Milan Highlights Tour

One look at the riot of spires and statues (about 2000 of them) and it’s easy to see why the style is called Flamboyant Gothic; this third largest Christian church in the world is perhaps that style’s greatest masterpiece. It was begun in 1402, but its façade was not finished until the early 1800s, and the bronze door panels not until 1966.

A quick look inside is not enough; make a circle tour, beginning on the right upon entering. The first side altar holds Bishop d'Intimiano’s Sarcophagus, with outstanding 11th-century stone carving, and the Duomo’s oldest windows, from the Renaissance. In the transept, between the two largest side altars, is the 16th-century tomb of Gian Giacamo de'Medici by Leone Leoni. Off the the semi-circular ambulatory, under the high altar, is the crypt with the tomb of San Carlo Borromeo.

The ambulatory has some of the Duomo’s finest stained glass from the height of that art form, in the 19th century. At the far side, steps lead to the high altar. Behind it, the choir is filled with richly carved panels and misericords, under the seats.

Back in the main church, opposite the Medici tomb, is the 12th-century Trivulzio Candelabra, carved in gold and considered the Duomo’s finest art work.
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Admission: Free

Hours: Daily 7am-7pm.

Address
Piazza del Duomo
Milan, Italy

Phone: +39 02 72003768

A seat in ‘Il salotto di Milano’ – Milan’s living room – doesn’t come cheap, but its chic cafes have been part of city life since it opened in 1867 as Europe’s largest shopping center. Shopping here is just as pricey, with the cream of name-brand shops showing silk ties, furs, goldwork, gemstones and haute couture (or more correctly here, alta moda). From its mosaic floors to its magnificent domed glass ceilings, it is pure Milan style.
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Admission: Free

Hours
Daily 24 hours; shops Mon—Sat 9:30am—1pm, 3:30—7pm

It’s not just Italians who consider this the world’s greatest opera house. Nearly everyone who is anyone in opera has performed in its grand theater, lined in Carrara marble and lighted by shimmering chandeliers, and its opening night each December is the social highlight of the season even for jaded Milanese.

To see inside the refurbished theatre, visit the Museo La Scala. After admiring costumes worn here by the great divas in their iconic roles, as well as other memorabilia dear to any music lover, you’ll get to see the theater itself, if rehearsals are not in progress.
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Admission: €6

Hours
Daily 9am-12:30pm (last entrance noon), 1:30-5:30pm (last entrance 5pm)

Address
Piazza della Scala
Milan, Italy

Phone: +39 02 88 79 2473

A family of avid collectors in the 19th century bequeathed this museum to the city, complete with the palazzo and its collections, which are displayed in a furnished setting that shows how great collectors live with their acquisitions. Along with art works by Raphael, Bellini, Boticelli, Mantegna and Tiepolo are textiles, weapons, Murano glass, armor and ancient artifacts. Take advantage of the free audio tour in English.
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Admission
Adults €9
Students (11-18) and Seniors (over 60) €6

Hours
Wed-Mon 10am-6pm (last entrance 5:30pm)

Address
Via Manzoni 12
Milan, Italy

Phone: +39 02 794 889

Since the tour route runs alongside the famous fashion quarter, AKA Quadrilatero d'Oro (golden rectangle), why not detour a block or so down Via Montenapoleone to see the often outrageous frocks displayed in the show windows of the great fashion houses. Don’t expect to see Milanese – or anyone else – actually wearing these outfits – they are displayed deliberately to draw attention, making these streets even more fun to browse through. Names here include Fendi, Prada,Armani, Missoni, Trussardi, Chanel, Versace, Miu Miu, Hermès, Valentino and Dior, and you never know who you might see shopping here. Casual browsing inside is not welcome, so if you do venture beyond the windows, be sure to dress the part.
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Hours
Shops Open Mon 3:30-7:30pm
Tue-Sat 9:30am-12:30pm and 3:30-7:30pm
Window shopping anytime.
Store hours vary; some shops remain open through lunch time, and some are open Sunday afternoon.

In this designer-label obsessed neighborhood, why not stop for lunch or a pick-me-up at a designer-label café? Emporio Armani obliges with a straight-forward menu heavy to organic local ingredients prepared Italian style, with hints of Asian. Monthly special menus feature different regions of Italy. The wait staff is straight off the fashion runways and even the plates bear the Armani label.
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Hours
Mon-Fri noon-3pm, 8-11pm
Sat noon-4pm, 8-11pm
Sun noon-4:30pm

Address
Via Crocerossa 2
Milan, Italy

Phone: +39 02 723 18 680

Italian painters are this huge museum’s specialty, and they’re all here, many gathered from former churches: Titian, Raphael, Luini, Canaletto, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, Veronese, Tiepolo. Non Italian artists are represented by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Picasso, Braque and Modigliani. But the real secret is hidden in an inner courtyard, the Orto Botanico di Brera. This garden features one of Europe’s oldest Ginko trees, along with flower-beds, ponds and a 19th-century greenhouse.
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Admission
Adults: €6
Children (ages 4 – 12) and Seniors: €3

Hours
Tues-Sun 8:30am-7:15pm (last admission 6:40 pm)

Address
Via Brera 28
Milan, Italy

Phone: +39 2 722 631

Even if you’re museumed out, the Sforza family’s castle is worth seeing, set in a spacious green park behind a dazzling tiered tower of water called Tort de' spus (Wedding Cake Fountain). From inside its walled enclosure the Visconti and Sforza families ruled most of northern Italy from the late Middle Ages through the renaissance.

Castello Sforzesco was begun in the 1360s and the next century the Sforzas brought in the best architects and artists, including da Vinci and Bramante. Look in the loggia of the Corte Ducale for frescoes and stone carving. Inside its buildings are the Civiche Raccolte d'Arte Antica, an art museum whose highlights is Michelangelo’s powerful unfinished Rondanini Pietà and one of Europe's best collections of 20th-century art. Decorative arts – Renaissance textiles, costumes and tapestries, plus armor, furniture and musical instruments fill the Civiche Raccolte di Arte Applicata.
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Admission
Castle: Free
Museums:
Adults (over age 25) €3
Seniors (over 65) €1.50
Under age 25: Free

Hours
Castle Daily April—Sept 7am-7pm, Oct—March 7am-6pm; museums Tues—Sun 9am–5:30pm (last admission 5pm)

Address
Piazza Castello
Milan, Italy

Phone : +39 02 88463700