Aldo Rossi was the first Italian architect to win the Pritzker Prize, in 1990. This prize definitively established his international success and was the due recognition of an architect and intellectual who, through a road of academic and professional research that was extraordinary but at the same time tormented and controversial, had taken a leading role in the history of architectural thought and in 20th century culture in general. The essay eplores the steps of Aldo Rossi's career from his education and first teaching activity at politecnico di Milano till his international success and affirmation. Through the complexity of the construction, Rossi’s work, writings, drawings and projects have travelled the world, opening up to different contexts, different readings, different interpretations and different legacies.