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The astounding and rich façade has decorative flourishes and polychrome marbles that set it apart and make it one of Italy’s most important and idiosyncratic examples of late 15th-century architecture. The initial work was undertaken in 1473–99; the top part was continued after 1525, but never finished.

The central panel of the Eternal Father (1499) is all that remains here of the original full altarpiece by Umbrian master (and Raphael’s first teacher) Perugino. The flanking panels are by Bergognone, while below are 16th-century reproductions of the other, original Perugino panels.

Bergognone rules the Certosa, providing altarpieces for three chapels, plus part of Perugino’s altarpiece. He also frescoed the seventh chapel on the right and the ends of both transepts, brilliantly blue with lapis lazuli.

In Bergognone’s 1492 altarpiece in the sixth chapel on the left, St Ambrose is enthroned and surrounded by four saints. The group is in a setting similar to the chapel interior, to create the illusion that they are present.

The most renowned work in the Certosa is an empty tomb (see Certosa di Pavia), with remarkably lifelike effigies of the couple lying in state, carved in 1497 by Cristoforo Solari.

The Florentine sculptor Baldassare degli Embriachi carved this ivory triptych altarpiece (1400–1409), with 76 compartments and more than 100 tiny statues. It was stolen in 1984, leading to the uncovering of a ring of international art thieves outside Naples. The treasure, slightly damaged, was recovered.

It’s only fitting that the Certosa’s founder should be buried here, in a monument of 1492–7 depicting scenes from Visconti’s life, carved by Gian Cristoforo Romano. The sarcophagus below is by Andrea Alessi, while the statues of the Virgin , Fame and Victory were added in the mid-16th century.

This large arcaded cloister is lined with the homes of the Cistercian monks who still inhabit the Certosa. These are cosy little two-storey houses with a tiny private chapel and walled gardens at the back.

Guiniforte Solari designed this lovely arcaded space for the monks to gather and contemplate – and probably admire the magnificent flank of the church above.

The Cistercian monks make their own Chartreuse liqueurs, herbal soaps and scents, which they sell here to the public.