15 Things to Do in Milan
Milan is well-versed in fashion, design, business, and, recently, contemporary art. To experience the north Italian city at its best, lurk into nondescript alleyways and inner courtyards because the beauty here is often hidden behind polished residential and scruffy industrial buildings and even below the ground. Scroll down this list for the in-the-know and tick-off things to do in Milan, apart from a touristy stroll in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade. Aesthetics to die for are guaranteed in each place featured.
The Teatro alla Scala
What is it?
An internationally-revered opera house in the remarkable neoclassical theater building, where Giuseppe Verdi rose to fame, Milan's unique symbol.
Why should you go?
To explore the awe-inspiring auditorium when performance rehearsals are off. The guided tours of La Scala's six tiers of boxes and backstage make for one of the best things to do in Milan. On tour, you can experience the elegant auditorium gleaming with gold and red of its velvet upholstery beyond a regular theater visit. Fancy feeling regal in the Royal Box and poking into the opulent second-tier historical ones designed by the wealthy playgoers themselves back in 1778? There are frescoes, mirrors, and even a fireplace in some of the then-private 15 boxes. Behind the scenes, the tricky set-moving machinery awaits to be discovered, too.
Specialization
Performance venue, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, history buffs, families, couples
An internationally-revered opera house in the remarkable neoclassical theater building, where Giuseppe Verdi rose to fame, Milan's unique symbol.
Why should you go?
To explore the awe-inspiring auditorium when performance rehearsals are off. The guided tours of La Scala's six tiers of boxes and backstage make for one of the best things to do in Milan. On tour, you can experience the elegant auditorium gleaming with gold and red of its velvet upholstery beyond a regular theater visit. Fancy feeling regal in the Royal Box and poking into the opulent second-tier historical ones designed by the wealthy playgoers themselves back in 1778? There are frescoes, mirrors, and even a fireplace in some of the then-private 15 boxes. Behind the scenes, the tricky set-moving machinery awaits to be discovered, too.
Specialization
Performance venue, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, history buffs, families, couples
The Pinacoteca di Brera
What is it?
A premier art museum, famous for its collection of Northern Italian religious art from the 14th to 18th centuries, established in 1776 in the lofty Palazzo Brera-turned monastery of the Umiliati order and then the Jesuits.
Why should you go?
To keep an eye on the masterpieces by the world's most celebrated Italian artists. Francesco Hayez's best-known allegorical Kiss painting, the ahead-of-its-time Marriage of the Virgin by Raphael, Caravaggio's second version of the theatrically lighted Supper at Emmaus, and puzzling Montefeltro Altarpiece, or the Pala di Brera, by Piero della Francesca are among them. The imposing nude statue of Napoleon in the courtyard, if you ponder over it, gives a clue to the religious background of the collection. Most pieces were seized from the disappearing religious orders across Lombardy by the French army in the 19th century.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
A premier art museum, famous for its collection of Northern Italian religious art from the 14th to 18th centuries, established in 1776 in the lofty Palazzo Brera-turned monastery of the Umiliati order and then the Jesuits.
Why should you go?
To keep an eye on the masterpieces by the world's most celebrated Italian artists. Francesco Hayez's best-known allegorical Kiss painting, the ahead-of-its-time Marriage of the Virgin by Raphael, Caravaggio's second version of the theatrically lighted Supper at Emmaus, and puzzling Montefeltro Altarpiece, or the Pala di Brera, by Piero della Francesca are among them. The imposing nude statue of Napoleon in the courtyard, if you ponder over it, gives a clue to the religious background of the collection. Most pieces were seized from the disappearing religious orders across Lombardy by the French army in the 19th century.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
@enrica_cassani_personalshopper
The Teatro Romano
What is it?
Ancient Roman amphitheater ruins, hidden beneath the Borsa Italiana, or Italy's only Stock Exchange, accessible via free guided tours with a starting point at the building of the Chamber of Commerce.
Why should you go?
To trace Milan's history 2000 years backward to its foundation by the Celtic tribes and get a palpable experience of Mediolanum, or the Roman-era city of Milan. Where the Milan Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Stock Exchange sit now, a ruined Roman amphitheater was discovered during the construction of the Palazzo Turati and Palazzo Mezzanotte. It was built during the reign of the Augustus Emperor and would fit some 8,000 spectators in its shell back then. A tour will take you under the ground and along the cool, ultra-modern skywalks above the 1st-century vestiges. Amidst the broken masonry, you will learn the story of the subterranean archaeological site and the extraordinary woman archaeologist Alda Levi, who identified it at the turn of the 20th century.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
History buffs, families, couples
Ancient Roman amphitheater ruins, hidden beneath the Borsa Italiana, or Italy's only Stock Exchange, accessible via free guided tours with a starting point at the building of the Chamber of Commerce.
Why should you go?
To trace Milan's history 2000 years backward to its foundation by the Celtic tribes and get a palpable experience of Mediolanum, or the Roman-era city of Milan. Where the Milan Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Stock Exchange sit now, a ruined Roman amphitheater was discovered during the construction of the Palazzo Turati and Palazzo Mezzanotte. It was built during the reign of the Augustus Emperor and would fit some 8,000 spectators in its shell back then. A tour will take you under the ground and along the cool, ultra-modern skywalks above the 1st-century vestiges. Amidst the broken masonry, you will learn the story of the subterranean archaeological site and the extraordinary woman archaeologist Alda Levi, who identified it at the turn of the 20th century.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
History buffs, families, couples
Related tours:
The Pirelli HangarBicocca
What is it?
One of Europe's biggest contemporary art museums, with 15,000 square meters of exhibition space in a converted locomotive factory building, opened in 2004 on the previously industrial outskirts of Milan.
Why should you go?
To be astonished by the monumental scale of the art on display, say, Anselm Kiefer's permanent site-specific installation called Seven Heavenly Palaces. Feel dwarfed looking up at its seven ramshackle concrete towers, which rise between 13 and 19 meters into the air and allude to the palaces featured in the ancient Hebrew treatise Sefer Hekhalot. The major temporary shows by leading Italian and international artists like Maurizio Cattelan and Philippe Parreno, simultaneously on view, make the hulking space truly stand out. The Hangar's art director Vicente Todolí formerly was in charge of the Turbine Hall in the Tate Modern, so no wonder.
Specialization
Art & Design
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, families, couples
One of Europe's biggest contemporary art museums, with 15,000 square meters of exhibition space in a converted locomotive factory building, opened in 2004 on the previously industrial outskirts of Milan.
Why should you go?
To be astonished by the monumental scale of the art on display, say, Anselm Kiefer's permanent site-specific installation called Seven Heavenly Palaces. Feel dwarfed looking up at its seven ramshackle concrete towers, which rise between 13 and 19 meters into the air and allude to the palaces featured in the ancient Hebrew treatise Sefer Hekhalot. The major temporary shows by leading Italian and international artists like Maurizio Cattelan and Philippe Parreno, simultaneously on view, make the hulking space truly stand out. The Hangar's art director Vicente Todolí formerly was in charge of the Turbine Hall in the Tate Modern, so no wonder.
Specialization
Art & Design
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, families, couples
@pirelli_hangarbicocca
The Fondazione Prada Milan venue
What is it?
A world-class modern exhibition space with Miuccia Prada and her husband Patrizio Bertelli's personal collection on view, located in a converted 1910 distillery.
Why should you go?
To unleash imagination and browse audacious contemporary, modern, and historical art, with some pieces dating back to the late 15th century, across multiple spaces. Be ready for a strenuous walk to see them all. Check out all six levels of the Atlas permanent exhibition to engage with creations by the usual suspects like Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst and the showstopper, the upside-down fly-agaric mushrooms by Carsten Höller. The 19,000 square meters-big venue itself was designed by the Pritzker prize-winning Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. He completed the original raw buildings with new ones constructed of or decorated with glass, white concrete, 'exploded' aluminum, and 24-carat gold leaves.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, families, couples
A world-class modern exhibition space with Miuccia Prada and her husband Patrizio Bertelli's personal collection on view, located in a converted 1910 distillery.
Why should you go?
To unleash imagination and browse audacious contemporary, modern, and historical art, with some pieces dating back to the late 15th century, across multiple spaces. Be ready for a strenuous walk to see them all. Check out all six levels of the Atlas permanent exhibition to engage with creations by the usual suspects like Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst and the showstopper, the upside-down fly-agaric mushrooms by Carsten Höller. The 19,000 square meters-big venue itself was designed by the Pritzker prize-winning Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. He completed the original raw buildings with new ones constructed of or decorated with glass, white concrete, 'exploded' aluminum, and 24-carat gold leaves.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, families, couples
@valecanto
The Cenacolo Vinciano Museum
What is it?
A church with a walled garden and a dining hall, graced with Leonardo da Vinci's original Last Supper wall painting, in the ancient Dominican monastery Santa Maria delle Grazie, altogether featured in UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Why should you go?
To feast your eyes on da Vinci's 15th-century masterpiece, the Last Supper painting. Milan's odious ruler, Ludovico Sforza, commissioned it to decorate the monastery's refectory in 1495. The fabled image of Christ having the fateful Last Supper with the twelve apostles occupies the entire back wall of the cavernous chamber where friars would pray and meditate during the meals. Learn about making, series of painstaking restorations, and preservation of the fragile mural painted in an experimental technique between 1494 and 1498, throughout centuries. Admission is tight, so be sure to book your ticket well beforehand.
Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
A church with a walled garden and a dining hall, graced with Leonardo da Vinci's original Last Supper wall painting, in the ancient Dominican monastery Santa Maria delle Grazie, altogether featured in UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Why should you go?
To feast your eyes on da Vinci's 15th-century masterpiece, the Last Supper painting. Milan's odious ruler, Ludovico Sforza, commissioned it to decorate the monastery's refectory in 1495. The fabled image of Christ having the fateful Last Supper with the twelve apostles occupies the entire back wall of the cavernous chamber where friars would pray and meditate during the meals. Learn about making, series of painstaking restorations, and preservation of the fragile mural painted in an experimental technique between 1494 and 1498, throughout centuries. Admission is tight, so be sure to book your ticket well beforehand.
Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
La Vigna di Leonardo
What is it?
A homestead just across the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery, where Leonardo da Vinci's secret vineyard is located and where he would take a break from painting his world-famous mural.
Why should you go?
To discover Ludovico Sforza's horticultural gift of a vineyard to hardworking Leonardo da Vinci for his Last Supper mural creation. Son of a winemakers' family, Leonardo fell for his vineyard and even mentioned it in his last will. It is tucked in the verdant garden of a museum and refined private home, Casa degli Atellani. Famous Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi restored it in the 1920s to preserve the architecture of the 1400s. You can tour the rooms and the garden with the vineyard replanted by Portaluppi's grandchildren. After DNA analysis of the centuries-old roots, they planted Leonardo's Malvasia white grapes, a Renaissance Lombardy favorite, following the original pattern and harvested in 2018 for the first time.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology, Nature & Natural History
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
A homestead just across the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery, where Leonardo da Vinci's secret vineyard is located and where he would take a break from painting his world-famous mural.
Why should you go?
To discover Ludovico Sforza's horticultural gift of a vineyard to hardworking Leonardo da Vinci for his Last Supper mural creation. Son of a winemakers' family, Leonardo fell for his vineyard and even mentioned it in his last will. It is tucked in the verdant garden of a museum and refined private home, Casa degli Atellani. Famous Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi restored it in the 1920s to preserve the architecture of the 1400s. You can tour the rooms and the garden with the vineyard replanted by Portaluppi's grandchildren. After DNA analysis of the centuries-old roots, they planted Leonardo's Malvasia white grapes, a Renaissance Lombardy favorite, following the original pattern and harvested in 2018 for the first time.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology, Nature & Natural History
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
The Duomo Cathedral and its rooftop
What is it?
The iconic Duomo of Milan, a magnificent Gothic cathedral on the city's bustling main Piazza Duomo, which took 579 years to be built, began in 1386 and finished in 1965.
Why should you go?
To be enticed into the soaring interiors of Milan's best-loved landmark and upwards. The Duomo's spectacular rooftop climb is on the top of the top things to do in Milan for a good reason. You can get up close with all the lacy decorative fine points like the gargoyles of sorts, gothic spires, pinnacles, and aerial buttresses atop the Cathedral. A fun fact: of some 3,400 statues carved from a rare and fragile marble mined from a single quarry in the Alps foothills, some disappear at times. You see, they share constant upkeep expenses with the local private companies, who pay for the restoration and showcase rehabbed statuary in their headquarters for three years. Oh, and did we mention sweeping views of the city and beyond?
Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
The iconic Duomo of Milan, a magnificent Gothic cathedral on the city's bustling main Piazza Duomo, which took 579 years to be built, began in 1386 and finished in 1965.
Why should you go?
To be enticed into the soaring interiors of Milan's best-loved landmark and upwards. The Duomo's spectacular rooftop climb is on the top of the top things to do in Milan for a good reason. You can get up close with all the lacy decorative fine points like the gargoyles of sorts, gothic spires, pinnacles, and aerial buttresses atop the Cathedral. A fun fact: of some 3,400 statues carved from a rare and fragile marble mined from a single quarry in the Alps foothills, some disappear at times. You see, they share constant upkeep expenses with the local private companies, who pay for the restoration and showcase rehabbed statuary in their headquarters for three years. Oh, and did we mention sweeping views of the city and beyond?
Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
Related tours:
The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
What is it?
An ancient basilica, having an unmistakably Lombard Romanesque look, yet built initially between 379 and 386, one of the oldest sacred places in Milan and the most important one.
Why should you go?
To steep yourself into Milan's early history in a building that is almost 1000 years old. Peer beneath the altar and see the skeletal remains of Milan's patron saint, St. Ambrose. He was a bishop back in 4th-century Mediolanum, or current-day Milan, and is an influential religious figure for today's diocese of Milan, where the Ambrosian Rite is still in use. Look up at the gilded dome of the San Vittore in Ciel d'Oro chapel to contemplate a precise mosaic rendering, which is the earliest-known depiction of Bishop Ambrose, created in the 5th century. The exquisite golden altar, carved in 835, is biographical and vividly narrates the life of Christ and that of St. Ambrose on either side.
Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
An ancient basilica, having an unmistakably Lombard Romanesque look, yet built initially between 379 and 386, one of the oldest sacred places in Milan and the most important one.
Why should you go?
To steep yourself into Milan's early history in a building that is almost 1000 years old. Peer beneath the altar and see the skeletal remains of Milan's patron saint, St. Ambrose. He was a bishop back in 4th-century Mediolanum, or current-day Milan, and is an influential religious figure for today's diocese of Milan, where the Ambrosian Rite is still in use. Look up at the gilded dome of the San Vittore in Ciel d'Oro chapel to contemplate a precise mosaic rendering, which is the earliest-known depiction of Bishop Ambrose, created in the 5th century. The exquisite golden altar, carved in 835, is biographical and vividly narrates the life of Christ and that of St. Ambrose on either side.
Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
What is it?
A church nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of Milan because of its sumptuously painted interiors, attached to a former female Benedictine convent, the most powerful in Milan in the 8th-9th century.
Why should you go?
To be carried away with the 16th-century interior paintings, entirely covering the walls and ceilings, by Lombardy painters to work directly with Leonardo da Vinci, like Bernardino Luini. Did you know the unicorns were among the animal passengers of Noah's Ark? They were. For a close-up, poke into the enclosure reserved for the nuns and notice them ascending the gangplank as painted on one of the frescoes there. Take time to explore both parts of the church, for the faithful and for the nuns, to take in all of the exuberant paintings secreted behind the plain facade of grey stone.
Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
A church nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of Milan because of its sumptuously painted interiors, attached to a former female Benedictine convent, the most powerful in Milan in the 8th-9th century.
Why should you go?
To be carried away with the 16th-century interior paintings, entirely covering the walls and ceilings, by Lombardy painters to work directly with Leonardo da Vinci, like Bernardino Luini. Did you know the unicorns were among the animal passengers of Noah's Ark? They were. For a close-up, poke into the enclosure reserved for the nuns and notice them ascending the gangplank as painted on one of the frescoes there. Take time to explore both parts of the church, for the faithful and for the nuns, to take in all of the exuberant paintings secreted behind the plain facade of grey stone.
Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
@sanmaurizioalmonasteromaggiore
Castello Sforzesco
What is it?
A formidable 14th-century castle that became a fancy court embellished by the greats like Bartolomeo Suardi and Leonardo da Vinci during the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza's rule and the city's symbol centuries later.
Why should you go?
To see Michelangelo's last creation, an unfinished statue called Pietà, or the Rondanini Pietà, of white marble set up in the Spanish Hospital. The Renaissance castle is also home to da Vinci's unfinished decor of the Sala delle Asse room, which is currently under restoration, also a part of his artworks and civil engineering feats stack created for Ludovico Sforza's court. On your way through the spacious courtyards to the Parco Sempione (the Sempione Park), drop in to marvel at the tremendous fresco of Argus, a mythical 100-eyed giant, and the 12 large-scale tapestries representing 12 months of the year, all designed by Bartolomeo Suardi, in the low-key on-site museums.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
A formidable 14th-century castle that became a fancy court embellished by the greats like Bartolomeo Suardi and Leonardo da Vinci during the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza's rule and the city's symbol centuries later.
Why should you go?
To see Michelangelo's last creation, an unfinished statue called Pietà, or the Rondanini Pietà, of white marble set up in the Spanish Hospital. The Renaissance castle is also home to da Vinci's unfinished decor of the Sala delle Asse room, which is currently under restoration, also a part of his artworks and civil engineering feats stack created for Ludovico Sforza's court. On your way through the spacious courtyards to the Parco Sempione (the Sempione Park), drop in to marvel at the tremendous fresco of Argus, a mythical 100-eyed giant, and the 12 large-scale tapestries representing 12 months of the year, all designed by Bartolomeo Suardi, in the low-key on-site museums.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
Torre Branca
What is it?
A 108.6-meter high panoramic tower, designed and built amidst the Parco Sempione (the Sempione Park) for the V Triennale exhibition by one of the most famous and influential Italian designers and architects, Gio Ponti, in 1933.
Why should you go?
To savor 360-degree scenic views across Milan and identify key landmarks according to the running commentary. In less than a minute's time, a top-notch glass elevator will lift you up to view the unobstructed panorama of the city's skyline, the Alps and the Apennines, and the Lombardy plain far away. The recognizable hexagonal design of steel Dalmine pipes makes the tower itself a work of art just to underscore Gio Ponti's many-faceted artistic talent. Look down at the Arco della Pace, the triumphal arch nearby, a city gate built under Napoleonic rule, and the sprawling Duomo Cathedral in the distance.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology, Observation deck
Perfect for
Architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
A 108.6-meter high panoramic tower, designed and built amidst the Parco Sempione (the Sempione Park) for the V Triennale exhibition by one of the most famous and influential Italian designers and architects, Gio Ponti, in 1933.
Why should you go?
To savor 360-degree scenic views across Milan and identify key landmarks according to the running commentary. In less than a minute's time, a top-notch glass elevator will lift you up to view the unobstructed panorama of the city's skyline, the Alps and the Apennines, and the Lombardy plain far away. The recognizable hexagonal design of steel Dalmine pipes makes the tower itself a work of art just to underscore Gio Ponti's many-faceted artistic talent. Look down at the Arco della Pace, the triumphal arch nearby, a city gate built under Napoleonic rule, and the sprawling Duomo Cathedral in the distance.
Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology, Observation deck
Perfect for
Architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
@torre_branca
Orto Botanico di Brera
What is it?
A serene and secluded, open-air botanical garden amidst the Brera art and design neighborhood, officially established in 1774 yet cultivated since the 1300s.
Why should you go?
To discover historic plantings, pools, and fountains and get enchanted with the birdsong just a few blocks away from the frantic Piazza Duomo. The snug garden is tucked away behind the adjacent Pinacoteca di Brera and the Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (The Brera Observatory) with the evocative red-hued masonry towers and window shutters. It shows off some 300 species and its oldest plants, the two Ginkgo biloba trees dating back to the 18th century when Empress Maria Theresa of Austria ordered to lay out this garden. Lined with little paths, its geometric flowerbeds are disguised as an ancient vegetable garden with modern tags. Centuries back, it indeed was Umiliatis' and then Jesuits' allotment for vegetable planting and meditation.
Specialization
Art & Design, Nature & Natural History
Perfect for
Art lovers, history buffs, families, couples
A serene and secluded, open-air botanical garden amidst the Brera art and design neighborhood, officially established in 1774 yet cultivated since the 1300s.
Why should you go?
To discover historic plantings, pools, and fountains and get enchanted with the birdsong just a few blocks away from the frantic Piazza Duomo. The snug garden is tucked away behind the adjacent Pinacoteca di Brera and the Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (The Brera Observatory) with the evocative red-hued masonry towers and window shutters. It shows off some 300 species and its oldest plants, the two Ginkgo biloba trees dating back to the 18th century when Empress Maria Theresa of Austria ordered to lay out this garden. Lined with little paths, its geometric flowerbeds are disguised as an ancient vegetable garden with modern tags. Centuries back, it indeed was Umiliatis' and then Jesuits' allotment for vegetable planting and meditation.
Specialization
Art & Design, Nature & Natural History
Perfect for
Art lovers, history buffs, families, couples
The Villa Necchi Campiglio
What is it?
A small-scale art museum of a luxurious private home with a swimming pool and tennis court, built sleek by Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi in 1935 and restyled by Tommaso Buzzi a decade later, open to the public in 2008.
Why should you go?
To get a glimpse of life in high style. This art deco villa was a real-world setting for Luca Guadagnino's I Am Love movie, shot here in 2009, and Ridley Scott's House of Gucci in 2021, so we mean it. And you can experience it in person! As the name suggests, the property is a former home of the Necchi Campiglio family, a renowned Milanese and Italy's leading manufacturer of sewing machines. The bespoke furnishings and interiors are the intimate backdrop for the family's original art and even clothing collections. Linger on to absorb the flair of the inter-war and post-war interior designs and tell which is which, peruse the elaborate patchwork tapestry, added by Tommaso Buzzi, sketches by Picasso, and ceramics by Gio Ponti.
Specialization
Art & Design, Nature & Natural History
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
A small-scale art museum of a luxurious private home with a swimming pool and tennis court, built sleek by Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi in 1935 and restyled by Tommaso Buzzi a decade later, open to the public in 2008.
Why should you go?
To get a glimpse of life in high style. This art deco villa was a real-world setting for Luca Guadagnino's I Am Love movie, shot here in 2009, and Ridley Scott's House of Gucci in 2021, so we mean it. And you can experience it in person! As the name suggests, the property is a former home of the Necchi Campiglio family, a renowned Milanese and Italy's leading manufacturer of sewing machines. The bespoke furnishings and interiors are the intimate backdrop for the family's original art and even clothing collections. Linger on to absorb the flair of the inter-war and post-war interior designs and tell which is which, peruse the elaborate patchwork tapestry, added by Tommaso Buzzi, sketches by Picasso, and ceramics by Gio Ponti.
Specialization
Art & Design, Nature & Natural History
Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples
Museo Della Scienza E Della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci
What is it?
Italy's largest science and technology museum, famous for its Leonardo da Vinci-related exhibitions and historically significant colossal exhibits like the submarine Enrico Toti, that you can get aboard, from antiquity to the present day.
Why should you go?
To explore the recently revamped galleries dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci. It all started in 1953 when the Museum opened to exhibit mock-ups of Leonardo's inventions assembled according to his drawings. Apart from his intricate winged machines, you can explore him as a citizen of his era and a Renaissance genius who surprisingly had no classical education. To refocus on more recent engineering feats, see the life-sized Vega space launcher of 2012. Speaking of space, the only piece of a moon rock in Italy and Giovanni Schiaparelli's Merz-Repsold telescope, which he used for his notorious Martian studies in the nearby Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (The Brera Observatory), are on display, too. Large-scale exhibits are scattered around the quaint cloisters of a Renaissance monastery that the museum building once was.
Specialization
Nature & Natural History, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, history buffs, families, couples
Italy's largest science and technology museum, famous for its Leonardo da Vinci-related exhibitions and historically significant colossal exhibits like the submarine Enrico Toti, that you can get aboard, from antiquity to the present day.
Why should you go?
To explore the recently revamped galleries dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci. It all started in 1953 when the Museum opened to exhibit mock-ups of Leonardo's inventions assembled according to his drawings. Apart from his intricate winged machines, you can explore him as a citizen of his era and a Renaissance genius who surprisingly had no classical education. To refocus on more recent engineering feats, see the life-sized Vega space launcher of 2012. Speaking of space, the only piece of a moon rock in Italy and Giovanni Schiaparelli's Merz-Repsold telescope, which he used for his notorious Martian studies in the nearby Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (The Brera Observatory), are on display, too. Large-scale exhibits are scattered around the quaint cloisters of a Renaissance monastery that the museum building once was.
Specialization
Nature & Natural History, History & Anthropology
Perfect for
Art lovers, history buffs, families, couples
FAQ
- 1Where to stay in Milan?To make it easier to explore Milan and do it as much as you can, choose a city-center option that will not break your budget. Look into booking in:
- LaFavia Milano
- B&B Hotel Milano City Center Duomo
- Ostello Bello hostel
- Unahotels Century Milano
- Madeleine apartments - Garibaldi
- 2What are the best things to do in Milan with family?These are the things to do in Milan, Italy, for a kid, a young adult, and an adult too.
For scenic viewing:- Torre Branca
- The Duomo Cathedral
For a walk:- Orto Botanico di Brera
- Castello Sforzesco
- Parco Sempione
- Cimitero Monumentale
To have food & drink in an art museum restaurant:- The Pinacoteca di Brera and its palatial Caffè Fernanda with the Palazzo Brera's original marble floors, recovered by Piero Portaluppi
- The Fondazione Prada Milan venue's Bar Luce, inspired by Milanese symbolic architecture and designed by Wes Anderson
And to have a bite on the go, venture out to the spacious local food market Mercato Centrale Milano, in Milan's central railway station, crammed with options for every family member.
On top of that, consider these fun activities in Milan to entertain grown-ups and kids alike:- The Teatro Alla Scala guided tours
- Museo Della Scienza E Della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci workshops
- 3What are the top things to do in Milan for adults?For church-hopping:
- The Duomo Cathedral
- The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
- Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
- The Cenacolo Vinciano Museum
For tracing Leonardo da Vinci's footsteps:- The Cenacolo Vinciano Museum
- La Vigna di Leonardo
- Museo Della Scienza E Della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci
- The Navigli Canal district
For art-looking, contemporary, and not:- The Pinacoteca di Brera
- The Palazzo Reale
- The Fondazione Prada Milan venue
- The Pirelli HangarBicocca
- The Villa Necchi Campiglio
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