Santa Maria presso San Satiro
Chiesa di Santa Maria presso San Satiro
Bramante's trick that makes a shallow wall look deep
- Hours
- Mon-Sat 09:30-17:30, Sun 14:00-17:30
- Tickets
- Free
- Address
- A small doorway among the shops of Via Torino
Three minutes from the Duomo, between shop windows, there is a church door. Inside, the apse seems to stretch back in a deep barrel vault. In fact it is built into a wall under a metre thick. Walk up and look from the side and the trick falls apart. Bramante came up with it in the 15th century because a road ran behind the building and left no room. Entry is free.