Mediolanum - The Roman Milan

On this walking tour, we go in search of the ancient city hidden beneath modern Milan.

Together, we step back nearly two thousand years to discover Mediolanum — once a strategic capital of the Western Roman Empire and a crossroads where emperors, bishops, merchants, and soldiers shaped the early Christian world.

We begin at the Basilica of Saint Ambrose, one of the city’s most sacred sites. Here, we uncover a time when Roman civic life and Christian devotion were deeply intertwined. Once a thriving imperial capital, Mediolanum was filled with temples, baths, and palaces — and at the heart of it all stood Ambrose, navigating the tensions between imperial power and a rising Christian identity.

From there, we walk to Via Santa Valeria, where the memory of an early martyr survives in the street’s name. Beneath our feet lay a Roman necropolis, reminding us that the edges of the city were lined with tombs and monuments. Here, we explore daily life in Roman Milan and the shift from pagan traditions to Christian culture.

Continuing to Via Brisa, we encounter the evocative remains of the imperial palace of Maximian. From this site, we reconstruct the scale and significance of the palace district — a setting for the political theatre of late-imperial power.

A short walk brings us to Piazza Affari, today Milan’s financial centre, but historically a place of commerce and public life, once home to the Roman mint and a theatre.

We conclude with a descent into the Crypt of San Sepolcro — one of the city’s most atmospheric spaces. Built directly over the Roman forum and aligned with the ancient street grid, it preserves the very geometry of Mediolanum — the same centre that Leonardo da Vinci would later identify as the true heart of the city. Cover image: @corrieredellasera Duration: 90 minutes

Time: 11.00 AM

Language: English