- Art & Culture
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Rotonda della Besana
If you want something unusual, visit the Rotonda di via Besana, a show of romantic and mysterious round shapes
To the north east of Milan the Rotonda della Besana stands out in its urban setting. This is a singular late-baroque building, where art and religious tourism come together.
This fascinating, charming monument takes its name from the church - now deconsecrated - inside the brick portico. There was once a chapel in the centre of the burial area used for the dead from the Ospedale Maggiore, later converted to a church in 1695 and surrounded by a portico.
Excavation works for the recent restoration of the building have brought to light some 150 thousand bodies which had been buried in the crypts. When, at the end of the century, during the period of Austrian rule, the city was forced to move its cemeteries outside city walls, the Rotonda della Besana was closed and fell into disuse.
The building was subsequently used as a barracks, a hay loft and also a laundry until, in 1958, it became the property of the Municipality, which decided to carry out consistent restoration work and return it to citizens in the form of a culture centre.
Today it is a green oasis of sophisticated beauty and elegance, used as a display space for exhibitions and events, with many Italian and overseas visitors. Since 2014, it is also home to the MUBA, the Museum of Children, a permanent centre for the development of cultural and artistic projects dedicated to younger users.
The Rotonda della Besana is an artistic and spiritual refuge from the hubbub of metropolitan life, where you can take time for reading, jogging, walking in the portico, or even enjoying an aperitif at the Bistro. An enchanted space where time stands still, and an invitation to enjoy the different aspects of nature and art.
