The second home of Leonardo, risotto alla milanese, green living and astonishing architecture!
Milan is well-known as one of the fashion capitals of the world. People from around the globe come here to take a glance at the spectacular Milan cathedral, have a sip of aromatic Italian coffee and immerse into shopping at one of the oldest shopping centers on the planet- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Although this is a good start, if you only came to the city to do this, you're missing out a lot. Below are some absolute must- see places from the capital city of Lombardy, accompanied by photo- proof, of course.
Duomo di Milano
Visiting Milan without going to the Milan Cathedral is like going to Rome and not seeing the pope… Okay, enough with the clichés, but seriously- the cathedral is not only the symbol of the city, but one of the most astonishing and spectacular buildings you'd ever see. Think of it that way: all good things take time. And for this architectural masterpiece in particular it took almost 6 centuries to reach its complete form as we know it today. This means 600 years of influence from different historical eras and the hard work and ideas of the best masters in the craft, implemented into it. Initiated in 1386 the construction of the cathedral was not complete until 1965. The marble for the building was brought to Milan through the canals in the Navigli district, projected by Leonardo da Vinci himself. The final touches of the facade, however, were made in the beginning of the XIX century after an order of Napoleon Bonaparte, who insisted on being crowned King of Italy in this very same building.
The entrance fee varies between 5€ and 20€, depending on how much of the building you want to see. In a nutshell, the cathedral has 4 areas of interest: the interiors, the ancient rooms, the museum and the rooftop. The exact prices and what they include, as well as the opening hours are to be found here. If you are with limited time or on a tight budget, I would recommend just going to the rooftop. You can either take the stairs or use the elevator (this of course costs extra). Not only is this the most impressive part of the cathedral, but the view from above is simply amazing.
Pro tip: buy your tickets online to avoid waiting on endless lines. You’ll receive an email with the invoice and a QR code, which is basically your e-ticket, so no need to print anything either. If you want to save yourself some precious time, better start your tour of the cathedral in the morning. We arrived there between 9:30- 10 AM and could enter without much hustle. Just an hour later the lines were huge!
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Right next to the Milan Cathedral is the oldest active shopping centre in Italy. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is named after the king of Sardinia, who in 1861 became the first king of united Italy. Even if you're not into shopping or you need to put a mortgage on your house in order to afford anything from the designer stores, located in the Galleria (we're talking Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and the sort), I still recommend a quick stroll. The architecture is really impressive and it costs you nothing to just look around. Head towards the centre of the mall, where the two alleys intersect and pay attention to the mosaic floor. You can see four distinct designs, representing the emblems of Milan and the three capitals of the Kingdom of Italy- Rome, Florence and Torino. The symbol of Torino- a dancing bull, usually attracts the attention of the majority of visitors. The legend says that if you put your heel over the bull's testicles and spin around three times, it will bring you good fortune.
The Church San Bernardino alle ossa
Staying in the centre, just a walking distance from the Milan Cathedral and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II is the mausoleum-like church San Bernardino alle ossa. Head towards the small hall on the right side of the main corpus in order to explore the rather spooky interior. The walls are all covered with hundreds of human bones, mostly skulls. The reason? It's simple- in 1145 there was a hospital nearby and this place was turned into a cemetery area, where the deceased patients could be buried. Not long after, however, the cemetery proved too small to hold all the remains of the people in the area and in 1210 a small building was erected to hold the bones of the exhumed graves. In 1268 a church was also built. So the reason behind this peculiar temple is rather pragmatic, sorry to disappoint if you expected a mysterious tale of secret societies and initiation ceremonies.
Teatro alla Scala
And again, no need to reach for your purse for a subway ticket, just a few minutes walking from everything listed so far is one of the most emblematic stages in the world- La Scala. In fact, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II connects the Duomo di Milano and the Teatro La Scala, as each of these two sights are situated right next to the two main exits of the Gallery. You can either have a guided tour through La Scala or explore on your own. If you are an admirer of the arts of opera and ballet, you can even buy tickets for one of the regular performances.
The building was actually constructed on commission of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria between 1776- 1778, when the Duchy of Milan was part of Habsburg Austria. The word “scala” simply means “staircase”. The theater was erected on the site where previously the church Santa Maria della Scala was standing- hence the name.
What makes La Scala so significant? First, some of the greatest singers of the past 200 years have performed there. In fact, being booked for a performance on this prestigious stage is a form of recognition and accomplishment on its own. Some great names from the world of classical music made their debut there, among them are Paganini and Maria Callas. Belini’s opera Norma and Puccini’s opera Turandot had their debut in La Scala and for a time the legendary conductor Toscanini was a principal conductor of La Scala. The king of opera himself- Giuseppe Verdi, had a love- hate relationship with the theater, where many of his works were shown to the public for the first time. Of course a place so emotionally charged, cannot exist without some drama- from a composer dying during a premiere of his work to a performer being booed and thus banished from the stage during a concert, definitely a lot has happened there over the years. Even without all that, at most you risk staying put for a great performance.
Castello Sforzesco
Home of a remarkable fine art collection today, the Sforzesco Castle was once the home of Milan’s most powerful and influential family (no, I don’t mean the Guccis)- the Sforza family. Although the castle was named after them, they were not its first inhabitants. Castello Sforzesco was built in the middle of the 14th century by the first duke of Milan- Galeazzo Visconti, whose descendants continued ruling for almost 100 years after him. The castle was a symbol of their power, which is why they did not skimp on funds for expanding it. But when the last one of them died in 1447 without leaving an heir, Sforzesco was left without masters and without protection for a time. Seeing a good opportunity in this, the city of Venice attacked Milan. It was the warlord Fransesco Sforza and his army who came to the rescue…well, kind of. After defeating the Venetian army, he conquered the city for his own benefit and convinced the city’s senate to recognize him as the new duke of Milan in 1450.
Fransesco was a man of great influence and sophistication. His ego wouldn’t allow him to just move into the former Visconti residence without “redecorating first”. He hired the Florentine architect Filarete to rebuild the castle, bringing it closer to what it is today.
Nowadays the castle hosts three art museums: Museum of Antique Art, Museum of Musical Instruments and a Picture gallery. Worth noting is that Michelangelo’s last unfinished work- the “Rondanini Pieta” is displayed there. The city’s most renowned tenant- Leonardo da Vinci, also left a mark at the premises. His decoration of the ceiling in Sala delle Asse, although in a poor condition, can still be seen today.
The castle itself is surrounded by a beautiful park at the other end of which is the Arco della Pace, as seen below.
Leonardo da Vinci’s Vineyard
Speaking of da Vinci, there are many sights all around Milan, which are tightly connected to him. One of them, which is definitely worth visiting, is his vineyard.
So here’s the thing- one of Leonardo’s most emblematic paintings, The Last Supper, is actually in Milan in the church Santa Maria della Grazie. Thousands of tourists from around the word pay a rather generous price to see it up close. So much so that you must book in advance your 15 min time slot and can only visit with a group.
But fewer know that right across the street is Leonardo’s vineyard- La Vigna di Leonardo. He received the plot of land, hidden from the street through the Casa Atellani and its inner yard, as a gift from the Duke of Milan (another representative of the Sforza family), Ludovico Sforza. Although it is true that Leonardo spent merely a year enjoying the estate, it is just as true that after finishing work on the Last Supper, he would retire to his vineyard and tend to it. Da Vinci himself came from a family of winemakers, so he tended to it with utmost care. It seems the place of great significance to him, as it was included in his will.
Navigli District
But what should you do, so the Duke of Milan himself gifts you with a vineyard. Leonardo was actively involved in numerous artistic, architectural and scientific projects during his years in Milan. One of them included the reconstruction of the canals of Milan.
Navigli means canals. Since Milan is a city crossed by rivers, the construction of artificial canals began in the 12th century. By the end of the 15th century Leonardo da Vinci came up with an innovative system of dams and locks, which were later implemented into the canals by the city’s best engineers. That made Milan reachable by water and the canals became an important transportation route for people and goods. Even the marble, which was used for the construction of the Milan Cathedral, was brought into the city through the canals.
Today the Navigli District spreads over the open parts of the canals Navigli Grande and Navigli Pavese. If you want to immerse yourself in authentic local cuisine (after some aperitivo, of course), this is the place to be. The banks of the canals are bustling with life even very late in the evenings. This is a popular place for the locals to meet with friends over some food or to party, since the area offers a great variety of restaurants, cafes, pubs and wine bars at a reasonable price.
Fondazione Prada and Bar Luce
The fashion giant Prada, which also originates from Milano, has a strong presence in the city…which is not necessarily restricted only to fashion. The Prada Foundation is an exhibition place, dedicated to art, cinema, design and architecture, which can simultaneously astonish you and test your senses.
It was created in 1993 by Miuccia Prada and her husband and CEO of Prada Group. The complex holds a number of permanent art installations, but also hosts temporary exhibitions on a regular basis. It is quite an experience even for those who don’t know, nor care much about art. Imagine the following: you make your way through a narrow corridor in absolute pitch- black darkness, only to find yourself in a surreal forest with giant mushrooms hanging from the ceiling!
And while you’re there, make sure to stop at the Bar Luce, located at the entrance. The cozy cafe in pastel tones was designed by American director Wes Anderson in 2015 and looks like it comes from another era. In fact it is supposed to look like a typical Milanese cafe from the ‘50s. It offers a great variety of local deserts, cafe specialties and cocktails.
Corso Como and The Vertical Forest
And finally, although Milan never fails to impress with historical buildings dated from centuries back, the city has a rather modern vibe too. Especially if you stroll around the futuristic neighborhood of Corso Como. In this area you can also find Bosco Verticale- The Vertical Forest. It is a sustainable architecture project, consisting of two residential buildings. Both of them combined are home to about 900 trees, 5000 shrubs and 15000 perennial plants. The design was made in such a way that the building’s are self- sufficient for supporting the flora, which covers them. The plants pay back by creating a pleasant micro- climate for the inhabitants by blocking the strong winds during the cold months and shadowing from the serious heat waves in the summer, all while filtering the air, of course.
Oh, and while on the topic of modern- day urban perks, Milan has arguably one of the best transportation systems I’ve witnessed so far. And it is quite welcoming to the tourists as well- all the major subway stations have marking trails on the floor, which help immensely in finding your way around without wasting any precious time. You can even ride fully automated trains, which run on their own without conductors. And the food…mamma mia! It is so diverse and rich, that it deserves its own separate topic.
The city truly never fails to amaze!
Comentários