Our next destination was right next to the Chiesa  di San Maurizio, the Civico Museo Archeologico di Milano, or the Archaeological Museum of Milan, found at Corso Magenta, #15.

The museum is housed in what used to be the convent of the Monastero Maggiore.  Admission is €5.00 per person, and it is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 9:00am to 5:30pm.  While probably not on the top of most people’s lists of things to do, when in Milan, I highly recommend paying this interesting museum a visit.  Upon entering the museum, immediately after the ticket booth, you walk into a space dedicated to the history of ancient Milan, or Mediolanum, as it was known at the time.  This city was founded in the 4th century BC, and on display, you will find not only fragments of statues and other items, but a model of the ancient city as well.

Also on display in this section of the museum, there is the famous Patera di Parabiago, which is an ancient Roman circular plate that was found in a Roman cemetery in Parabiago, a town to the north of Milan.  The plate is decorated with the figures of Cybele and her consort, Attis, and is thought to date from the 2nd century AD.  It is beautiful, and for me, seeing this alone was worth the €5.00 admission ticket!

The visit to the museum proceeds through the cloister area, the walls of which are lined with statues and tombs from the Roman period.  From the cloister, one gets a good view of the remains of the Torre dei Carceres, a Roman tower.

 

Next up: We continue our visit of the Archeological Museum, and then, head to the Navigli area for a delicious dinner, stopping to hear live music on the way home!

 

Note: This blog is written in English and Spanish, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any other translations that may appear.  If you have enjoyed this post, please, check out our archives for more posts from Milan, as well as other Italian destinations.  Grazie!