Porta Ticinese (formerly known as Porta Cicca, and during
Napoleonic
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
rule as Porta Marengo)
Porta Cicca
' (in Italian) is a former city gate of
Milan,
Italy. The gate, facing south-west, was first created with the
Spanish walls of the city, in the 16th century, but the original structure was later demolished and replaced in the early 19th century. The name "Porta Ticinese" is used both to refer to the gate proper and to the surrounding district, part of the
Zone 6 administrative division. In the same district there is also a medieval gate with the same name, although in common speech the name "Porta Ticinese" is usually assumed to refer to the 19th century gate.
The gate of Porta Ticinese is one of the landmark buildings of Milan and a popular tourist attraction.
The name "Porta Ticinese" means "Gate to the Ticino", referred to the
Ticino
Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
river, that traverses the
Po Valley south-west of Milan. The name "Porta Cicca" came about during the Spanish rule of Milan in the 16th century, "Cicca" being a distortion of the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
word ''chica'', i.e., "small". The name "Porta Marengo", which was used in the 19th century, refers to the village of Marengo located south-west of Milan, now called
Spinetta Marengo
Spinetta Marengo ( pms, Marengh) is a town in Piedmont, Italy located within the municipal boundaries of the ''comune'' of Alessandria. The population is 6,417.
On 14 June 1800 the village was the scene of an important battle between the French ...
, scene of the
Battle of Marengo
The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General Mi ...
between the French army commanded by Napoleon and an Austrian army.
The gate
A "Porta Ticinese" was already part of the
medieval walls of Milan (12th century); the medieval gate is one of the few remnants of the medieval walls that are still in place, and it is located in the same area as the modern "Porta Ticinese", but closer to the city centre (as the medieval walls enclosed a smaller area than the Spanish walls). The current location of the gate (in a plaza that is now called "Piazzale XIV Maggio") was established during the Spanish rule, in the 16th century. In the early 19th century, most of the Spanish gates were demolished and replaced with new structures that were meant to serve as toll-gates. This was also the case with Porta Ticinese. The new structure was designed by
Luigi Cagnola
Marchese Luigi Cagnola (9 June 1762 – 14 August 1833) was a Neoclassical Italian architect.
Biography
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 o ...
in
neoclassic style, and built between 1801 and 1814.
Cagnola's structure consists of massive pillars and
ionic order columns surmounted by a large
tympanum, and is considered one of the prominent examples of neoclassical architecture of Milan.
In 1815, after the
Napoleonic wars, an inscription was added to the tympanum which reads "PACI POPVLORVM SOPITAE" (in
Latin, "to peace that frees peoples").
The district
The area surrounding Porta Ticinese is a historic ''
quartiere
A (; plural: ) is a territorial subdivision of certain Italian towns. The word derives from (‘fourth’) and was thus properly used only for towns divided into four neighborhoods by the two main roads. It has been later used as a synonymous ...
'' of Milan; it has its coat of arms, a three-legged red stool on a silver background.
The district is part of the
Navigli
The navigli (; lmo, Navili ) are a system of interconnected canals in and around Milan, in the Italian region of Lombardy, dating back as far as the Middle Ages.
The system consists of five canals: Naviglio Grande, Naviglio Pavese, Naviglio Ma ...
area of Milan, which is rich of monuments, tourist attractions, night life, and more, and qualifies as one of the most important areas of Milan outside the historic centre. It includes the notable
Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio
The Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio is a church in Milan in northern Italy, which is in the Basilicas Park city park. It was for many years an important stop for pilgrims on their journey to Rome or to the Holy Land, because it was said to contain th ...
, a
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name t ...
that was established in the
middle ages and restored several times through the centuries, so that the original
romanesque structure has been complemented with
Renaissance elements. Sant'Eustorgio is located in a well known city park called
Parco delle Basiliche, which also includes another prominent basilica,
that of San Lorenzo. Nearby are also the
Colonne di San Lorenzo
The Colonne di San Lorenzo or Columns of San Lorenzo is a group of ancient Roman ruins, located in front of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in central Milan, region of Lombardy, northern Italy.
History
The colonnade
In classical architecture, a ...
, which are among the best preserved
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
ruins in Milan. The plaza where the Colonne di San Lorenzo are located is also one of the key places of the so-called "Milanese
movida", i.e., night-life.
Colonne di San Lorenzo, il nemico non è solo la movida
' (in Italian)
See also
*
El Biscella
Footnotes
External links
{{coord, 45, 27, 09, N, 9, 10, 49, E, region:IT_source:kolossus-itwiki, display=title
Districts of Milan
Entertainment districts in Italy