Sant Ambrogio complex Milan

The Patron Saint of Milan

Ivan from Milan

""Sant Ambrogio complex", like anything really old in Milan, has been built on top of other things. Tip: look at the right corner of the Basilica's gates..."

As anything really old you will find in Milano, you will discover many things have been built on top of it, added onto it or "restored" over time.

This multitude of different building styles however adds a unique feel to the monuments as you will find at the Sant Ambrogio Basilica complex: every époque in combination with their saints and rulers have left their mark.

In the case of Sant Ambrogio, the first stone was set as early as 375 AD. Despite all the changes done throughout the following centuries, the basilica is one of the most important buildings from the Lombard Romanesque style (everything is very well described at the site, even in English).

Although the most significant pieces are the altar (with the somewhat freaky leftovers of Sant Ambrogio himself underneath), the carved wooden entrance door and the marble sarcophagus, I love the most the hidden details. Look carefully at the column heads, lose yourself in an uncountable variety of symbolic animals, imaginary beasts and monsters.

In front of the Sant Ambrogio monastery (located next to the Basilica) you will find yet another brand new city project (completed in July 2014), the piazza Sant Ambrogio. In between the peacefulness of the Sant Ambrogio monastery and the pedestrian piazza, one could easily imagine living in a flat behind one of its beautiful facades.

Tip - don't miss looking up at the right corner of the Basilica central gates, you will find a hilarious creature staring right at you.

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Milan Spotter Ivan

About me I was born and raised in Bulgaria, in a small countryside town in the south. The place somehow always felt too small. For the first 20 years of my life I never really left the country and this was eating me up from the inside. My thrive for discovering the world was simply too strong, so in 2004 I decided to catch up and jump to the other extreme. I have been moving places ever since. Since 2004, I’ve lived and studied / worked in The Hague & Amsterdam, Sofia, Beijing, Berlin, Prague, Paris, Nice and Monaco. And now Milan. I consider myself lucky to have chosen ...

About this spot

Piazza Sant'Ambrogio 15

€

free

Website

0286450895

Dec 4, 2025

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