- Milan for real tourists
- What to visit in old Milan?
- Cultural institutions in Milan
- Milan museums
Real tourists know exactly what to visit in Milan, a beautiful Italian city that claims to be the second capital of European fashion (after Paris, of course). For wealthy travelers, there is a direct road to boutiques, clothing and footwear stores from leading Italian designers. Guests of the city with a more modest budget are attacking local shopping and entertainment centers; even cheaper outfits can be bought in the vicinity of Milan, right at factories.
Milan for real tourists
But real travelers can't buy beautiful outfits, they know that Milan is good on its own. There are architectural landmarks, intersection and meeting of different styles and eras, unique monuments. The visiting card of the capital of Italian fashion are the following complexes: Sforza Castle; Cathedral of the Duomo.
When a tourist first finds himself in the historic center of Milan and sees the grandiose construction of the cathedral in front of him, he is seized with endless delight. It becomes clearer where local fashion designers get their inspiration, where they have such a desire for perfection and beauty.
This is what you need to visit in Milan on your own, and slowly, unhurriedly. The building of the cathedral was built in the style with a beautiful name - Flaming Gothic. The facade and white marble walls are decorated with a lot of details and sophisticated architectural decor. The construction of this beautiful monumental structure began in 1386. The facade is decorated with thousands of statues and spiers, so the cathedral seems to be directed into the sky, hovering over the city.
Tourists are especially pleased with the moment that you can not only admire the cathedral from the outside or inside, but also climb to its roof, where there is an observation deck. Moreover, those wishing to see the city from a bird's eye view have the opportunity to quickly take the elevator or slowly overcome 250 steps.
It is also interesting for its interior decoration, first of all, for its wooden choirs, decorated with skillful carvings. An Egyptian bathtub dating back to the 4th century is used as a baptismal font. Some of the windows are decorated with preserved ancient stained-glass windows, and the walls are decorated with skillful paintings.
What to visit in old Milan?
In this Italian city there are many attractions of different eras, there are monuments of antiquity, however, many are already in a dilapidated state. Only fragments of the local amphitheater have survived; the great basilicas were rebuilt in the Middle Ages.
Many tourists are attracted by the shrine kept in the Monastery of St. Mary (Santa Maria delle Grazie) - this is the fresco "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. And the monastery complex itself currently occupies a place in the List of World Heritage Sites.
Cultural institutions in Milan
Not only viewing local architectural masterpieces and natural beauty attracts thousands of visitors to this city. Milan has world-class cultural institutions such as the famous Teatro alla Scala, which is one of the top three opera houses in the world.
Most recently, it underwent a grandiose reconstruction, and now it receives guests in a renewed form, but with the same high level of performing skills. There are other theaters in the city, ballet performances can be seen at the Arcimboldi Theater, dramatic performances at the Piccolo Theater, which will soon celebrate the centenary of its foundation.
Leonardo da Vinci left a memory of himself not only in the Milan monastery of St. Mary. A unique collection of drawings and manuscripts belonging to the brush (and pen) of the master, including the Codex Atlanticus, is now kept in the Ambrosian Library, one of the oldest in Europe.
Milan museums
A special page in the life of a tourist in Milan is a trip to local museums, of which you can find a sufficient number in the city. Each of them carefully preserves their collections and the memory of the great creators of the past.
The main custodian of values in Milan is Brera, a museum and art academy. Its expositions feature masterpieces of painters of the so-called Lombard school, many art works date back to the XIV century. The oldest public museum in Milan is the Natural History Museum; its highlight is that it is located in the city garden.
The Poldi-Pezzoli Museum collects, studies and presents the old works of the masters of arts and crafts. The pavilion of contemporary art, as the name implies, demonstrates the works of artists, sculptors, today living in Milan, other cities and countries. Children are interested in the exhibits displayed in the Museum of Arts and Technology, here you can see moving vehicles, some of them are made in accordance with the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.
