Instead of taking the tram we walked to the nearest subway and boarded a train bound for Sforzesco (Sforza) Castle. Built between 1360-1499 Sforza Castle is an impressive Italian-Spanish style fortress with various courtyards and ramparts. The red walls stand out against the surrounding elegant baroque cream and grey structures. Sforza Castle was the seat of the Dukes of Milan. Today it is a huge complex of various “theme” museums.
Milan subway route 
Saw this on the side of a building. It’s an advertisement to come work for a local pizza chain.
24 April 2019
Lovely fountain outside the castle 
Baroque apartments
Ramparts 
Courtyard
Some of our favorite museums within the castle included the Portrait Gallery, the Early-Medieval Artifacts Museum, and we all loved the Musical Instruments Gallery! Seamus even found a case full of different kinds of cellos from over the centuries. I also loved the case full of different oboes throughout the ages. However, we did get tired of seeing case after case of various “pots and pans” as Seamus called them!
I liked this portrayal of Mary because she’s plain looking, more full figured, and looks like she just gave birth.
It’s not often you see the Trinity depicted in one painting.
This is Michelangelo’s last piece. He died before completing it. It depicts Mary holding Christ’s body after the crucifixion.
After a fascinating and long morning exploring the castle and all the wonderful art and history of Milan, we walked around the streets of Milan until we came upon the Church of St. Ambrose. Before entering the 11th century structure we checked out the famous column where St. Ambrose fought the Devil! In the mid 4th century there were still many Roman columns in Milan. Ambrose was at the time the Archbishop of Milan. Legend says that the Devil challenged him and Ambrose was pinned against the column. He ducked out of the way just as the Devil charged, whereby the Devil’s horns got stuck in the column. Ambrose then was able to use a crucifix to banish the Devil back to hell. The holes are still present in the column and if you get close enough you can smell sulfur and hear the cries of the damned in hell!
Ambrose decided to build a church near the spot where he wrestled with the Devil. The current church structure dates from the 11th century, but there are remnants of the original 4th century structure inside. The sanctuary was beautiful and the little side museum with ancient artifacts was fascinating. The relics of St. Ambrose are kept in a crypt under the altar. He is considered one of the four founding fathers of the Christian Faith. He is laid to rest with two later martyrs.
Relics of a martyr and St. Ambrose: He is raised higher in the golden cloth. 
Inside Church of St. Ambrose
St. Ambrose is always depicted with a whip because he is said to have purged the early church of heresy.
Robert had a surprise stop along our walking tour. After we left the church we walked for about 15 minutes through the backstreets observing everyday life in Milan. We popped out in the banking district and saw a very unique statue sitting in the piazza between the Stock Exchange and the Bank of Milan. It was a giant middle finger! Yep, it seems that Milan had a recession in the 1990’s and the people commissioned a local artist to sculpt a “in your face, we are living life to the fullest” statement to remind the bankers of the people’s power.
Our final stop was to walk another 15 minutes or so and see the complete 2,000 yr. old Roman Colonnade. In the same piazza was a statue of the first Holy Roman Emperor, Constantine. The columns were stunning. Milan is a city with contrasts. There is 2000 yr. old architecture nestled in amongst newer buildings. After a long day of walking we ended up at a local pizzeria!
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