the establishment of [[La Scala|Teatro alla Scala]], inaugurated in 1778, and the renovation of the Royal Palace. The late 1700s [[Palazzo Belgioioso]] by [[Giuseppe Piermarini]] and [[Royal Villa of Milan]] by [[Leopoldo Pollack]], later the official residence of Austrian viceroys, are often regarded among the best examples of [[Neoclassical architecture]] in Lombardy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mazzocca|first=Fernando|title=La Galleria d'Arte Moderna e la Villa Reale di Milano|year=2007|publisher=Silvana|location=Cinisello Balsamo (Milano)|isbn=978-88-366-1003-7|page=21}}</ref> The [[First French Empire|Napoleonic]] rule of the city in 1805–1814, having established Milan as the capital of a satellite Kingdom of Italy, took steps to reshape it accordingly to its new status, with the construction of large boulevards, new squares ([[Porta Ticinese]] by [[Luigi Cagnola]] and Foro Bonaparte by [[Giovanni Antonio Antolini]]) and cultural institutions ([[Pinacoteca di Brera|Art Gallery]] and the [[Brera Academy|Academy of Fine Arts]]).<ref>{{cite book|last=De Finetti|first=Giuseppe|title=Milano : costruzione di una città|year=2002|publisher=U. Hoepli|location=Milano|isbn=88-203-3092-X|page=324}}</ref> The massive [[Arch of Peace]], situated at the bottom of Corso Sempione, is often compared to the [[Arc de Triomphe]] in Paris. In the second half of the 19th century, Milan quickly became the main industrial centre of the new Italian nation, drawing inspiration from the great European capitals that were hubs of the [[Second Industrial Revolution]]. The great [[Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II]], realised by [[Giuseppe Mengoni]] between 1865 and 1877 to celebrate [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Vittorio Emanuele II]], is a covered passage with a glass and cast iron roof, inspired by the [[Burlington Arcade]] in London. Several other arcades such as the [[Galleria del Corso]], built between 1923 and 1931, complement it. Another late-19th-century eclectic monument in the city is the [[Cimitero Monumentale]] graveyard, built in a [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Neo-Romanesque]] style between 1863 and 1866.

The tumultuous period of early 20th century brought several, radical innovations in Milanese architecture. [[Art Nouveau]], also known as ''[[Liberty style|Liberty]]'' in Italy, is recognisable in [[Palazzo Castiglioni (Milan)|Palazzo Castiglioni]], built by architect [[Giuseppe Sommaruga]] between 1901 and 1903.<ref name="ReferenceC"/> Other examples include Hotel Corso,<ref name="ReferenceC"/> [[Casa Guazzoni]] with its wrought iron and staircase, and Berri-Meregalli house, the latter built in a traditional Milanese Art Nouveau style combined with elements of neo-Romanesque and Gothic revival architecture, regarded as one of the last such types of architecture in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100milano.com/liberty/191.html |title=Verso Una Conclusione: Casa Berri Meregalli |publisher=100milano.com |access-date=10 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424052448/http://www.100milano.com/liberty/191.html |archive-date=24 April 2012}}</ref> A new, more eclectic form of architecture can be seen in buildings such as Castello Cova, built the 1910s in a distinctly neo-medieval style, evoking the architectural trends of the past.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.info2015expo.it/index.php?/archives/826-Castello-Cova.html |title=Castello Cova – info2015expo |publisher=Info2015expo.it |access-date=10 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424225206/http://www.info2015expo.it/index.php?%2Farchives%2F826-Castello-Cova.html |archive-date=24 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> An important example of [[Art Deco]], which blended such styles with [[Fascist architecture]], is the huge [[Milano Centrale|Central railway station]] inaugurated in 1931.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ICYUKYHQ_cC&q=milan+railway+station+1931&pg=PA119|title=DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Milan & the Lakes|last=Birmingham|first=Brenda|publisher=Dorling Kindersley Limited|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4053-6747-9|location=London|language=en|oclc=828734755|access-date=17 November 2020|archive-date=29 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529132107/https://books.google.com/books?id=-ICYUKYHQ_cC&q=milan+railway+station+1931&pg=PA119|url-status=live}}</ref>

The post-World War II period saw rapid reconstruction and fast economic growth, accompanied by a nearly two-fold increase in population. In the 1950s and 1960s, a strong demand for new residential and commercial areas drove to extreme urban expansion, that has produced some of the major milestones in the city's architectural history, including [[Giò Ponti|Gio Ponti]]'s Pirelli Tower (1956–60), Velasca Tower (1956–58), and the creation of brand new residential satellite towns, as well as huge amounts of low-quality public housings. In recent years, de-industrialization, [[urban decay]] and gentrification led to a vast urban renewal of former industrial areas, that have been transformed into modern residential and financial districts, notably Porta Nuova in downtown Milan and [[FieraMilano]] in the suburb of [[Rho (Italy)|Rho]]. In addition, the old exhibition area is being completely reshaped according to the Citylife regeneration project, featuring residencial areas, museums, an urban park and three skyscrapers designed by international architects, and after whom they are named: the {{convert|202|m|adj=mid|abbr=off}} [[Isozaki Arata]]—when completed, the tallest building in Italy,<ref name="Isozaki Tower Citylife"/> the twisted [[Zaha Hadid|Hadid Tower]],<ref name="Hadid Tower Citylife"/> and the curved [[Daniel Libeskind|Libeskind Tower]].<ref name="Liebskind Tower Citylife"/>

Two business districts dominate Milan's skyline: ''Porta Nuova'' in the north-east (boroughs No. 9 and 2) and ''CityLife'' (borough No. 8) in the north-west part of the commune. The [[List of tallest buildings in Milan|tallest buildings]] include the [[Unicredit Tower]] at 231 m (though only 162 m without the spire), and the 209 m [[Allianz Tower]], a 50-story tower.