From Milan, while my brother was working, I took the chance to do some day trips, starting out with the first day visiting the city of Lodi, southeast of Milan. I took then a regional train and in less than an hour got off at the Lodi train station. From there I then started heading towards the city center, passing by the Visconti Castle, located at the southwestern end of the old town. Built during the 14th century as a defensive structure for the city on the side facing Milan, the castle is now just partially standing, with the tower from the 15th century and part of the walls still visible. Part of it is now used as a technical school and part as a police station. Not far from the castle I then reached the church of San Lorenzo, which I then proceeded to visit. Featuring a Romanesque facade and structure, its interior presented some later additions such as medieval and renaissance frescoes and baroque stuccos. After visiting the church I then continued on through the city center and reached the Porta Cremona, the last remaining of four city gates that once marked the entrances to the old town. Despite existing since the middle ages the current aspect of the gate is due to the complete refurbishment which it received in 1792. Onwards I then walked through a nice street, Via XX Settembre, which featured some beautiful palaces such as the late Baroque Palazzo Modignani, which hosted many illustrious figures, and the 15th century Renaissance one, Palazzo Mozzanica. Reaching then the northeastern end of the city I decided to cross over the bridge that crossed over the Adda river, known as the Ponte Napoleone Bonaparte. Built in 1864 it replaced an older wooden bridge that was destroyed in 1859 when the occupying Austrian troops retreated out of the city for the last time. The bridge is named after the famous general, Napoleon, due to the fact that he had fought and defeated the Austrians in 1796, liberating the city. It seems strange that he is celebrated so; he might have liberated the city from a foreign force, but his own force was foreign and consequently occupied the city just like his predecessors. I then walked back through the city, passing by the Rococo church of San Filippo which was unfortunately closed, and reached the main square, Piazza Della Vittoria. Surrounded by elegant buildings, and with porticoes around its whole perimeter, it is considered one of the prettiest squares in Italy. Among the many nice burgher houses, are the Gothic Palazzo Vistarini to the western side, the Duomo, and the Broletto to the eastern one. The Broletto, built around 1284, was and is still used as the city's administrative building. Its ancient past and architecture are only partly visible, with some interior remains and the small inner courtyard. Its main facade, on the Piazza Della Vittoria, was rebuilt in 1778 in the Neoclassical style. As mentioned, next to it, stands the beautiful Cathedral, the largest and oldest church in Lodi. Its asymmetrical facade is mostly Romanesque with a gothic main portal, a renaissance rose window and the 16th-century bell tower to the side. I then entered the building and visited its large interior. Construction of the Duomo was begun in 1158 and it facts its structure has a mainly Romanesque aspect. Mainly austere and empty it features some traces of Renaissance frescoes, some baroque altars, including the main one, and paintings from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Particularly nice is the polyptych by Callisto Piazza depicting the Massacre of the Innocents dated 1533, and the bronze statue of Saint Bassianus of Lodi from 1284 and hung on one of the nave's main pillars. Below the church's floor is the large crypt, the oldest part of the church, which was refurbished during the 19th century. At its center is the altar which holds the remains of Saint Bassianus in a silver reliquary. After the visit to the Cathedral, I headed out through the main square, happily noticing how the sun came back to shine and continued on through the old town. I passed by the Santuario dell'Incoronata, apparently the most important and the most beautiful church in town, but found out it was closed on that day, so I just continued onwards. Reaching the eastern part of town I then came across and entered the church of San Francesco. which was built between 1280 and 1307 in a mix of Romanesque and Gothic styles. Its beautiful facade was a delight to admire and has served as a prototype for many churches built in that period in Northern Italy. Its interior was even more surprising as it featured a large part of the walls and ceilings covered in frescoes ranging from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Finally, after the visit to that last church, it was time to walk to the train station and from there take a train back to Milan.
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