Contributions on his influence on Milanese neoclassicism 2020 coincided with the 300th anniversary of Giovan Battista Piranesi’s birth (1720–1778). In spite of the Covid–19 pandemic, some exhibitions were organised to celebrate the event. These shed light on new aspects of the artist’s persona and how his works have been put to use. The paper focuses on one work in particular and its impact: Piranesi’s “archaeological” catalogue under the heading Vasi, candelabra, cippi … (Vases, candelabra, grave stones …), published in Rome (1778). The study looks into the influence the catalogue had on the students of the Brera Academy in Milan and, as a result, on the development of Italian Neoclassicism. The research primarily draws from sources found in the State Archive of Milan, the Civico Gabinetto dei disegni del Castello Sforzesco and the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense in Milan, and various Italian and European collections where the aforementioned pieces are housed.