The capital of flaming Gothic, world fashion, opera and hot chocolate, Milan from the first minute settles in the soul and heart of a man who first flew to northern Italy. It does not compete with Rome or Florence, does not claim the laurels of romantic Venice, and does not offer to plunge into the colorful color of the southern port, like Naples. Even when asked what to see in Milan, most of the travelers who have visited it will name only the Duomo and boutiques of the Golden Quadrangle, but only because the magnificent capital of Lombardy is in no hurry to open its treasures to everyone at once and at first sight. Milan will have to be explored slowly and carefully, and then it will open the doors of its museums, allow you to enjoy the coolness of galleries, imbued with the monumentality of medieval castles and taste the best ice cream in the world, refreshing on a hot July afternoon no worse than icy prosecco.
TOP 10 sights of Milan
Duomo
Many masterpieces of medieval architecture, built in the style of flaming Gothic, have survived in Europe, but the Milan Cathedral is the best that the builders of that era managed to create. Ornaments and patterns similar to tongues of flame, the tops of arches and pediments give the Milan Duomo an absolutely fantastic look, and therefore at the Cathedral Square of the capital of Lombardy at any time you can meet people admiringly standing by the creations of the great masters.
The Duomo was built over 600 years, and each era brought its own features and characteristics to the appearance of the most beautiful temple. Milan Cathedral is a record holder in many respects, but not only dry numbers can impress the layman:
- The Duomo is the only Gothic-style temple in the Old World, built of white marble.
- The height of the spire of the cathedral is 106.5 m, the width of the transverse nave is 92 m, and the number of people simultaneously in the temple can reach 40 thousand.
- On the facade overlooking Cathedral Square, one can count 135 marble needles. The "Stone Forest" was commissioned by Napoleon in 1813.
- The four-meter gilded statue of the Madonna on the spire of the cathedral is a symbolic level above which buildings in Milan are not built. The only exception to this rule, the Pirelli skyscraper, has an exact copy of the Madonna Duomo.
- The cathedral is decorated with 3400 marble sculptures.
One of the artists who worked on the creation of the dome was the great Leonardo. Is it any wonder that the Duomo is today called a true masterpiece of medieval architecture.
Gallery of Victor Emmanuel II
On the Cathedral Square of Milan, you can look at another magnificent architectural monument, but already built in the neo-Renaissance style. The address of the shopping arcade of Victor Emmanuel II will not hesitate to name every fashionista.
The gallery appeared in the capital of Lombardy in the second half of the 19th century and connected the squares in front of the Duomo and La Scala opera house.
Sadly, the author of the gallery project could not see his creation in its final form. Shortly before the completion of construction, he tragically died, but the name of Giuseppe Mengoni remained to live for centuries and in his greatest creation.
The passage is built in the form of a Latin cross, its central part is covered with a glass dome, the interiors are decorated with mosaics, frescoes, stucco moldings and sculptural compositions. Under the roof of the gallery you will find boutiques of the most recognized and expensive fashion houses in the world.
La Scala
In 1778, an opera house was opened in Milan, which is known all over the world today. The best artists of our time are honored to perform on its stage, and opera admirers from different countries come to Milan to watch the performance at La Scala.
La Scala was designed by the famous architect Giuseppe Piermarini. La Scala was built on the site of the Church of Santa Lucia della Scala, dedicated to her patroness from the Scaliger family in Verona.
The La Scala stage has hosted the best productions and the most talented opera singers. It was the place where Puccini's Madame Butterfly, Verdi's Othello and Bellini's Norma were first seen.
The building is designed in strict neoclassical style. It boasts excellent acoustic performance and is finished in white, silver and gold.
Even in our time, a dress code is adopted in the theater, and the lodges, according to tradition, are bought out by the aristocratic dynasties of Milan for the entire theatrical season.
Sforza castle
Looking for the first time at the residence of the Dukes of Sforza in Milan, a Russian tourist notices a subtle resemblance to his native Moscow Kremlin. The surprising is easily explained, because the Kremlin was built by the architects who designed the Italian castle.
The Sforza fortress in its current form appeared in the 15th century on the site of the Visconti residence destroyed by a rebellious crowd. Francesco Sforza invited the restless Leonardo to decorate the castle, but only the pergola designed by the great master has survived to this day. The terrace still saves you from the scorching Italian sun, just like centuries ago.
During the Italian Wars, the Sforza Castle served as the residence of the French king Louis XII who seized the city, then as a barracks for the soldiers of the Spanish governor Ferrante Gonzaga.
Today, the Sforza Castle houses exhibitions of several museums in Milan: historical, musical, ancient Egypt and others. The decoration of the castle is the last sculpture by Michelangelo "Pieta Rondanini".
Ticket price: 5 euros.
Basilica of St. Lawrence
One of the oldest churches in Milan was built to commemorate Saint Lawrence. The beginning of the work dates back at least to the 4th century, and according to historians, the customer of the construction was Ambrose of Mediolansky, one of the four great Latin teachers of the church, appointed in 373 as prefect of northern Italy. From the construction of those years, only the baptistery and the general architectural solution remained.
The upper part of the temple and its dome were redesigned in the 16th century, and the Romanesque bell tower was added four centuries earlier.
Mosaics from the late antique period can be seen in the chapel of St. Aquilinus, and around the basilica are worthy of attention the ancient Roman columns left over from the reign of Emperor Maximian.
A sacred relic kept in the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore - the relics of Saint Natalia, the patroness of marriage.
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Perhaps not everyone knows the name of this Milan church, but one of the frescoes that adorn its refectory is undoubtedly known to all mankind. The main church of the monastery of the Dominican order keeps a priceless relic, written by the hand of Leonardo da Vinci, and millions of tourists come to Milan to see the "Last Supper" every year.
The church was built in the second half of the 15th century by architects Bramante and Solari. In its appearance, features of the late Gothic and Renaissance can be traced, and therefore Santa Maria delle Grazie looks somewhat unusual against the background of other Milan temples.
The entire monastery complex became the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy to receive this status in 1980.
Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci
Numerous inventions of Leonardo da Vinci, who was ahead of his time and proved that man is the most perfect creation on Earth, are exhibited in the museum that bears his name in Milan.
The exposition is located in an old monastery, and in addition to the legacy of Leonardo, the museum displays airplanes and sailing ships, trams and trains, and even a submarine.
In several interactive laboratories of the museum, visitors will be taught how to prepare ink and non-popping soap bubbles, an exposition of clocks from all eras will tell about the evolution of a device so important in human life, and an excursion to a medieval pharmacy will give an idea of how to treat diseases during the time when Leonardo lived and worked.
Ticket price: 10 euros.
Pinakothek Brera
One of the largest galleries in Milan, where you can see the works of the greatest Italian painters, is located in the Milan quarter of the same name. The palazzo, which displays works by Ambrogio Lorenzetti and Donato Bramante, Carpaccio and Raphael, was built at the end of the 16th century. Its other wing now houses the auditoriums and workshops of the Milan Art Academy.
Basilica of St. Ambrose
The building of the church, built on the burial site of early Christian martyrs, has come down to us unchanged since the end of the 11th century. However, the first temple stood here from the 4th century. The early basilica was built at the direction of Ambrose of Mediolana.
The Lombardo-Romanesque architectural style is guessed in the long atrium in front of the entrance and in the different heights of the towers, one of which is called the bell tower of the monks, and the later one is the bell tower of the canons.
In the temple, noteworthy is the 9th century Golden Altar depicting scenes of the life of Jesus Christ, the main apse mosaic of the 13th century and the side ones dating from the 9th century.
In the crypt, in a silver sarcophagus with a glass wall, rest the relics of St. Ambrose and the Martyrs Gevrasius and Protasius.
Poldi Pezzoli Museum
In the middle of the 19th century, Joan Giacomo Poldi-Pezzoli, a wealthy citizen of Milan and a philanthropist, founded a private collection that, several decades later, served as the basis for a museum exhibition.
The exhibition halls display the richest collection of medieval weapons and armor, Renaissance furniture, sculptures by Italian Renaissance masters and paintings of the 14th-19th centuries. Of particular value in the Poldi-Pezzoli collection are the works of artists from the old Dutch school and northern Italy. The gallery exhibits paintings by Michelangelo and Botticelli, Bruegel and Perugino.
The halls displaying Persian carpets and antique ceramics, Venetian glass and Flemish tapestries are of no less interest to visitors.
