Ever since the days of the Roman Empire, Milan has occupied a prominent position in the cultural, economic, and religious life of the Italian peninsula. Coveted for centuries by Europe’s major powers and sometimes ruled by them, Milan continued to grow and thrive into the 20th century. Today, Milan has an impressive array of medieval and Renaissance landmarks, business enterprises that compete with Europe’s finest companies, and quality leisure activities for residents and visitors to enjoy. These include the International Fashion Week, top tier soccer clubs, a Formula One race, and the beautiful towns on the nearby shores of Lake Como. These strengths make Milan a wonderful place to visit on a trip to Italy. 

Here are some of the most interesting things to do when visiting Milan:

VISIT THE DUOMO

People arriving in Milan usually begin their exploration of the city by visiting Milan’s Old Center where the Duomo is located to see:

Duomo Cathedral- Milan’s Duomo is located on a large plaza called Piazza de Duomo which is adorned with a statue of modern Italy’s first king, Victor Emanuelle II, and frequented by an equal number of tourists and pigeons each day. Construction of the Duomo started in 1386 at the site of an existing Christian church. There are many spectacular cathedrals in Europe that date back to the medieval age and the Renaissance. The Duomo is the third largest in Europe in size, and the furnishings and  adornments of the structure rank it among the most impressive. The numerous Gothic spires, gargoyles, and statues on the structure add to its grandeur. Those able to visit the cathedral rooftop by elevator or by climbing the stairs will reach the top of a twenty-story high viewing platform and experience a memorable view of the city.

The inside of the Duomo is supported by over fifty columns that rise like a redwood forest and stretch across a floor that is over five hundred feet long. The Duomo was designed to be large enough to hold 40,000 people. The Baroque style altar is elevated and contains statues of saints, stained glass windows, and raised woodworking with Christian imagery. The aisles along the sides of the Duomo contain small chapels, plaques, the crypts of revered religious figures from the leadership of the church, along with stained glass windows telling the story of Christ and these leaders.

Duomo Museum- Next to the Duomo is a separate museum that contains hundreds of relics from the cathedral and images of the many religious leaders who played important roles in the operation of the church for over ten centuries. Statues of saints and Jesus, pieces of altars, crucifixes, tapestries, and gilded objects help explain the wealth and importance of the Duomo to the Milanese people. 

SHOP IN THE FASHION CAPITAL OF ITALY

Milan is the self-proclaimed fashion capital of Italy and all of Europe. This focus on fashion culminates in the city’s Fashion Week when the leading designers, models, store representatives, and fashion observers flock to the city in September to tout their latest designs and make contacts in the industry. But beyond the fashion houses, two other forces are at work. All the leading brands in fashion, cosmetics, and accessories around the world have outlets and a major presence in the city which creates a sense of style in the local culture. Moreover, when you walk around the city streets, it is not unusual to see people of all ages smartly dressed when going about their business or personal activities. Shopping is not just a necessity here; it is a passion and a hobby. Some of the leading places to shop in the city are:

Galleria Vittoria Emanuelle II-Rising up just a few feet from the Duomo is a modern temple of shopping known as the Galleria. This four-story building with an arched roof was built in the 1890s using a glass and iron frame. It remains a popular place for shopping at luxury stores and dining at restaurants and cafes. Shoppers at the Galleria walk around on artfully crafted Italian marble flooring and Roman style mosaics beneath the glass rotunda. The pathways are always crowded with onlookers, but once you are inside the atmosphere is less frantic and quite pleasant. 

Montenapoleone Quarter - Close to the Galleria are a series of streets that have an equal cache for fashion stores and clothing shopping. The area around Via Montenapoleone is an exclusive neighborhood and the shoppers and stores there match that demographic. Like Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, these stores display designer goods and sometimes feature locked doors requiring admission by a guard and assistance from a personal shopper. 

Other Shopping Locations - Not all shopping in Milan is high end. There are shops that provide affordable alternatives scattered around the city. One casual shopping area is on Via Torino which has something for everyone including shops like Foot Locker, Camper, and Energy. It is a good place to find secondhand clothing, unique household goods, and handmade clothes and accessories. Another is the Serravalle outlet stores found at four locations around the city which claim to be the largest designer outlet in Europe with Italian and international brands for sale. 

EXPLORE MILAN’S LANDMARKS AND MUSEUMS

With centuries of history, Milan also has other unique landmarks worth visiting. These include:

LaScala Opera House and Museum- In the late 1700s, Milan’s wealthy families decided to build a world class opera house to compete with the other leading centers of culture around Italy and the Austria-Hungary empire. The result was the opening of the grand theater known as La Scala Opera house with its huge stage and orchestra pit, regal boxes, velvet seating, and ornate chandeliers. The Theater has been impressing audiences since 1778 and was renovated several times since then to reflect the expectations of contemporary audiences. The only way to see the Opera House is to attend an opera, ballet, or classical music performance, or to take a tour of the theater museum. The museum contains memorabilia from the great composers and opera singers who performed there along with various costumes, musical instruments, and paintings of the place. Located just a block or two from the Duomo, it is an impressive site. 

Sforza Castle- The Sforza Castle started as a military fortress for Galeazzo Visconti in the 1370s to provide protection for the city walls. It was expanded and enhanced in subsequent decades to ward off attacks by other principalities. The castle features a moat between the outer walls and the inner walls, a drawbridge, a high lookout tower, defensive courtyards, and high protected ramparts for cannon emplacements and troops. Later in the 15th century, portions of the castle were renovated into a residence for the Sforza family, as well as a place for court artists, important guests visiting the nobility, and engineers such as a young Leonardo da Vinci. Despite this formidable structure, the castle was in later years frequently subjected to domination by the foreign powers such as the Spanish, Austrian, and French who controlled Milan at various times. Eventually, the castle deteriorated but after the nation of Italy unified in the late 1800s, it was gradually restored and put to new uses. 

The modern castle not only displays the military background of the place, but also serves as the venue for over a dozen different museums. Most prominent of these is a Michelangelo Museum which displays one of the sculptor’s last works entitled the Pieta Rondanini. Other museums on site range include a Museum of Ancient Arms, a Museum of Decorative Arts with huge tapestries, a Museum of Musical Instruments, and a Photographic Archive of Italy’s Heritage with hundreds of pictures from 1840 to the present. 

DaVinci Museum of Science and Technology- The Da Vinci Museum includes a large wing devoted to the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci. Through objects, drawings, and live projections, it captures the important contributions that this engineer and artist made to science, technology, art, and humanity. The insights and models he built of everything from construction equipment to military weapons, human anatomy, theoretical sciences, and the natural world were astounding. On top of that his paintings like The Last Supper intrigue people to this day. The Museum has a projection of one of the many copies or interpretations of The Last Supper which other artists completed in the century or two after the original painting was commissioned. 

The Da Vinci exhibits comprise only about 170 of the more than 19,000 objects that the Museum holds. Other galleries explore topics like power generation by recreating an 1895 thermoelectric plant that used a steam engine. It explores communications by exhibiting early telephones, showing different types of smart phones, and explaining how fiber optics allow data, voice, and pictures to be transmitted at incredible speeds. Other displays show the contributions of European astronauts to space exploration, and corporate scientists to DNA research. Some technologies are explained through models  on the Museum‘s large grounds including a schooner ship, a locomotive, World War II airplane, and a diesel submarine. This is not your typical science center, but one worthy of Da Vinci’s name and legacy.

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie- This impressive brick and masonry Renaissance church is one of Milan’s major attractions because it contains the original fresco of The Last Supper completed by Da Vinci in 1498 after six years of work. The fresco has been the subject of numerous theories and interpretations over the years as to its meaning and the actions of the twelve disciples depicted on it. After many attempts to preserve and restore the work, it remains impressive although faded in appearance. Curious travelers still flock to reserve a fifteen-minute time slot to observe the painting in small groups. 

RELAX IN MILAN’S NEIGHBORHOODS AND PARKS

The reputation of Milan as a serious place for industry and business overlooks the friendliness and diversity of the city’s neighborhoods and people. Walking around the center of the city you pass through neighborhoods with their own local stores, small plazas, and community gathering places. The people of Milan may seem less outgoing than in some other parts of Italy, but everywhere you look you see women walking arm in arm sharing stories and getting coffee, or men discussing the events of the day. This is a city that seems determined, clean, and organized but also capable of relaxing from time to time. Several neighborhoods worth visiting are:

Canal District-   The Naviglio Grande or Canal District consists of the remnants of the main canal that once connected the inland city of Milan with the Ticino River that runs into the Mediterranean. Ships and traders used it to bring goods and construction materials into the city. Although the commercial buildings on both sides of the canal fell into disrepair after the 1960s, this scrapy neighborhood has been redeveloped into a popular area for restaurants, boat rides, cafes, and tourist activity. People walk and bike along the canal and enjoy the ambiance of the Venetian style bridges over the water. 

Parco Sempione- During the heat of the day when you are touring a big city, it is always helpful to take time to sit in the shade and relax. Parco Sempione, located behind the Sforza Castle, is a 116-acre park that provides a place of refuge. While not as interesting as New York’s Central Park or as well-kept as the parks of Paris, there are an ample number of trees, benches, and walking paths in the park to enjoy sports, picnics, and bike rides. The park also features a monumental arch, and pavilion called the Arco Della Pace originally built to honor Napoleon and the French, and the metallic Branca Tower built in the 1930s to provide views of the city.