Porta Ticinese, Milan

On the original Roman road that led to Pavia from Milan, what you see of Porta Ticinese today is only a part of the Neo-Classical design that was submitted by Luigi Cagnola. His ideas included bastions - since dismantled - and the square in the direction of the village of San Gottardo between vast buildings that were to house the local market and receiving office. These buildings were to lie on either side of the gateway and symmetrical to the road, thereby redefining the entire area. The project was begun in 1801 to celebrate the victory of Napoleon at the battle of Marengo in 1800 and the arrival of the French troops from that direction, but construction was halted in 1814 after only the gate and the two toll-gates at the sides had been finished. The building is made from pink granite from Baveno (today blackened by smog and grime) in Vitruvian Doric style. The massive pillars and columns crowned by the large tympanum is one of the most representative Milanese works of Neo-Classical architecture.