Top attractions of Milan
Milan is not a typical Italian city, it is a modern, bustling business capital. Whilst it may not have the Medieval or Renaissance charm of Venice or Florence or the archaeological sites of Rome, there are plenty of attractions. From the majestic duomo to elegant shopping at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, we have gathered together the top highlights of Milan.
Duomo
Milan’s duomo is at the top of the list as one of the finest and largest Gothic Cathedrals in the world, which took over 600 years to build. Majestic and ornamental it dominates the Piazza del Duomo and the gilded statue of Mary at the top, the skyline of the city. Notable for its extraordinary high gothic architecture and its ornamentation, like many notable churches of Europe this one should not be missed. You can explore the duomo’s many levels from the crypts below to the rooftop from which you get fantastic panoramic views of the city. (Check out our main page for more details on visiting).
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper
Whilst Milan is known more for fashion than Renaissance art, the city is home to Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’. The Cenacolo Vinciano is the reason most people find themselves at the beautiful terracotta church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Da Vinci spent time in Milan, creating fortifications and war machines for the duke of Milan as an engineer. During this period he also painted the refectory of a Dominican monastery (1495 and 1497) attached to the church.
Leonardo’s animated
representation of the biblical scene Christ’s last meal with his disciples was novel at the time as it was a dramatic scene with lifelike figures, as it is known was painted. The energy and animation of the painting was unusual and would change the way such religious scenes were represented.
Unfortunately, the painting is fast disappearing and no amount of restoration can save it due to Leonardo’s painting technique. Instead of using Fresco (painting on wet plaster) he experimented with tempura paint on a dry, plaster wall. The paint didn’t stick properly and started flaking off only a few decades after he completed it. The former monastery suffered further abuse which has not helped the condition of the painting. Napoleon’s soldiers turned the refectory into a barn and it was bombed drying the second world war. Today conservators are battling the elements to try to save the artwork for as long as possible.
Owing to its popularity, visits are limited to 15-minute slots which must be booked online in advance. Many visits as part of a guided tour or you can book directly on https://cenacolovinciano.org/en.
Galleria Victor Emmanuel II
The Galleria is an elegant 19th century shopping arcade named after Italy’s first king Victor Emmanuel II. The entrance from Piazza del Duomo is through an impressive triumphal arch, which leads to an octagonal space in the centre topped with a glass dome. Designed and built by architect Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877, the galleria is typical of European shopping arcades of the belle epoch with a cast iron and glass vaulted roof.
Known to locals as ‘il salotto di Milano’ (Milan's drawing room), it is a favourite meeting place for locals. The oldest continuously used arcade, today it is filled with haute couture fashion shops like Prada, Versace and Gucci, high-class restaurants and coffee bars and even a hotel. This is the place to see Milan in full swing, it’s busy, noisy and perfect for a spot of people watching.
Set in the floor of the space are the coat of arms of Turin, Florence and Rome in mosaic. There is a Milanese tradition that spinning around three times on your heel on the bull of Turin brings good luck, but unfortunately over the years it has severely damaged the mosaic.
La Scala
La Scala opera house, located on the other side of the Galleria from the duomo, is one of the most famous in the world. Milan’s la Scala has hosted the finest opera singers and composers for over two hundred years. Commissioned by the Empress Maria Theresa of the Hapsburgs who ruled Milan at the time and built on the site of the Church Santa Maria della Scala, which gives it the name. It opened in 1778 with Europa Riconosciuta by Mozart’s nemesis Salieri, and would later host great names like Rossini, Puccini, Verdi and Toscanini.
La Scala was the place for noble and wealthy Milanese to be seen, the theatre exudes timeless elegance, richly upholstered in red with gilded boxes. Enthusiasts can take a guided tour, seeing the theatre from the foyer to the third-level boxes including the Royal box and going backstage to see how the scenery operates.
Opera season at La Scala starts on the 7th of December, the feast day of Milan's patron Saint Ambrose and runs until July. La Scala hosts ballet as well as opera performances, be sure to book in advance.
Sforza Castle
The Castello Sforzesco, is a 14th century castle that was home to the ruling family of Milan for several centuries. Located in the centre of Milan, the castle is not as immense as it once was as many of the fortifications have been removed over the years and the gardens and parkland have become a public park. The grounds of the Castle are beautiful and provide a great place for a picnic.
Today the castle houses a series of civic museums with collections of archaeological artefacts (Egyptian Museum and Archaeological Museum), Mediaeval and renaissance art collections at the Pinacoteca which has paintings by Bellini, Correggio, Mantegna, Bergognone, Foppa, Lotto, Tintoretto, and Antonello da Messina. Michelangelo’s final, unfinished sculpture the Pietà Rondanini has a museum all to itself. You can see a beautiful collection of over 700 musical instruments and the Museum of Ancient Art has everything from armour, tapestries, and decorative pieces to jewellery.
Naviglio
If you found yourself in the Naviglio district, you would be forgiven for thinking you were in Venice with its long canals dotted with restaurants, bars and boutiques. This is where the Milanese come to take an aperitivo and an evening stroll, many start their evening here. During the day there are lots of quirky shops from independent design boutiques to vintage and artists workshops to explore. As the sun goes down, the canal-side cafés and music clubs start to fill up, there is an abundance of cocktail bars and restaurants. Another way to see the canal is to take a boat cruise.
Naviglia is the closest Milan has to a historic district, the shipping canals date back to the middle ages when they were used primarily to transport materials for the construction of the Duomo. between the 12th and 17th Centuries there was a whole system of canals in and around Milan which connected the city to the River Ticino to the west and the River Adda the east. Today only two remain; the Naviglio Grande and the Naviglio Pavese, they meet at the darsena (meaning dock or shipyard) which until 2015 was a desolate area. Thanks to revamping for Milan’s expo, the area is a thriving lagoon and a much loved part of the city; this is where the locals come at sunset for an aperitivo.
The canals are popular for their many festivals when barges along the sides are decorated, there are concerts, craft fairs and markets. Look out for ‘Fiori e Sapori’ in mid April when barges moored along the sides are decorated with flowers and you can sample local flavours at food stalls. The first ten days of June is the neighbourhood festival the Festa del Naviglio, with a folklore vibe, there are theatre shows, dances and craft stalls.
Go for an Aperitivo
Whilst in the Naviglio area you should follow the locals and go for an ‘aperitivo’. A quintessential Italian experience that could only come about in a culture so deeply connected to food. From the Latin verb aperire, meaning to open, the aperitivo is all about stimulating the appetite and readying the stomach for the meal that is to follow. Apparently invented in nearby Piedmont in the late 19th century when king Victor Emmanuel II declared vermouth was his preferred ‘pre-dinner’ drink. Today, it is more than just a drink, it is an event. A meeting between friends or colleagues to celebrate the end of the working day with a drink and snacks or light bites.
Aperitivo time sits snugly between finishing work and dinner time. It might seem strange to eat snacks before dinner but bear in mind, Italians eat dinner from 8.30pm and for them, alcohol should always be accompanied with food. The choice of drink is up to you, but unlike the king, many Italians opt for something slightly bitter, like campari, a Milanese liqueur that features in the negroni invented in Florence. When combined with Prosecco from the Veneto region, one gets a spritz which is the aperitivo drink of choice for many Italians.
