Certosa di Pavia

Gian Galeazzo Visconti founded this in 1396 as the burial church of his dynasty, and work continued for a century and a half, so the building shifts from Gothic at the back to full Renaissance at the front. The facade is faced entirely in coloured marble with inlaid panels, medallions and sculpture across its whole surface, and was never completed at the top. Inside are the tomb of Ludovico il Moro and Beatrice d'Este, moved here from Milan, and Visconti's own monument. The Carthusian plan gives each monk a separate house with a garden around the great cloister, and monks of another order live here now.

What you actually see

• The marble facade - a fully inlaid front, unfinished at the top.
• The great cloister - twenty-four individual monks' houses with gardens.
• The ducal tombs - Visconti and the Sforza monument moved from Milan.
• The style shift - Gothic at the rear giving way to Renaissance at the front.

When to go

April to October; it closes Mondays and for a long midday break, and visits are guided by a monk. Winter is cold inside with no heating.

Honest expectations

Entry is on a guided visit at set times with a midday closure. Photography inside is restricted. It is a working religious house and expects quiet.

Nearby

Pavia lies south; Milan is north.