Hello, fellow travellers!
After a hot and busy day, touring the beautiful fortress, cemetery, and Milan canals, I was looking for a place to stop and enjoy the view. After visiting the Milan Fortress, I walked through a beautiful park, rich in greenery and clean air. At the end of the park, like a light at the end of a tunnel, there was that magical arch, the Arco della Pace. I had seen it from the beginning of the park, "that was my goal", I thought, and there was a tram stop nearby. That is my finish.
In one of the quietest corners of Milan, where the noise of the city is slowly disappearing behind the canopy of the Parco Sempione, rises something that looks like it is not here, as if it were taken from another time, from another world. It's the Arco della Pace, or as we call it, the Arch of Peace.
Although many think it is just another pretty stone, this is a place where history, art and ideals meet.
Short history!
Imagine Milan in 1807. Napoleon Bonaparte, in his campaign to leave his mark beyond the battlefield, ordered the construction of the Arc de Triomphe.
It was meant to be the monumental entrance to Milan from Paris, a symbol of the power and triumph of his empire. Architect Luigi Cagnola begins construction in that spirit.
But, as history likes to change plans, this triumphal arch also ended in a different context. After the fall of Napoleon, the government renamed it the Arc de Triomphe of Peace, and in 1838 it was inaugurated by the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I.
Instead of a symbol of conquest, it becomes a monument to European peace, especially the Vienna Congress of 1815.
Paradoxically, what started as the hallmark of a warrior ended up as a hymn to diplomacy and reconciliation.
Architecture: marble, symbols and silence
At first glance, the Arco della Pace looks like a Roman triumphal arch, but if you stand in front of it - you will see much more.
Materials and style
It was built of white-grey marble from Lake Maggiore
Style: neoclassical, with precise proportions and Greek clarity of form
Height: almost 25 meters
It has three aisles: one central and two smaller lateral ones, each decorated with reliefs and columns in the Corinthian style
What surprised me most about the Arco della Pace was not its appearance, but rather its sound. More precisely, his absence.
Although you are on the edge of a big city, there is a silence that has weight. People sit on the marble steps, photographers quietly change lenses, and children ride bicycles around the triumphal arch as if circling something sacred.
No one is in a hurry here. Nobody shouts.
It's as if I put down my suitcase in history and sat down to observe how time doesn't pass.
Details
There are numerous reliefs and inscriptions on the facades. Each writes a part of European history, from battles to alliances
If you look closely, you will see:
Gods from Roman mythology
Symbols of peace, glory, and art
Ancient characters who seem to stand in silence and observe passers-by, even today
Above the central arch is the Quadriga of Peace, it is a beautiful bronze sculpture of the goddess Peace on a 6-horse chariot, heading towards the city
On the side, two smaller sculptures symbolise Victory and Enlightenment
In a sea of monuments trying to be loud, the Arco della Pace is quiet. It is not imposed. It doesn't scream for you to look at it. But if you approach him without haste, he will tell you everything: about the wars that have passed, about the hopes that remain, and about people who pass by without often knowing what they have been through.
And perhaps that is precisely his power to teach you to stop, look up, and hear what the city no longer says. Learn patience and learn to listen to your thoughts in silence.
