Arco della Pace, Milan

Arco della Pace rises before you as a triumphal arch designed by Luigi Cagnola, marking the beginning of Corso Sempione. Its broad stone mass is arranged as an arch with three openings, framed by fluted columns and Corinthian capitals. The structure is about 25 metres high and 24 metres wide, with a principal passage measuring 14.24 metres.

Above the attic, the sculpture gives this monument its striking story: a chariot drawn by six horses carries the goddess of Peace into Milan. Four mounted Victories accompany the composition, offering laurel wreaths and palms. The sculptural group was made by Abbondio Sangiorgio, with the horses and female figures by Giovanni Putti.

The monument’s history changes direction with Milan’s rulers. Work began in 1807 under Napoleon, stopped after Bonaparte’s fall in 1814, and resumed in 1826 under Austrian rule, when the dedication became a European peace memorial. It opened on the 10th of September 1838, and its final political chapter came in 1859, when Napoleon III and Vittorio Emanuele II entered Milan after the victory at Magenta. Read the inscription for another layer: it credits Cagnola and refers to Milan’s return from servitude.