The Columns of San Lorenzo and the Ticinese

In front of you is one of the liveliest spots in Milan. By day, trams and tourists; at dusk, groups of young people sitting on the ground between the columns, drink in hand. Few cities live with their Roman ruins quite like this.

1Roman and relocated

The sixteen columns, about seven and a half metres tall, come from a Roman building of the 2nd or 3rd century. They were brought here to complete the complex of the basilica of San Lorenzo, and their present arrangement is medieval. The bronze statue on the square is a 1937 copy of an ancient Constantine, commemorating the Edict of Milan of 313.

2The basilica and the gate

Behind rises San Lorenzo Maggiore, one of Milan's oldest churches, of early Christian origin. Its central plan and enormous dome, rebuilt in the 16th century, give it an unmistakable outline. Look down the street and you will see the medieval Porta Ticinese, the gate on the road to Pavia and the Ticino river. Beyond it begins the district named after it, the Ticinese, full of independent shops, bookshops and bars.

Until 1935 the columns were hemmed in by houses: the square you see is fairly recent.

3What to look for

• The central brick arch that breaks the colonnade.
• The dome of San Lorenzo, one of the largest in the city.
• Porta Ticinese, at the far end, on the way to the Navigli.