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Visit Monza
Monza is found about 20 kilometres north-east of Milan, and is now pretty much incorporated as a satellite town of Milan. it is best known for the Monza race track but there are other highlights to discover in the town.
A visit to Monza can start from the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist, which is surely the most important monument of the city. Built by Queen Teodolinda, the Basilica presents an imposing marble façade in white and green horizontal bands and a large central rosette by Matteo da Campione (1335 - c.1396, one of the most famous sculptors of the Lombard school). The bell tower, 80 meters high, was built in the early 17th century. The interior has three naves and a Latin cross, and it is rich in frescoes and paintings of the Lombard school of painting between Gothic and Rococo. Also worth seeing is the impressive altarpiece, carved on a slab of silver gilt, and the Chapel of Queen Teodolinda, decorated with some frescoes of the Zavattari (a family of painters active in Milan and Lombardy in the 15th century) and home to the legendary 'Iron Crown'.
From the Cathedral we enter the Museum, where the famous "treasure" is held, the richest collection of works of art between the 4th and 9th centuries, including the Diptych of Stilicho (359-408), 16 phials of tin from the Holy Land, the Cross of Adaloald (602-626), Gospels of Teodolinda, and other precious objects of later times, such as the Goblet of Gian Galeazzo Visconti (1351-1402), "Millefleures" tapestries and the old collection of Lombard silver, wrought between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Near the Basilica is the 'Arengario' (the old Town Hall) built in 1293. On the ground floor there is a large porch and on the first floor there is a large hall for assemblies, which gives access to the so-called "Parlera", or a balcony from which they spoke to the people; in front there is the tower spire of the fourteenth century.
In the Old Town there are other architectural remains, such as the remains of the Roman Arena bridge where we can still see one of the eight arches, replaced by the Bridge of Lions. Among other religious buildings worthy of mention are the Church of Santa Maria in Strada, of Romanesque style with a Lombard-Gothic façade with terracotta decorations and a statue of the Virgin and Child by the French School, next to which is the bell tower, probably by Ambrogio da Milano (a sculptor active in the 15th century).
Also of note is the Romanesque Church of Saint Peter Martyr, built in the first half of the 14th century; the Church of St. Mary of Carrobiolo, built in the 13th century by the Order of Humiliated Friars and transformed during the 16th and 18th centuries. A walk around this area of Monza and tourists will discover the famous Royal Villa, built by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria for his son Ferdinand (1793-1875) and built between 1776 and 1780 by Giuseppe Piermarini (1734-1808, the author of “Teatro alla Scala” in Milan).
Other highlights are the great hall, the apartments of Umberto I (1844-1900) and Margherita of Savoy (1851-1926), the Royal Chapel, Court Theatre and Rotunda, frescoed by Andrea Appiani with scenes from the tale of "Cupid and Psyche." Worthy of admiration are the gardens of the Villa.
Taking a promenade around Monza we can also discover the traditional cuisine, a typically peasant cuisine, characterized by "poor" dishes, but very tasty. In addition to the excellent sausages, among the first dishes to taste is the "risotto with the ‘luganega’"; while among the main courses we recommend trying a pot roast, which is also hard to find, or the so-called "Beef of California”. For dessert, we recommend the “Torta de Michelacc", biscuits made from bread, milk, raisins, pine, cedar and cocoa.
See also history of Monza.
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