The Roman Forum of the ancient Mediolanum, in the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, will soon open to the public. The Forum stands right at the foundations of the Milanese Pinacoteca, in the urban area currently included between Piazza Pio XI, Piazza San Sepolcro and Via della Zecca, which housed the platea forensis, the seat of the main public buildings: the Curia (meeting place of the Senate local), the Basilica (where justice was administered), the Capitolium (the temple dedicated to the "Capitoline Triad": Jupiter, Juno and Minerva), the tabernae (shops, artisan workshops, restaurants).
The archaeological site of the Forum is an important part of the visit itinerary of Roman Milan, enhanced within the project 'Milan Archeology for Expo 2015', promoted by the Lombardy Region.
As stated by Luca Bressan, Episcopal Vicar for Culture, Charity, Mission and Social Action of the Ambrosian Diocese, "Today the solemn inauguration of a stretch, small if you like, but no less minor, of Roman Milan, that city frequented by Constantine, by Ambrogio, by Agostino – a man whose restlessness was only appeased by listening to the Word of God, as it was mediated to him by Bishop Ambrogio, stands as another piece of those cultural offerings that the Church of Milan , through its own glorious Institutions, is preparing to offer to the world in the imminent expiry of the Expo”.
Cristina Cappellini, Councilor for Cultures, Identities and Autonomies of the Lombardy Region, underlines that “Today we are giving back to the citizens a common good of great historical and artistic value. The Roman forum was the seat of the main public buildings, the heart, therefore, of the political, economic and religious life of Roman Milan".
"The high symbolic significance of this place - continues Cristina Cappellini - makes it even more important that citizens can access and use it and this installation intervention, created with the contribution of the Lombardy Region, finally gives this area back to visitors".
Franco Buzzi, Prefect of the Ambrosiana Library, declares that "Today, after the 90s, we are able to discover the spaces adjacent to the church, all part of the Forum, through which the humblest people of the ancient Mediolanum passed through, but also the greatest personalities who, from every part of the Mediterranean, met in Milan: – Mediolanum, i.e. “middle ground” – . And it is not difficult to imagine among these personalities the names and footsteps of those who enriched the fame of Milan: Ambrogio, Teodosio, Simpliciano and Agostino”.
"The opening to the public of the archaeological area of the Roman Forum in Milan - recalls Anna Maria Fedeli, of the Superintendency for Archaeological Heritage of Lombardy - ideally concludes over a century of discoveries, research and studies aimed at identifying the key monument of the urban planning of the ancient Mediolanum”.
"The importance of this archaeological area - continues Anna Maria Fedeli - lies in the possibility of directly accessing the place that represented the heart of the religious, political and administrative life of the Roman Mediolanum, which survives in the numerous archaeological sites present in the city despite the continuous and profound modifications of the urban fabric”.
"If the project carried out in 2009 We open the Forum to the city - says the architect Gaetano Arricobene, Designer of the new layout - allowed for the first time access to the Roman Forum by the public, making the Milanese and tourists aware of the role of capital city that Milan already covered eighteen centuries ago, the project "Forma urbis Mediolani - The Roman Forum" to expand the usable route within the archaeological site and the relocation, within the area open to the public, of the slabs that were originally found in other environments, to allow them to be read, contribute to the enhancement of the entire archaeological site".
"The future project - closes Gaetano Arricobene - to make the Crypt of the church of Santa Maria Maddalena al Santo Sepolcro accessible to the public, creating a visit itinerary that involves both archaeological sites present within the area of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, will allow finally, to complete this valorisation process”.
The finds came to light during the restoration works of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, between 1990 and 1992, revealing a small part of the square of the Forum.
The new layout is now able to show a part of the flooring, made up of large slabs of very resistant white stone, called 'di Verona', after the place where the quarries were located, with which the Romans used to build their squares in northern Italy from the XNUMXst century AD On some of them it is still possible to see the marks left by the presence of the heavy bases of the statues that were placed in the square.
Furthermore, along one side of the paving you can see a small canal where rainwater flowed and the steps leading to the shops and taverns.
The visitor will be accompanied by a series of iconographic and audiovisual devices.
The Forum of Milan represented the main square of the Roman civitas, where the major civil and religious activities took place. Its appearance was that of a large rectangle that housed the most important buildings of the city, such as the Curia, where the city Senate met, the Basilica, where justice was administered, temples for sacred ceremonies and numerous craft shops, shops and taverns.
Over the centuries, the focus of Milan had shifted towards the Cathedral area; as a result, the Forum had fallen into disuse and been progressively abandoned. During the Middle Ages many buildings were built which, in many cases, used the materials coming from the forum, as is the case with the church of the Holy Sepulchre.
OPENING OF THE ROMAN FORUM:
Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana (Piazza Pio XI, 2)
Until Sunday 2 February 2014
From 10.30 to 15.00.
Free entry.
In the following period, the Forum will be open to visitors every first Saturday of the month, always from 10.30 to 16.30,
for groups (max 15 people) and only by reservation on tel. 02.806921 www.ambrosiana.it
