Urban renewal happens in Europe, as well, and the Colonnade of St. Lawrence is a perfect example of that. As the ancient world transitioned into the Early Christian, an old temple or bath house was torn down, and this colonnade was constructed with its Corinthian columns along the main street leading to the Ticino Gate.

Before the Twentieth Century, houses crowded up against the columns, and they were even at risk of being torn down. But they remain.

I found the sight of one of Milan’s famous streetcars flying by to be a surreal image: the ancient past mixing with the modern world much more seamlessly than in other European cities. Milan is  ancient, but it is not preoccupied with it. Most tourists do not even know there are Roman ruins to see, I’ve learned.

The massive Ticino Gate led to the south of the city.