Spanish Wall (Milan)
Spanish walls is a historic defensive walls in the center of Milan, shaped like a heart with the tip at the end the ancient Porta Romana (Corso Lodi) they were an engagement gift for the Princess of Milan.
Quotes
[edit]- J'ai fait neuf milles en sédiole sur les remparts de Milan élevés au-dessus du sol d'une trentaine de pieds, ce qui est considérable dans ce pays de plaine parfaite. Par l'étonnante fertilité de la terre, cette plaine offre partout l'aspect d'une forêt, et l'on ne voit pas à cent pas de soi. Les arbres ont encore toutes leurs feuilles aujourd'hui 10 novembre. Il y a des teintes de rouge et de bistre magnifiques. La vue des Alpes, à partir du bastion di porta Nova jusqu'à la porte de Marengo, est sublime. C'est un des beaux spectacles dont j'aie joui à Milan. On m'a fait distinguer le Resegone di Lecco (Lac de Côme) et le monte Rosa. Ces montagnes, vues ainsi pardessus une plaine fertile, sont d'une beauté frappante, mais rassurante comme l'architecture grecque.
- I traveled nine miles in a carriage along the ramparts of Milan, which rise about thirty feet from the ground—a rather peculiar feature in this perfectly flat region. The astonishing fertility of the land gives the entire plain the appearance of a forest, making it impossible to see more than a hundred steps ahead. Even today, November 10th, the trees still retain all their leaves. There are wonderful shades of red and brown. The view of the Alps, as seen from the rampart of Porta Nuova to Porta Marengo, is sublime. It is one of the beautiful sights I have enjoyed in Milan. They pointed out the Resegone of Lecco (Lake Como) and Monte Rosa to me. These mountains, towering over a fertile plain, possess a beauty that is both striking and reassuring, much like Greek architecture.
- Stendhal in November 10, 1816, “Rome, Naples et Florence”, Paris, Delaunay, 1826, t. I, pp. 74-75)
- I traveled nine miles in a carriage along the ramparts of Milan, which rise about thirty feet from the ground—a rather peculiar feature in this perfectly flat region. The astonishing fertility of the land gives the entire plain the appearance of a forest, making it impossible to see more than a hundred steps ahead. Even today, November 10th, the trees still retain all their leaves. There are wonderful shades of red and brown. The view of the Alps, as seen from the rampart of Porta Nuova to Porta Marengo, is sublime. It is one of the beautiful sights I have enjoyed in Milan. They pointed out the Resegone of Lecco (Lake Como) and Monte Rosa to me. These mountains, towering over a fertile plain, possess a beauty that is both striking and reassuring, much like Greek architecture.
- Ier sera dunque io passeggiava con quel vecchio venerando nel sobborgo orientale della città sotto un boschetto di tigli : egli (Giuseppe Parini) si sosteneva da una parte sul mio braccio, dall'altra sul suo bastone: …S'assise sopra uno di que' sedili ed io con lui: il suo servo ci stava poco discosto. Il Giuseppe Parini è il personaggio più dignitoso e più eloquente ch'io m’abbia mai conosciuto; e d'altronde un profondo, generoso, meditato dolore a chi non dà somma eloquenza?
- Last night, I was walking with that venerable old man in the eastern suburbs of the city under a grove of linden trees: he (Giuseppe Parini) supported himself on one side with my arm, and on the other with his cane. He sat on one of those benches, and I sat with him; his servant was standing a short distance away. Giuseppe Parini is the most dignified and eloquent person I have ever known; and on the other hand, who can fail to be deeply, generously, and thoughtfully moved by someone who does not possess supreme eloquence?
- Ugo Foscolo, “Le ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis”
- Last night, I was walking with that venerable old man in the eastern suburbs of the city under a grove of linden trees: he (Giuseppe Parini) supported himself on one side with my arm, and on the other with his cane. He sat on one of those benches, and I sat with him; his servant was standing a short distance away. Giuseppe Parini is the most dignified and eloquent person I have ever known; and on the other hand, who can fail to be deeply, generously, and thoughtfully moved by someone who does not possess supreme eloquence?
- Quando Renzo entrò per quella porta, la strada al di fuori non andava diritta che per tutta la lunghezza …; poi scorreva serpeggiante e stretta, tra due siepi. La porta consisteva in due pilastri, con sopra una tettoia, per riparare i battenti, e da una parte, una casuccia per i gabellini. I bastioni scendevano in pendìo irregolare, e il terreno era una superficie aspra e ineguale di rottami e di cocci buttati là a caso. La strada che s’apriva dinanzi a chi entrava per quella porta, non si paragonerebbe male a quella che ora si presenta a chi entri da porta Tosa.
- When Renzo entered through that gate, the street outside did not go straight for its entire length; then it wound serpentine and narrow, between two hedges. The gate consisted of two pillars, with a canopy above to protect the doors, and on one side, a small house for the toll collectors. The bastions descended in irregular slopes, and the ground was a rough and uneven surface of rubble and shards scattered randomly. The street that opened before those who entered through that gate could be compared to the one now presented to those entering from Porta Tosa.
- Alessandro Manzoni, I promessi sposi, chapter 11, 1630
- When Renzo entered through that gate, the street outside did not go straight for its entire length; then it wound serpentine and narrow, between two hedges. The gate consisted of two pillars, with a canopy above to protect the doors, and on one side, a small house for the toll collectors. The bastions descended in irregular slopes, and the ground was a rough and uneven surface of rubble and shards scattered randomly. The street that opened before those who entered through that gate could be compared to the one now presented to those entering from Porta Tosa.