10 things to see in Milan
The nerve center of Northern Italy, a world landmark of art, fashion, architecture and history, pillar of the economy and finance of the country: Milan is practically the second capital of Italy. Its most famous monuments, along with the events that animate it every day of the year and its typical dishes - first of all, the Milanese cutlet -, are seared into the collective imagination not only of the citizens, but also of the tourists who contribute to make it one of the most visited cities in the world. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the Arco della Pace, the navigli and the futuristic Piazza Gae Aulenti, passing through its Duomo, its museums and the immortal masterpieces they hold (first of all, The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci) here is a list of the 10 things you can’t miss when visiting Milan.
1. The Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
The Duomo of Milan is the largest church in Italy and the symbol of the city, a masterful example of Gothic art that dates back to 1300 and that brought together the greatest European workers in its construction. Below the Duomo there are ancient excavations dating back to Santa Tecla, the previous basilica, and the Baptistery where Saint Augustine was baptized. Its terraces are visitable: among their spires, they offer a spectacular view of Milan and the golden Madonnina, a statue placed on top of the highest spire to symbolically protect the Milanese and their city.
Not far from there, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele connects Piazza Duomo to Piazza della Scala (where the famous Teatro alla Scala is located). Also called the salon of Milan, it’s a commercial gallery - one of the first of its kind - built in neo-Renaissance style and dotted with elegant shops and bars, meeting point of the Milanese upper class since the time of its construction, in the 60’s of 1800. A song from the late '30s states that Milan, l’è un gran Milan (Milan is a great Milan) and walking among the signs of its historic shops - by law strictly black with golden writing - it’s not difficult to understand why.
2. Parco Sempione and the Castello Sforzesco
Today home to the Civic Museums, over the centuries the Castello Sforzesco has been a fortress, a court and a barrack. It faces Parco Sempione with its central tower (called Torre del Filarete), and inside its hosts works of art, among others, by Leonardo and Michelangelo. Parco Sempione is a huge English garden dating back to the late nineteenth century that, with its over 47 hectares, runs along the structure of the Castle. The park is home to the Triennale di Milano (and for this reason it’s full of works of art - the Teatro Continuo by Alberto Burri, the Bagni Misteriosi by Giorgio De Chirico, the Chiosco Scultura by Giorgio Amelio Roccamonte), but also the Palazzo dell'Arte and the Civic Aquarium. Next to Parco Sempione is the neoclassical Arco della Pace, one of the landmarks of Milan. A visit, even just to relax on the lawn or walk its tree-lined paths, is a must at any time of the year.
3. The Pinacoteca di Brera
Brera is considered by many to be the bohemian district of the city, and its fulcrum is the Pinacoteca, an ancient and modern art museum of national importance, housed together with the Academy of Fine Arts inside the Palazzo di Brera. Inside, the Pinacoteca houses masterpieces of Italian (Raffaello, Andrea Mantegna, Piero della Francesca, but also Boccioni, Modigliani, Carrà and Morandi) and foreign art (Rubens, Van Dyck, Hayez), an extensive and masterful collection that makes it one of the most visited museums in Italy.
4. Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper at the Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano
A majestic work that needs no introduction, The Last Supper (or Cenacle) is probably the most important and famous mural painting in the world. Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, - the man who, for Italy, is a symbol of the Renaissance and the embodiment of absolute genius - who painted it between 1494 and 1498, the Cenacle is located at the Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano, in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Because of the experimental painting technique used, its preservation is constantly put to the test by the humidity of the environment in which it’s located, and forces the painting to be subjected to continuous restoration work. Albeit fragile, The Last Supper is one of the highest examples of art of all times: you can’t miss it.
5. The navigli
Technically, the navigli are a system of canals designed by Leonardo da Vinci to make the navigation of boats between Milan and Lake Maggiore less difficult, but for the Milanese, the word navigli means many things: shops, clubs, restaurants, antique markets, nightlife, a romantic and poignant ecosystem that winds between the famous Darsena (the ancient port of Milan), Porta Genova and Porta Ticinese, the so-called Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese. A corner of Milan authentic but eclectic, intimate but open to the world, to explore and walk with a calm that the city too little often allows itself.
6. The Bosco Verticale
The Bosco Verticale (or Vertical Forest), a project by Boeri Studio, is an innovative building that aims to enshrine, in its particular architectural structure, the coexistence of humanity and nature: the result is an avant-garde example of urban forest that every year absorbs more than 30 tons of carbon dioxide and preserves an invaluable heritage of biodiversity. In a few years (it was inaugurated in 2014), the Bosco Verticale has become one of the most picturesque buildings of the city skyline: a real revolution in the Milanese urban landscape.
7. The Museo del Novecento
Located in Piazza Duomo, in the Palazzo dell'Arengario, the museum is dedicated to the art of the twentieth century in Italy. Arranged in chronological order, the nearly four hundred works that it houses tell the contemporary art of the country and of the entire last century: the futurism of Carrà, Boccioni and Balla, the metaphysics of De Chirico, but also Giorgio Fontana, Giorgio Morandi, the Arte Povera and the spatialism of Lucio Fontana. In addition to the permanent collection, the museum also serves as an archive and occasionally organizes temporary exhibitions.
8. Piazza Gae Aulenti
Piazza Gae Aulenti is a square located in the Isola district, dedicated to the memory of the homonymous architect and adjacent to the lively and hectic Corso Como, one of the epicenters of Milanese life. In the square, a circular and raised street with a futuristic design, rises the Unicredit Tower, the tallest skyscraper in Italy. An example of architectural power that represents modern Milan.
9. The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
Second of importance only to the Duomo, the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio is dedicated to the Patron Saint of Milan and is the first - and perhaps most relevant - example of Lombard Romanesque in Italy. Built between 379 and 386, it takes on its present appearance around the year 1000, after a restoration that transforms it according to the canons of Romanesque. In its crypt are kept the relics of Saint Ambrose and Saints Gervasio and Protaso.
10. Citylife
Born on the occasion of Expo 2015, Citylife is a commercial and residential complex that belongs to the Milan Tre Torri district, named for the presence of three skyscrapers-symbol with an unusual structure: the Storto (or Torre Generali), designed by Zaha Hadid, the Dritto (or Torre Allianz) by Arata Isozaki, and the Curvo (or Torre Pwc) by Daniel Libeskind. In addition to the towers and luxury residences of its inhabitants, Citylife - which is an entirely pedestrian area - includes a park, a shopping center, some palaces (including the gigantic Palazzo delle Scintille) and Artline, an open-air path composed of permanent contemporary art installations.
What to eat in Milan? The typical dishes
A well-known advertising slogan in Italy identifies a certain period (and attitude - hedonist, individualist, unscrupulous) of the city with the name Milano da bere (Milan to drink). However, the 80s are long over, and the city is not only to drink, from Amaro Ramazzotti to the spritz in Terrazza Aperol. The Milanese risotto with saffron and ossobuco, the "elephant’s ear" cutlet, the cassœula with pork and savoy cabbage and, finally, the panettone: Milan is also full plates and a culinary tradition that, despite the cosmopolitan trends of the city, never went lost.
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