Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio

Why go

The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio is a church and parish in central Milan. The basilica's own site says Ambrose, bishop of Milan from 374 to 397, founded it in honour of the martyrs Protasius and Gervasius in the area of the old necropolis west of the city, and that it stood outside the city walls until the nineteenth century. Its page on the monumental complex says the present church is a Romanesque rebuilding of the late 11th and first half of the 12th century, entered through a four-sided portico (the Atrio di Ansperto) and flanked by two bell towers. The site gives sightseeing times separate from its opening times, asks visitors to check that no service is in progress, and says groups and schools can visit with a microphone system by booking. The Ambrosius treasure route is a separate visit with its own arrangements.