We have been criss-crossing Milan and have put together some Milan tips here that you don’t immediately find in every report about Milan. But I think they are definitely worth a visit.
The order of the Milan tips does not reflect our rating of importance or beauty. Everyone has different interests and should simply pick their own tip.
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Milan tips for fans of old buildings
Basilica di San Lorenzo di Milano
Seen from the front, the early Christian church of the 4th century looks rather plain. But don’t be deceived! Take a walk around the church. You can discover marble-clad apses alternating with brick towers, an octagonal brick chapel and the lower chancel chapel. These additions were built over the years and reflect many architectural periods.
The interior of the church was greatly altered by renovations in the 16th century. Nevertheless, the two-storey arcades can still be admired. In the southern baptistery, you can discover a marble relief from Roman times and in one of the apse domes there are old mosaics.
Asdress:
Corso di Porta Ticinese, 35,
20123 Milan MI,
Italy
Santa Maria del Gracia
The church of Santa Maria del Gracia is actually one of the city’s well-known churches. However, most visitors do not come here to see the church. They come to see the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. On the north wall of the refectory is “The Last Supper”. Tickets for this should definitely be bought online in advance. There are almost never tickets at the box office.
We went to the church and were not disappointed.
I found it particularly beautiful that the paintings are almost original. They lay well protected for a long time and were only uncovered in 1930.
During the numerous services, church visitation is not possible!
Address:
Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie,
20123 Milan MI,
Italy
Pinacoteca di Brera
We ended up at the Pinacoteca di Brera rather by chance. However, we refrained from looking for a place in the long queue at the entrance and just strolled through the freely accessible areas.
The Pinacoteca is an important art museum. It is housed in the baroque Palazzo di Brera. The focus is on works of art from Upper Italian painting of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, Italian artistic landscapes and works from early antiquity and Dutch Baroque painting. Napoleon laid the foundation of the collection when he brought the altarpieces here after the dissolution of churches and monasteries.
The Palazzo di Brera is a large baroque building. The inner courtyard is impressive. In the centre is a large monument to Napoleon as Mars bringing peace. There are arcades on two floors that open onto the courtyard. Here you can enjoy a wonderful view of the courtyard.
Some of the corridors on the lower floor were freely accessible when we were in Milan . Here you can find some interesting statues and busts.
Address:
Via Brera, 28,
20121 Milan MI,
Italy
Opening hours:
Tuesday – Sunday: 8.30 a.m. – 7.15 p.m.
Monday closed
Admission fees:
Adults: 10 €
Reduced: 7 €
Admission is free every first Sunday of the month (not for special exhibitions).
Arco della Pace
Near the Castello Sforzesco is an imposing triumphal arch, the Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace).
In 1806, a wooden gate was built on this site for the entry of Napoleo’s viceroy (Eugène de Beauharn). A little later, the construction of a stone gate based on the Roman model began. After the construction was two-thirds complete, Napoleon’s Italian kingdom fell. Construction work was initially halted and only resumed in 1826 under Emperor Franz I. The triumphal arch was inaugurated in 1838.
It is not only the size of the Arco della Pace that is impressive. I also particularly liked the bronze sculpture on the arch (reminds me a little of the Berlin Quadriga). The goddess of peace is standing on a chariot drawn by six horses. Next to it ride the goddesses of victory.
Address:
Piazza Sempione,
20154 Milan MI,
Italy
Tempio della Vittoria
Near the Basilica of Sant Ambrogio is the Tempio della Vittoria (Victory Temple, Memorial to the Fallen). The temple is dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the First World War.
In 1928, the monument was inaugurated. Unfortunately, it was badly damaged during the Second World War and was not rebuilt into a shrine until 1973. You can read the names of the victims on plaques mounted in the octagonal structure.
Address:
Piazza Sant’Ambrogio,
20123 Milan MI,
Italy
Öffnungszeiten (2018):
Donnerstag, Samstag, Sonntag:
9.30 – 12 Uhr und 13.30 – 17 Uhr
Milan tips for sports fans
Casa Milan
A must-do for fans of AC Milan! Casa Milan is located in the Portello district and was opened in 2014 as the football club’s “headquarters”.
The fan will find the Mondo Milan Museum and the Milan Store, a restaurant with bar and, of course, the club’s headquarters.
In the museum you can admire the trophies of AC Milan. There are historical memorabilia and the fan can immerse himself in the history of the club.
Of course, Casa Milan also has a fan shop. Here you can find everything a fan’s heart desires. Tickets and parking tickets for AC Milan matches can also be bought here.
Address:
Via Aldo Rossi, 8,
20149 Milan MI,
Italy
Opening hours:
daily: 10 am – 7 pm (museum)
Museum admission fees (2018):
Adults: 15 €
Reduced: 12 €
San Siro Stadion/Giuseppe-Meazza-Stadion
The Giuseppe Meazza Stadium was more familiar to me as the San Siro Stadium. The Milanese football clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan play their home games here. However, around 80,000 spectators can also experience concerts and other large events here. This number of visitors was made possible by the addition of a third tier to the stadium for the 1990 World Cup. The third tier is supported by eleven towers. Four of them visibly project into the stadium and also support the stadium’s glass roof. In addition, the towers are used as stairways and to supply the spectators.
We would have loved to go to the stadium for a guided tour and museum tour. But, and it was actually clear beforehand, the San Siro Stadium was closed on New Year’s morning. So we could only see the stadium from the outside, which I found impressive. What must it be like to look from the third tier into the cauldron to the pitch? But we will definitely experience that one day and watch a football match live.
Address:
Piazzale Angelo Moratti,
20151 Milan MI,
Italy
Opening hours:
Museum:
30 Mar – 25 Oct: 10am – 6pm.
26 Oct – 29 Mar: 9.30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Changes may occur due to events.
Admission prices (2018):
Museum + Tour
Adults: 17 €
Reduced: 12 €
Museum:
Adults: 7 €
Reduced: 5 €
“Leonardo’s Horse”
Near the San Siro stadium is the Hippodrome of Milan. There is a huge bronze horse in the park of the complex.
If you look closely, the horse is of course not by Leonardo da Vinci. The statue is based on the artist’s designs and was only erected in the Hippodrome in 1999.
Leonardo da Vinci’s original plan was to create the largest equestrian statue in the world. He made some drawings and, researchers claim, realised a model design. However, this was never cast. Political unrest prevented him from realising his project. After da Vinci left Milan in 1499, French soldiers destroyed the model. They used it as a target for their crossbow exercises.
Charles Dent, a pilot, was enthusiastic about the idea of realising Leonardo’s horse. He raised the necessary funds and could have a model made. Unfortunately, he did not live to see its completion in 1999.
The horse is really huge. It is 7 metres tall and also stands on a pedestal. I especially like that it is depicted in a trotting position. Many horse pictures show the animals standing. That always looks stiff. Here there is “movement” in the horse. You can see the working muscles and sense the elegance of the trot.
Address:
Piazzale dello Sport, 6,
20151 Mailand MI,
Italien
Milan tips – curious
Wall of Dolls
I find the Wall of Dolls in Milan somewhat disturbing. Dolls are attached to a wall of houses, pictures of women and some information boards are hung up. From a distance it looks like a huge doll graveyard.
But the artistic installation has a completely different background. Activists want to draw attention to domestic violence against women.
Address:
Via Edmondo de Amicis,
20123 Milan MI,
Italy
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