City of Monza, Italy: attractions, circuit

The magnificent city of Monza (Italy) is one of the largest in the region of Lombardy and the center of the provinces of Brianza and Monza. The city has a long and interesting history, full of numerous events. The peak of development of the city fell on the IV century. In those ancient times, Queen Theodelind ordered the construction of a magnificent palace and monastery on this land. In the Middle Ages, the city repeatedly tried to gain independence from Milan, withstood numerous attacks and sieges.

About the history of the Monza reminded of numerous monuments and architectural structures, to which the locals are very careful. We suggest you make a small trip with us to this sunny and hospitable city. You will not need to go to Italy. We hope that the description and photos of memorable places will allow you to better know Monza.

Monza: attractions. City Museum

Sometimes tourists believe that visiting "boring" museums is not worth the time. It's a delusion. In the museum collections of Monza, unique documents and antiquities are kept. To create a magnificent collection of scientists, researchers, historians have spent decades. After the Napoleonic campaign, many priceless specimens were taken out of the city abroad.

In 1965 the museum received its first visitors. There are a lot of exhibits, art paintings, which belong to the XIII-XIV centuries. Here you can get acquainted with objects of everyday life, ornaments, church books and chronicles.

Town Hall

This city building is a symbol of political autonomy. The town hall was erected in the middle of the XIII century as the residence of the city government. The building is located in the center of the medieval city, 100 meters from the cathedral.

Local residents often call this building an "arena". This word came from the German hari-hriggs . It can be translated as a "circle of soldiers". The Town Hall building is in the Gothic style, but it has some features that were inherent in the architecture of northern Italy. The structure has an external balcony, which served as a kind of platform for rulers who turned to their people.

The tower of the bell tower adjoins the palace, which was built in the XIV century. It has a square shape and is made of bricks. The Ghibelline battlements crowned with the town hall and the pointed spire. At the base the structure has the form of a parallelogram. In its lower part is an arched gallery, and at the top - office space. The gallery consists of three rows of stone pillars, covered with lancet brick arches and decorated with inlay from white marble. In ancient times, this area was used for trade.

In 1890 the architect Luca Beltram restored the palace. In the tower, restoration work was somewhat later (1903). During these works, a spiral staircase was attached to the tower. Today the Town Hall building is used as an exhibition hall. There are constantly exhibitions not only of old masters, but also of contemporary artists.

Villa Reale

The city of Monza has many unique buildings on its territory. Villa Reale is one of them. This estate was built in honor of his son Ferdinand. The villa is surrounded by a magnificent park, the entrance to which is open for locals and tourists around the clock.

But to see the interiors of the palace, you must take part in the excursion. Initially, guests are invited to inspect the dwelling of royalty. Then the tour continues in the theater and chapel. Here, special attention should be paid to the ancient frescoes and the unique painting of the walls.

Cathedral

The central building, which is rightly proud of Monza (Italy), is the Cathedral of John the Baptist. Despite the fact that officially the church is not considered cathedral, it is headed by the archbishop, which gives the cathedral significance.

Before the cathedral in this place was a chapel, which was built during the reign of Theodelina. In the 7th century it was decided to dismantle the chapel and build a temple in its place. From the original building to the present day, little has been preserved: too many reconstructions it has suffered in its history. In the thirteenth century, its appearance was completely changed, and in the 16th century frescos appeared on its interior walls.

Royal Villa

North of the cathedral, at a distance of 800 meters, is the Royal Villa. It was built by order of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, after her son Ferdinand of Austria became ruler of Lombardy. Monza (Italy) was chosen to build a villa for the Archduke, not by accident: clean air, picturesque surroundings, and besides, the city was a symbol of the connection between Milan and Vienna.

Decorate the facade, perhaps many will find it unnecessarily strict: it is made up of timbrels, colonnades and relief frames of windows. Strictness and rationalism permeate the entire structure, including internal premises.

City Park

A hundred years ago, people treated the parks with special trepidation. Rich nobles in their creation invested in fortunes. Monza (Italy) has one of the most beautiful monuments of landscape art. The founder of this picturesque plot on the territory of the city was the King of Italy, Bogarne. The author of the project is the famous architect Luigi Canonica.

Today the park is a favorite place for rest of townspeople and tourists. In addition, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Monza circuit and the racecourse were built here. And a little later (1928) was created and a golf course.

Autodrome (Monza)

It's no secret that tours to Italy are acquired not only by fans of beach recreation, lovers of historical attractions, shopping, but also fans of motorsport. Monza Route (Italy) - a legendary racing facility, located in this small Italian town. Autodrome is one of the oldest racing tracks in the world. It is popular and respected by all athletes and fans of this exciting sport.

Autodrome was opened in September 1922 in the famous city park and was originally intended for the Milan Autoclub. He became the third in the world, having a constant high-speed line. Initially, two tracks were built: a ring with seven turns and an elliptical ring that had two turns, which presupposed a race at high speed.

After the tragedy that occurred in 1928, when twenty spectators died and a pilot of one of the cars, the tracks were combined into one to reduce the speed. In the fifties the high-speed ring was concreted, and on it some more competitions were held, but already in the early sixties it ceased to be used.

In Monza, one of the stages of the international competition "Formula-1" is held. The track is also used for smaller competitions. Thanks to the presence of rectilinear sections, the circuit is recognized as one of the most dynamic in the world. There are numerous speed records for motorcycles and sports cars.

Thousands of tourists come to the city when the "Formula-1" starts here. The track (one circle) has a length of 5793 meters. Speed on the track sometimes exceeds 372 km / h. The stands of the autodrome hold about sixty thousand spectators.

Chapel

Its unique facilities, the picturesque nature of tourists fascinate the beautiful city of Monza (Italy). Among its many attractions, one can not help but note the exquisite and refined Chapel, which was built in honor of the murdered Umberto the First.

The architect of this structure is the famous Giuseppe Saccconi. But fate decreed that he did not finish his project. After his death, the student continued the work - Guido Cyrili. The opening of the Chapel occurred ten years after the death of a brilliant architect (1910). The building is striking with its majestic view. At the very top is a sculptural group. It was called "Compassion".

If you have visited all the brightest places in the city, just walk along its narrow streets, wander along the stone roads, admire the bright, motley, as if toy, houses.