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Milan is a beautiful city and Italy’s financial dynamo. You will feel an almost central European atmosphere as well as the Italian Mediterranean feeling in the streets and on the squares. The Lombardy capital is also a metropolis with loads of sights, museums, churches, good shopping and much more.
Milan’s history is a history of a strategically well located city on crossing trade routes. Roman ruins and ancient fortresses from the time as the independent capital of Lombardy are some of the interesting things to explore in the city.
Milan’s world famous cathedral is the landmark of the city and a must see for visitors. It is Italy’s largest church and famous for its exterior, which is matched by intriguing interiors. The dimensions and detailed decoration of the church are unforgettable.
In Milan there are also many other churches and other historic buildings worth visiting; and one can see outstanding works of art such as Leonardo da Vincis painting of The Last Supper in the city. There are many art museums as well, and how about attending a football match at the San Siro arena.
Outside of Milan there are both interesting cultural cities and a very beautiful scenery. It is not far to the Alps or to the Mediterranean Sea, and the beautiful lakes of Lake Como and Lake Maggiore are even closer, both surrounded by small cozy and charming towns surrounded by picturesque scenarios.
Duomo is Milan’s five-nave cathedral, a unique sight with all its statues, spires and details. As a cathedral, the church is the seat of the archbishop of Milan, and already in the 4th century there was a church at this central location in the Roman Mediolanum. The early church buildings were destroyed by a fire in 1075, thereby paving the way for the construction of the current cathedral.
The Duomo was begun in 1386 on the initiative of Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and after almost 500 years of construction, the building was largely completed in 1858. Along the way, several architectural trends were considered and brought into the building, which is, however, predominantly Gothic with features from the Baroque in e.g. the facade, which was completed on the initiative of French Napoleon Bonaparte. He ordered the partially built facade completed in 1805, and seven years later the result was there. Napoleon was also crowned as King of Italy in the Duomo, and one of the church spiers was adorned with a statue of the French leader.
The dimensions of the Duomo are impressive. It is Italy’s largest church, and in Europe it is surpassed only by St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and the cathedral in Seville.
The church measures 158×92 meters in ground plan. The central nave is 45 meters high, while the top of the church’s highest spire reaches 108 meters into the sky; here stands a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary, La Madonnina, whose height is 4.2 meters. There can be 40,000 people in the large church space.
Both outside and inside there is a lot to see. You can walk around the church and see some of the thousands of statues that adorn the building. You can also go up to the roof of the church, from where there is a nice view of the many towers and spires.
Inside the church you will find several sights. The over 20 meter high mosaic window in the choir is just as impressive as the crucifix above the altar. There are also various tomb monuments for archbishops, some beautiful altars by Pellegrino Pellegrini and Marco d’Agrates’ sculpture of Saint Bartholomew/San Bartolomeo.
However, the greatest treasure in the Duomo is the holy nail, the Santo Chiodo from the crucifixion of Jesus. It is kept at the top of the vault above the chancel and is only taken out once a year. It happens at the Rito della Nivola event on September 14.
Pinacoteca di Brera is a museum that houses one of Italy’s finest art collections, with several masterpieces by, among others, Raphael, Andrea Mantegna and Tintoretto. The most significant trends from the years 1200-1900 are all represented, and there is something for every taste and interest.
The museum was set up in the baroque palace Palazzo Brera, which from 1572 was the monastery for the Jesuit order, which rebuilt the site in 1627-1628. In 1773, the Jesuit Order was dissolved, but their furnished library and observatory were preserved.
In 1776, the Brera Art Academy/Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera was established. It soon came to actively acquiring works of art from, among other things, closed northern Italian churches and monasteries, and that was the starting point for today’s museum.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is Milan’s most prestigious shopping arcade. It was designed in 1861, built 1865-1877 and named after the first king of the united Italy.
The building was built in typical arcade style from the 19th century with monumental entrances and a glass roof with a cast iron frame. The inspiration came from the Burlington Arcade in London, and the first major arcades were respectively the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert/Koninklijke Sint-Hubertusgalerijen in Brussels and the Passazh/Passaž in Saint Petersburg.
In Milan, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II connects the Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala. There are two perpendicular streets in the arcades, and they meet in a central, octagonal square under a large glass dome 47 meters up.
On the square’s floor mosaic, you can reportedly ensure both happiness and a reunion with Milan. This happens if, on the image of the bull, you turn around yourself three times with your right heel placed on the bull’s testicles.
The floor mosaic symbolizes the unification of Italy into a united kingdom. The four individual mosaics show the city arms of Florence (lily), Milan (red cross on a white background), Rome (wolf) and Turin (bull). The four cities are former Italian capitals; Rome also current.
Santa Maria delle Grazie is a church and Dominican monastery complex that was built on the initiative of Duke Francesco I Sforza. Work began in 1463, and the monastery was completed in 1469. The construction of the church was completed in 1490.
On the outside, the style with the substantial and ornate dome is quite different from other churches in the city, and inside, in the impressive church room, you can see many decorations and frescoes from the 15th century.
Today, the church is included in UNESCO’s list of world cultural heritage. The greatest treasure is Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, The Last Supper/Il Cenacolo, which can be seen on the north wall of the monastery’s dining room, the refectory.
The 8.8 x 4.6 meter painting was painted in the years 1495-1498, while da Vinci stayed in Milan. The work has been continuously restored and stands as if from da Vinci’s brush strokes.
Castello Sforzesco is a colossal castle with a moat, walls and tower in an impressive structure that, together with the cathedral, is the city’s landmark. In its original form, the castle was built by the Vicente family in the 1360s as the city’s fortress, but it was the later Sforza family who moved their residence here and came to influence the facility, whose history depicts the Milan of the dukes through time.
In 1450, Francesco Sforza remodeled and expanded the complex, and later generations and foreign powers also made various changes. In the 16th century during the Spanish era, the length of the fortifications around the castle was three kilometers with twelve bastions.
A major restoration of Castello Sforzesco was started after the Italian unification in the 19th century. With the unification, the castle was no longer of military interest, and it was instead set up for civilian purposes for the city of Milan.
The entrance gate to the castle is the Filarete Tower/Torre del Filarete from 1521, which was rebuilt 1900-1905 in honor of King Umberto I. Behind the tower you can walk around the entire castle area or visit the various parts that now house some of the city’s museums.
There are many museums in the castle area, and just by looking at the building you get a good insight into the impressive dimensions of the place and the castle’s restoration. There is access to various halls with, among other things, tapestries and frescoes that stretch back to the 15th century.
Of the museums, the art museum Sforza Borg Pinakotek/Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco should be singled out. Some of the museum’s main attractions are Michelangelo’s last sculpture and several of Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts. Other museums include the Museum of Ancient Art/Museo d’Arte Antica and departments of the city’s archaeological museum.
In the square in front of the castle, Piazza Castello, is a semicircle of symmetrical buildings. They were built in monumental style in the 19th century.
Piazza del Duomo is the heart of Milan and the best starting point for a tour of the Lombard capital. Surrounding the square are a number of beautiful mansions and attractions, with the Cathedral/Duomo at the head, and in the center of the square stands an equestrian statue of King Vittorio Emanuele II, who was the first king of united Italy.
The square was laid out in its original form in the 14th century, when Azzone Visconti had a number of houses demolished to create a space between the two central churches of the time. Since then, Piazza del Duomo has been continuously expanded by various demolitions. Today’s shape and size of around 17,000 m2 originates from the latter half of the 19th century and was largely planned by the architect Giuseppe Mengoni.
The Palazzo Reale was once built as the Palazzo Vecchio Broletto and was the seat of the city government in the Middle Ages. Later, the Milanese dukes moved their residence from the heavily fortified Castello Sforzesco to the more elegant and contemporary palace in the city centre.
Political power remained in the palace as Milan’s Spanish era began. In 1546, the Spanish governor took up residence here, thereby continuing the tradition of the dukes. The Austrian Habsburgs came to power in Milan in 1717 and, not least, Empress Maria Theresia came to leave a mark on the palace’s exterior and interior.
In the following centuries, the changing regents or leaders lived in the palace, which came to be called the Palazzo Reale when Italy was proclaimed a kingdom. However, the regents did not have a permanent residence here, as Milan did not have the status of capital and King Umberto I preferred to live in the Villa Reale di Monza during his stay in northern Italy.
With the dissolution of the Italian monarchy in 1919, the royal family sold the building to the state, which, however, had to keep an apartment ready for the family’s eventual visits. The last official visit by a king to the palace was US President Woodrow Wilson, who visited King Vittorio Emanuele III in 1919.
In the following years, parts of the castle were demolished to make way for other buildings, and it was destroyed by fire in 1943. Today it is a museum, and you can experience the rebuilt palace in all its splendor from the Habsburg Empire and Italian reign. It is also the setting for various art exhibitions.
Piazza dei Mercanti was the medieval center of Milan and the setting for a number of beautiful buildings. The square was once larger, and as a market place there were six entrances to it, where each trade held its own.
The palazzo Palazzo della Ragione stands centrally in the square and was built as the seat of administration and clarification of legal issues; a so-called broletto. It was built 1228-1233 and has undergone several renovations over time; most obvious is the upper floor, which was added in the 18th century.
Panigarola’s House/Casa Panigarola is located on the west side of the square and was built by the Panigarola family, who ran a notary business. The house was designed by Giovanni Solari in 1466 and built afterwards. The Palatine School Palace/Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine was built in 1644 and housed one of Milan’s leading educational institutions.
The Osii Loggia/Loggia degli Osii was built in 1321 by Matteo I of Milan, who wanted a central location for legal and notarial services. The name Osii comes from a family that previously owned buildings in the area.
The tower-adorned Giureconsulti Palæ/Palazzo dei Giureconsulti (Piazza dei Mercanti 2) was built in the latter half of the 16th century by the architect Vincenzo Seregni. Its tower is preserved from the previous building on the site, and it was converted into a bell tower that rang at events such as public executions. Later, the bells were replaced with a clock. Over time, it has been, among other things, a stock exchange and educational institution; today it belongs to the city’s chamber of commerce.
Museo Poldi Pezzoli is a museum that has one of Milan’s finest exhibitions of works of art and various historical articles. The collection was established by Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli in the 1800s, and the objects date back to Milan’s Roman times.
Among the works of art on display are a large number that were executed by Italian artists as well as an emphasis on Flemish and Dutch painters. The museum building is made up of the nobleman Poldi Pezzoli’s home, and thereby gives a good impression of the lifestyle of the Milanese aristocracy 200 years ago.
Teatro alla Scala or simply “La Scala” is one of the most famous opera and ballet houses in the world, where countless stars have performed over the past centuries.
On 25 February 1776, the Teatro Regio Ducal theater burned down, and wealthy citizens wrote to the city’s archduke for support for a new construction. The plans were approved by the regent; the Habsburg empress Maria Theresa.
From 1776 until the opening of the new theater just two years later, the church of Virgin Mary of Scala/Santa Maria della Scala was deconsecrated and demolished, and La Scala arose with its name from the defunct church.
There were about 3,000 spectators and they could experience the opening performance, which was the performance of Antonio Salieri’s opera in two acts; Europa Riconosciuta. After renovations, there is now room for around 2,800 spectators in the beautiful room, which is adorned with gilded wood and red velvet.
From the foyer you can visit the Scala Teatermuseum/Museo Teatrale alla Scala, where various effects from the history of the theater such as costumes and paintings are on display.
Basilica Sant’Ambrogio is a basilica that belongs among Milan’s oldest churches. It was originally built by a bishop in the years 379-386 and initially called the Martyr’s Basilica/Basilica Matyrum, referring to the fact that a number of martyrs had been buried here.
The church was expanded several times, and the current Romanesque-style buildings were completed in 1099. The architecture is typically Lombard-Romanesque, and the result is impressive. The lower of the two towers dates from the 8th century, while the taller was erected in 1144 and extended in 1889.
The harmonious courtyard with the view of the two towers, the large church room, the mosaic and a sarcophagus from the 4th century are just some of the many historical objects you can experience. In the church you can also see the tomb of Emperor Ludovico II from the year 875.
At the end of the green area Parco Sempione stands the Arco della Pace. Originally, the arch was intended as a monument to Napoleon’s victories, and it was supposed to stand as an entrance gate from the road that led from Paris over the Alps to Milan.
The arch was not completed until the peace agreement at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, which marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Work on the arch resumed in 1826 under the Austrian Emperor Francis II, who saw the arch as a monument to the European peace that came with the Congress of Vienna. The arch was inaugurated as the Arco della Pace in 1838.
Arco della Pace is 25 meters high and 24 meters wide. It is decorated with numerous reliefs, statues and Corinthian columns. Already in Roman times there was an arch approximately here. At that time it was one of the city gates, and it bore the name Porta Giovia. The name followed the various city gates that were located here right up to the Napoleonic era.
The street Corso Sempione starts from the arch of the Arco della Pace and the castle Castello Sforzesco. It was built under Napoleon as a Milanese Champs Elysées, which, like the original in Paris, should also have a triumphal arch as a landmark.
The grand street was the starting point for the road over the Alps to the French capital Paris. Today, the shady boulevard remains an elegant and cozy place for a stroll.
The Basilica di San Lorenzo Maggiore was founded around the year 370 and, like other churches in Milan, therefore belongs among the world’s very early church buildings. Part of the construction has been preserved in the original Byzantine style with a central dome surrounded by four towers modeled on the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.
Inside, it is a large church room with, among other things, fine chapel mosaics and ceiling paintings that you step into. One of the highlights is the 4th century mosaic in Saint Aquilinus Chapel/Capella di Sant’Aquilino.
In front of the basilica you can see a colonnade consisting of sixteen Corinthian columns, Saint Lawrence Colonnade/Colonne di San Lorenzo. The columns date from the 200s and were part of the bathing facility built by Emperor Maximian. The columns are among the few remaining remains from Milan’s time during ancient Rome.
Milan’s Archaeological Museum exhibits various interesting things from the past. In terms of city history, it is exciting, for example, with an exhibition from the Roman Milan, Mediolanum, of which there is, among other things, a model.
There are also other exhibitions here, such as the collection of ceramics from the Etruscans and the Greeks, which are also worth seeing. You can also see an antique coin collection and other effects.
Parts of the museum building also have a history in themselves as a former entrance to the Great Monastery/Monastero Maggiore. Here is also a preserved part of the Roman city wall, and in the museum’s garden is also one of the city’s former defense towers, which has been converted into a monastery chapel.
Bergamo is a charming city with an old medieval quarter that sits beautifully on a hilltop above the modern districts. The old part of town is called Bergamo Alta, and it was defended by the Venetians in the 16th century against Milan with city walls and entrance gates, which today are included on UNESCO’s list of world cultural heritage.
Since then, and primarily from the 19th century, Bergamo grew from being the old town surrounded by several villages to an urban formation in what is today the lower town, Città Bassa. You can get to Bergamo Alta with the city’s funicular, and from here the experiences start with many sights, narrow streets and lovely squares.
Verona was one of the important cities of the Roman Empire, and it leaves its clear mark on the city, where in many places you can see very well-preserved buildings from the centuries around the birth of Christ. It was also here that Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet took place, and that and much more can be seen in the city center.
The city squares are almost in extension of each other, and one is more beautiful than the next. Piazza Bra, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signori are sure hits on a stroll through Verona, where Juliet’s house from Romeo & Juliet is a popular sight as well. It is all about looking up and enjoying the many beautiful houses in the city.
The large lakes north of Milan are fantastically beautiful with their location between the Plain and the Alps. Lago di Como is the closest to Milan and offers lovely nature, varied sights and cozy towns. You can also go on sailing trips with the many tourist ships or local boats, both of which sail from several places around the lake.
The city of Como is located at the southern tip of Lake Como. It is the natural starting point for a trip along and on the lake. In Como it is worth seeing the cathedral, the Duomo (Piazza del Duomo). It was built in marble from the year 1396, and it gives a good impression of Como’s medieval architecture. However, the church’s large dome was not completed until 1740. Next to the cathedral is the 13th-century town hall Il Broletto di Como (Piazza del Duomo). The area itself here is also pleasant just to walk around with the many small streets.
You can take a long and beautiful trip with the funiculare from the center (Via Prudenziana) to Faro Voltiano, which is 700 meters above the city. From here there is a unique view of Como, Lake Como and the Alps. In very clear weather you can see both Milan and the characteristic Swiss mountain Matterhorn.
Piazza 5 Giornate 1A, Piazzale Loreto 16, Corso Vercelli 30-32, Piazza Cantore 12
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Via Montenapoleone 26
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Via Curiel, Rozzano
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Piazza del Duomo
Via Tajani Filippo 1
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Piazza Duomo, Viale Certosa
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Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga, Via Sant’Andrea, Via Manzoni, Via Borgospesso, Via Santo Spirito, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Corso Buenos Aires, Via Torino, Corso di Porta Ticinese
Acquario Civico
Viale Gadio 2
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Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia
Via San Vittore 21
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Museo di Storia Naturale
Corso Venezia 55
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San Siro
Via Piccolomini 5
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The Milan region has been inhabited for millennia, but only since the Celts around 400 BC. settled in the Po River area, began a lasting development of what has become today Milan.
The Romans defeated the Celts in 222 BC, and the now former Celtic settlement was christened by the Romans Mediolanum, referring to its location in the middle of the plain.
Mediolanum quickly became important in the Roman Empire as an important link between Rome and northwestern Europe, where part of the kingdom’s expansion took place.
Milan became increasingly integrated into the Roman Empire, and after centuries of positive development, the city in 286 was made the capital of the Western Roman Empire by Emperor Diocletian, who himself settled in Nicomedia in the Eastern Roman Empire.
In July 285, Emperor Diocletian Maximian proclaimed a new co-emperor, and his administration ruled the West Roman Empire from Milan. Maximian was a war emperor whose own residence was in Trier, but he had a number of large buildings erected in the new capital.
Thus Milan got a big Circus with Rome as a model, large bathing facilities and a number of palace complexes. The dimensions were impressive; especially the Circus, which measured 470 × 85 meters in ground level.
Milan grew and was after Rome’s most important city in Western Europe. In 313, Constantine I turned Christianity into official religion, and the city’s religious and cultural influence grew considerably. The church gained significantly greater political power these years.
However, it would not take many years for Milan’s Roman growth to stop. When the West Goths besieged the city in 402, the imperial residence and thus much of the government administration was moved to Ravenna. In 452, the females stormed the city, and 24 years later the power changed with the fall of the West Roman Empire in 476.
The fall of the kingdom meant times of decline for Milan, which was no longer the capital, and it was regularly attacked from the north by the Goths, among others. Milan allied with the Goths’ enemies in the Byzans and lost.
The Goths ravaged the city and its population in 539, and Milan had to start all over again. Byzans, however, conquered the city and the area back from the Goths in 568, but after a short time the Germanic longobards took over the city. The Longobards are the ones who came to signify and name the northern Italian region of Lombardy.
There was no major reconstruction of the city during those years, with some of the Roman structures still in use.
In 774, the Franks conquered Milan, and the French king Karl the Great gave himself the title of King of Lombardy. With the Franks and Charlemagne, Milan became part of the German-Roman Empire, creating stability and new development.
Increased trade and a larger grocery stand emerged, creating the foundation for Milan’s continued growth. Milan became the city state in 1042, and the city again became the focal point of the region.
As a city-state, Milan was far from alien, and by external enemies it was now the German-Roman Empire and Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa that Milan had to defend against. In 1162, Barbarossa defeated Milan, and the city was again completely destroyed.
Following the defeat, the Lombardy League formed in 1167 with Milan at the forefront. Barbarossa was now defeated by the Lombard League, and subsequently the league’s city states regained their partial independence.
With the peace in Konstanz in 1183 between Frederick I Barbarossa and the Lombard League, the peace in Venice from 1177 was confirmed. Here, among other things, the emperor had to recognize Milan and other cities’ far-reaching independence in the empire, and from 1183 it was continued in the form of the continuation of the Lombard League and self-determination in the cities; merely formally still as part of the German-Roman Empire. Milan was granted the status of a duchy.
From the middle of the 13th century and several centuries on, Milan was ruled by wealthy families; Torriani, Visconti and Sforza. The families erected as large monuments and buildings, and they brought leading artists and architects to the city. The culture flourished and, together with Florence, was a leader in northern Italy.
The ruling families actively supported arts, culture and development; especially during Milan’s reign of Lodovico Sforza in the late 1400s. Among other things, this brought Leonardo da Vinci’s work to Milan.
In the years Lodovico Sforza’s time after, Milan and the Italian area experienced a downturn. The other major powers in Europe had become stronger and the city was constantly attacked. Thus, in 1525, Milan became a province in the Spanish Empire of Charles V, with François I being defeated at the Battle of Pavia. Milan’s time under Habsburg leadership had now begun.
The Spanish government built defenses around Milan, and in the fortified city the population increased initially. However, the economy later stagnated and when the city was hit by a plague epidemic 1629-1631 the economy deteriorated sharply and the population was halved.
In 1556, Karl V had abdicated in favor of his brother who became regent in the German-Roman Empire and his son Philip II, who formed the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs under which Milan had come.
With the death of Karl II in 1700, the Spanish line of the Habsburgs became extinct, and the following year the Spanish War of Succession was triggered. There was a French claim to the Spanish throne, and at the same time Austria expanded, which, with the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, could annex the Spanish possessions in Northern Italy; including Lombardy and Milan.
With the Austrians, Milan recovered, and especially in the cultural sphere, this happened quickly. It continued until Napoleon and thus France invaded the city in 1796.
Under Napoleon, Milan became the capital of the Cisalpine Republic, and in 1804 Napoleon settled in the city’s cathedral in the newly created Kingdom of Italy. After Napoleon’s fall, Milan returned to Austrian rule until 1859.
In 1848, Milan rebelled against Austrian rule, and during the so-called Five Days, Field Marshal Radetzky was forced to withdraw his troops from the city. Although Austria and Radetzky, after a few months, defeated the northern Italians and thus were able to regain the city and the area, the road to Italian unification and independence was paved.
An alliance between the Kingdom of Sardinia and France defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Solferino in 1859, making Milan and Lombardy a part of the Italian Kingdom of Sardinia, which eventually gained control of most of the peninsula. In 1861 the kingdom was renamed and established as the Kingdom of Italy.
Austria had left a city in development with a good infrastructure. This development continued in the Italian city again, and it became the economic center of the country. The city’s population increased dramatically with industrialization, and the city expanded with many railway buildings to the region and the surrounding area.
Internationally, Milan became more closely linked to the areas north of the Alps with the opening of the Sankt Gotthard Tunnel in 1881, and it merely helped to manifest the city as the region’s leader.
In 1898, strikes were fought in Milan in protest with, among other things, rising prices and food shortages. The strike developed into a massacre in which more than 100 were killed as army units were deployed to restore calm in the city.
For many years Benito Mussolini was Italy’s leader and his movement was started in Milan, where the t-shirts were organized. Mussolini’s first public meeting took place in 1919 at Piazza San Sepolcro. In 1922, Mussolini’s fascist march against Rome took place in Milan.
During World War II, Milan was heavily bombed because of a large industry, and Benito Mussolini was liquidated in the city in 1945.
After the war, the further industrialization started again in Milan’s development and the Lombardy capital was rebuilt. Both the city and the Lombardy region became some of Europe’s leading and wealthiest – which they still remain today as the economic locomotive in Italy.
In 2010, Milan was designated as the home of the upcoming World Expo 2015 exhibition, which has brought new projects and construction to the city.
Milan Milano, Italy[/caption]
Overview of Milan
Milan is a beautiful city and Italy’s financial dynamo. You will feel an almost central European atmosphere as well as the Italian Mediterranean feeling in the streets and on the squares. The Lombardy capital is also a metropolis with loads of sights, museums, churches, good shopping and much more.
Milan’s history is a history of a strategically well located city on crossing trade routes. Roman ruins and ancient fortresses from the time as the independent capital of Lombardy are some of the interesting things to explore in the city.
Milan’s world famous cathedral is the landmark of the city and a must see for visitors. It is Italy’s largest church and famous for its exterior, which is matched by intriguing interiors. The dimensions and detailed decoration of the church are unforgettable.
About the Whitehorse travel guide
Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
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Language: English
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Piazza del Duomo is the heart of Milan and the best starting point for a tour of the Lombard capital. Surrounding the square are a number of beautiful mansions and attractions, with the Cathedral/Duomo at the head, and in the center of the square stands an equestrian statue of King Vittorio Emanuele II, who was the first king of united Italy.
The square was laid out in its original form in the 14th century, when Azzone Visconti had a number of houses demolished to create a space between the two central churches of the time. Since then, Piazza del Duomo has been continuously expanded by various demolitions. Today’s shape and size of around 17,000 m2 originates from the latter half of the 19th century and was largely planned by the architect Giuseppe Mengoni.
The Palazzo Reale was once built as the Palazzo Vecchio Broletto and was the seat of the city government in the Middle Ages. Later, the Milanese dukes moved their residence from the heavily fortified Castello Sforzesco to the more elegant and contemporary palace in the city centre.
Political power remained in the palace as Milan’s Spanish era began. In 1546, the Spanish governor took up residence here, thereby continuing the tradition of the dukes. The Austrian Habsburgs came to power in Milan in 1717 and, not least, Empress Maria Theresia came to leave a mark on the palace’s exterior and interior.
In the following centuries, the changing regents or leaders lived in the palace, which came to be called the Palazzo Reale when Italy was proclaimed a kingdom. However, the regents did not have a permanent residence here, as Milan did not have the status of capital and King Umberto I preferred to live in the Villa Reale di Monza during his stay in northern Italy.
With the dissolution of the Italian monarchy in 1919, the royal family sold the building to the state, which, however, had to keep an apartment ready for the family’s eventual visits. The last official visit by a king to the palace was US President Woodrow Wilson, who visited King Vittorio Emanuele III in 1919.
In the following years, parts of the castle were demolished to make way for other buildings, and it was destroyed by fire in 1943. Today it is a museum, and you can experience the rebuilt palace in all its splendor from the Habsburg Empire and Italian reign. It is also the setting for various art exhibitions.
Piazza dei Mercanti was the medieval center of Milan and the setting for a number of beautiful buildings. The square was once larger, and as a market place there were six entrances to it, where each trade held its own.
The palazzo Palazzo della Ragione stands centrally in the square and was built as the seat of administration and clarification of legal issues; a so-called broletto. It was built 1228-1233 and has undergone several renovations over time; most obvious is the upper floor, which was added in the 18th century.
Panigarola’s House/Casa Panigarola is located on the west side of the square and was built by the Panigarola family, who ran a notary business. The house was designed by Giovanni Solari in 1466 and built afterwards. The Palatine School Palace/Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine was built in 1644 and housed one of Milan’s leading educational institutions.
The Osii Loggia/Loggia degli Osii was built in 1321 by Matteo I of Milan, who wanted a central location for legal and notarial services. The name Osii comes from a family that previously owned buildings in the area.
The tower-adorned Giureconsulti Palæ/Palazzo dei Giureconsulti (Piazza dei Mercanti 2) was built in the latter half of the 16th century by the architect Vincenzo Seregni. Its tower is preserved from the previous building on the site, and it was converted into a bell tower that rang at events such as public executions. Later, the bells were replaced with a clock. Over time, it has been, among other things, a stock exchange and educational institution; today it belongs to the city’s chamber of commerce.
Museo Poldi Pezzoli is a museum that has one of Milan’s finest exhibitions of works of art and various historical articles. The collection was established by Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli in the 1800s, and the objects date back to Milan’s Roman times.
Among the works of art on display are a large number that were executed by Italian artists as well as an emphasis on Flemish and Dutch painters. The museum building is made up of the nobleman Poldi Pezzoli’s home, and thereby gives a good impression of the lifestyle of the Milanese aristocracy 200 years ago.
Teatro alla Scala or simply “La Scala” is one of the most famous opera and ballet houses in the world, where countless stars have performed over the past centuries.
On 25 February 1776, the Teatro Regio Ducal theater burned down, and wealthy citizens wrote to the city’s archduke for support for a new construction. The plans were approved by the regent; the Habsburg empress Maria Theresa.
From 1776 until the opening of the new theater just two years later, the church of Virgin Mary of Scala/Santa Maria della Scala was deconsecrated and demolished, and La Scala arose with its name from the defunct church.
There were about 3,000 spectators and they could experience the opening performance, which was the performance of Antonio Salieri’s opera in two acts; Europa Riconosciuta. After renovations, there is now room for around 2,800 spectators in the beautiful room, which is adorned with gilded wood and red velvet.
From the foyer you can visit the Scala Teatermuseum/Museo Teatrale alla Scala, where various effects from the history of the theater such as costumes and paintings are on display.
Basilica Sant’Ambrogio is a basilica that belongs among Milan’s oldest churches. It was originally built by a bishop in the years 379-386 and initially called the Martyr’s Basilica/Basilica Matyrum, referring to the fact that a number of martyrs had been buried here.
The church was expanded several times, and the current Romanesque-style buildings were completed in 1099. The architecture is typically Lombard-Romanesque, and the result is impressive. The lower of the two towers dates from the 8th century, while the taller was erected in 1144 and extended in 1889.
The harmonious courtyard with the view of the two towers, the large church room, the mosaic and a sarcophagus from the 4th century are just some of the many historical objects you can experience. In the church you can also see the tomb of Emperor Ludovico II from the year 875.
At the end of the green area Parco Sempione stands the Arco della Pace. Originally, the arch was intended as a monument to Napoleon’s victories, and it was supposed to stand as an entrance gate from the road that led from Paris over the Alps to Milan.
The arch was not completed until the peace agreement at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, which marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Work on the arch resumed in 1826 under the Austrian Emperor Francis II, who saw the arch as a monument to the European peace that came with the Congress of Vienna. The arch was inaugurated as the Arco della Pace in 1838.
Arco della Pace is 25 meters high and 24 meters wide. It is decorated with numerous reliefs, statues and Corinthian columns. Already in Roman times there was an arch approximately here. At that time it was one of the city gates, and it bore the name Porta Giovia. The name followed the various city gates that were located here right up to the Napoleonic era.
The street Corso Sempione starts from the arch of the Arco della Pace and the castle Castello Sforzesco. It was built under Napoleon as a Milanese Champs Elysées, which, like the original in Paris, should also have a triumphal arch as a landmark.
The grand street was the starting point for the road over the Alps to the French capital Paris. Today, the shady boulevard remains an elegant and cozy place for a stroll.
The Basilica di San Lorenzo Maggiore was founded around the year 370 and, like other churches in Milan, therefore belongs among the world’s very early church buildings. Part of the construction has been preserved in the original Byzantine style with a central dome surrounded by four towers modeled on the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.
Inside, it is a large church room with, among other things, fine chapel mosaics and ceiling paintings that you step into. One of the highlights is the 4th century mosaic in Saint Aquilinus Chapel/Capella di Sant’Aquilino.
In front of the basilica you can see a colonnade consisting of sixteen Corinthian columns, Saint Lawrence Colonnade/Colonne di San Lorenzo. The columns date from the 200s and were part of the bathing facility built by Emperor Maximian. The columns are among the few remaining remains from Milan’s time during ancient Rome.
Milan’s Archaeological Museum exhibits various interesting things from the past. In terms of city history, it is exciting, for example, with an exhibition from the Roman Milan, Mediolanum, of which there is, among other things, a model.
There are also other exhibitions here, such as the collection of ceramics from the Etruscans and the Greeks, which are also worth seeing. You can also see an antique coin collection and other effects.
Parts of the museum building also have a history in themselves as a former entrance to the Great Monastery/Monastero Maggiore. Here is also a preserved part of the Roman city wall, and in the museum’s garden is also one of the city’s former defense towers, which has been converted into a monastery chapel.
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