Our next stop turned out to be the studio-museum of the sculptor Francesco Messina.  Messina is considered to be one of the most important artists, when it comes to figurative sculpture of the 20th century.  Originally from Sicily, he made Milan his home, and the deconsecrated Church of San Sisto al Carrobbio, his studio.  Now, the church hosts the Francesco Messina Foundation, as well as the museum, which has on display approximately 80 sculptures, in addition to around 30 graphic pieces.  Admission is free.  So, if you are in the neighborhood, and the door is open, I highly recommend going in!

As we continued walking around the neighborhood, we stumbled upon a site under excavation.  I could not help but smile, and think to myself that, maybe in the future, this would be a destination for us, something we would be exploring, learning more about this fascinating city’s history.

Before we knew it, we were once again in front of the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, which dates from the year 387 AD.  This is one of the oldest churches in Milan, and is also one of the most important.  Unfortunately, we were visiting during Holy Week, and it was Good Friday.  That said, we were not able to explore the interior of the basilica.  We will save that for another trip.  We did, however, get to attend some of the Good Friday Mass in the basilica, and were also able to explore the arcade, and the portico in front of the church.

A plaque marks the building where Francesco Petrarca lived.

 

Next up: We spend an afternoon exploring, before winding up our visit to Milan!

 

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!