In Milan, Bramante turned increasingly to architecture. According to Vasari, he resolved to do so when he first saw Milan's enormous cathedral. He may have hoped to displace his rivals in Milan and establish himself as ducal architect-in-chief, but this was not to be; as an outsider he received only a limited number of commissions from the Duke. He was also unable to circumvent the guild system that so effectively controlled the building trade in Milan, and most of his works were taken on as collaborations with local sculptor-architects, notably Giovanni Antonio Amadeo. Bramante certainly guided some of the most far-reaching projects of the period, however, and his expert opinion was sought in 1487-90 in connection with the crossing of Milan Cathedral (for which he proposed a Gothic design). He no doubt cultivated and maintained contact, both in Milan and on the lengthy trips he made to Florence and Rome in the 1490s, with other leading architects of the period, including Francesco di Giorgio, who inspected the cathedral in 1490, and Giuliano da Sangallo, who came to Milan in 1492.

Preview	Picture Data	Info
	Interior view c. 1492 Photo Canonica courtyard, Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio, Milan
	Interior view c. 1492 Photo Canonica courtyard, Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio, Milan
	Interior view c. 1492 Photo Canonica courtyard, Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio, Milan
	Exterior view 1493 Photo Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
	Exterior view 1493 Photo Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
	Exterior view 1493 Photo Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
	Interior view 1493 Photo Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
	Interior view 1493 Photo Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
	Interior view 1493 Photo Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
	Interior view 1493 Photo Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
	Interior view 1493 Photo Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
	Interior view 1493 Photo Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
	Exterior view 1482 Photo Santa Maria presso San Satiro, Milan
	Exterior view 1482 Photo Santa Maria presso San Satiro, Milan
	Interior view towards the choir 1482 Fresco, height of arch 10,6 m Santa Maria presso San Satiro, Milan
	Interior view towards the choir 1482 Fresco, height of arch 10,6 m Santa Maria presso San Satiro, Milan
	Interior view 1482 Photo Santa Maria presso San Satiro, Milan
	Interior view 1482 Photo Santa Maria presso San Satiro, Milan
	Interior view 1482 Photo Santa Maria presso San Satiro, Milan
	Interior view 1482 Photo Santa Maria presso San Satiro, Milan
	General view 1492-94 Photo Piazza Ducale, Vigevano
	General view 1492-94 Photo Piazza Ducale, Vigevano
	General view 1492-94 Photo Piazza Ducale, Vigevano
	General view 1492-94 Photo Piazza Ducale, Vigevano
	General view 1492-94 Photo Piazza Ducale, Vigevano
	General view 1492-94 Photo Piazza Ducale, Vigevano
	Interior of a Church 1481 Engraving, 708 x 512 mm British Museum, London