This is Milan, Italy. As you can see Milan is amazing and beautiful with an incredibly
rich heritage that includes one of the most famous and mysterious paintings in the world,
Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. This is one of the richest and most fashionable places in Europe.
Here they have the most famous opera theatre in the world and behind me is the largest Cathedral
in Italy and third largest in the world. This is also a world capital of fashion and a host
of the Winter Olympics in 2026. Hi guys, my name is Rok and I’ve spent the last 9 years travelling
around Europe as a tour guide and I can’t wait to show you Things To Do In Milan, Italy.
One of the best places to start exploring Milan is the top of this tower. This is the highest
point of Milan with the height of 108 meters or 354 feet and it offers one of the best views of
Milan's Skyline. Tower was erected in 1933 in the historic city centre within the Sempione park.
Its modern lift system will transport you to the scenic terrace on the top in less than a minute.
From there you can admire the view for about 7 minutes as the tour is time
limited. Only up to 5 people may visit the top of the tower at the same time
so it is a good idea to book it in advance. I will put the booking link in the description below.
Opening times are changing depending on the season, but in general the tower is
closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and in case of bad weather or strong wind.
On the edge of Sempione park is this triumphal Arch of Peace that represents one of the city
gates of Milan. The origin of this gate dates back to Roman times when Milan was a capital of Western
Roman Empire surrounded by city walls. When in the 400s Germanic people of Visigoths besieged Milan,
centuries of instability and wars followed that destroyed most of the Roman legacy. In the middle
Ages Milan became part of The Holy Roman Empire that again brought peace and prosperity and Milan
developed into a centre of trade and grew into one of the largest European cities. At the end of the
1300s Milan became independent as the Visconti family took control of the city. Their coat of
arms with a serpent swallowing a man dominated the city and it can still be seen around. The Visconti
coat of arms has become a historic symbol of the city and is also part of the logo of famous car
brand from Milan, Alfa Romeo. In the mid 1400s new ruling family the House of Sforza rose to power
and turned Milan into one of the leading cities of the Italian Renaissance, where among others
Leonardo Da Vinci worked and lived. In the 1500s Milan was conquered by a Spanish King and later
by the Austrian Empire. In 1800 Napoleon conquered Northern Italy including Milan and to commemorate
his victories he commissioned the building of this arch. But the work was not completed as Napoleon
was soon defeated, and Milan was returned to the Austrians. Austrian Emperor Franz Josef ordered
the completion of this arch and it was dedicated to the restored peace after Napoleon’s defeat.
But peace didn’t last long as Milan rebelled against Austrian rule and in 1859 French and
Italian troops defeated the Austrians. The Kingdom of Italy was born and Milan became part of it.
In his many years in Milan, Leonardo Da Vinci left a big impact. All over the city you can
find museums and galleries dedicated to his life and work showing his engineering ingenuity
and his artistic excellence. Leonardo3 is one of those places located on a prominent
spot in the most famous and beautiful 19th century shopping gallery. Here you can see the best wooden
working models of machines designed by Leonardo. Models were built by studying daVinci's designs.
Besides the real models there are also interactive touch screens where you can
see Leonardo's original drawings, how a model was put together and how it works all in great
graphics. This is the most modern, interactive and interesting exhibition of Leonardo's machines.
Exhibition is constantly expanding and updating with new models being built by studying Codex
Atlanticus, a collection of more than 22 hundred pages of notes and sketches made by Leonardo.
Digital version of the amazing Codex Atlanticus is also on display to visitors. Also if you couldn’t
get a ticket to see the original Last Supper painted by Da Vinci in the nearby convent of Santa
Maria delle Grazie, you can admire it here in a digitally restored version with information about
the science and story behind it. This interesting exhibition will take you about an hour.
Surprisingly this is a cemetery although it looks more like an open air gallery. This large
cemetery was created in 1866 to unify several small cemeteries scattered around the city.
The cemetery is full of beautiful bi-coloured marble with a mixture
of architectural styles created by the greatest sculptors of the time.
At the main entrance you can find a map showing where to find the most impressive tombs.
As soon as you walk through the main entrance you will see an area where hundreds of Italy’s
most renowned architects, sportsmen, actors, journalists, musicians and other VIPs are buried.
But the most impressive tombs are a white sculpted tower that represents the life and death
of Christ, belonging to the Bernocchi family, a curious pyramid built for the Bruni family
and several sculptures representing The Last Supper commissioned by the Campari family,
inventors of appetitive. The cemetery is open from 8 am until 6 pm and is closed on Mondays.
This is a very popular neighbourhood to hangout and to experience nightlife in Milan. Navigli
is THE place for an early evening drink known as aperitif, that was actually invented here.
Main features of this neighbourhood are its two water canals and their meeting point called
Darsena that used to be one of the busiest ports in Italy. Since Milan doesn’t have a river, like
any other major inland city, a network of man made canals known as Navigli was built in the Middle
Ages. These canals linked Milan to major rivers and lakes in order to enable transport of goods,
building materials and provided irrigation for the growing city.
While other canals were covered by new roads and buildings, two of Milan’s last canals are
still here. Their banks are filled with numerous restaurants, bars, artisan shops and riverside
boutiques. These canals are also part of the legacy of Leonardo Da Vinci as he made
navigation between Milan and Lake Como possible. The problem was the altitude difference between
the two places and Leonardo solved the problem by creating an innovative system of locks.
This is one of the largest science and technology museums in Europe housed in a 16th century
monastery. This is a great place to visit if you have plenty of time to spend and you like
technology. Museum reflects the technical and productive spirit of Milan by showing the history
of scientific development. Exhibition includes extremely interesting artefacts from moon rock to
ocean liner, a submarine and even a rocket. At the Museum you can discover exhibits and interactive
workshops on energy, materials, communication, transport, energy and particle physics.
Part of the museum is also dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci and shows a collection of accurately
reconstructed wooden models of machinery designed by Leonardo da Vinci. These historical models were
made from Leonardo’s original drawings and were built by architects, engineers and model makers.
This huge place offers a wonderful experience in science and technology,
especially for young families, just be aware that the museum is closed on Mondays.
This is Brera palace located in the fashionable Brera neighbourhood. This beautiful renaissance
palace from the 1600s was built as a Jesuit college, but since the mid 1700s it’s been used as
Academy of Fine Arts. Here is one of the finest Art Galleries in Italy. The gallery can be found
on the first floor and its collection includes top shelf Renaissance and Baroque art. The impressive
exhibition is especially concentrated in religious-themed works from the 14th
to the 16th centuries as art from closed or demolished churches was stored here.
The paintings are placed in chronological order throughout the gallery’s 38 halls
and hung together depending on the school they belong to.
The most famous painting in the gallery is Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin from 1504,
the finest work of his first period. There are also beautiful Supper at Emmaus from Caravaggio,
famous The Kiss from Francesco Hayez, Rubens Last Supper and many other priceless masterpieces.
This is one of the most famous opera houses in the world where the world's greatest opera singers
perform. Here great composers like Verdi and Puccini premiered their works. This opera house
was built in the 1700s by replacing an old church of Santa Maria alla Scala, from which the theatre
got its name. La Scala soon became the meeting place for noble and wealthy Milanese people
in their lavishly decorated boxes. Theatre was renovated in 1907 when it was given its current
layout and capacity of almost 2000 people. Inside are 6 tiers of seating with individual boxes
framing the stage in a semi-circle. Opera house can be visited as part of the guided tour,
although at the time of my visit tours were limited due to covid restrictions. By visiting The
Opera’s museum you can also have a glimpse of the Theatre’s interior if rehearsals and performances
are not in progress. On the official website you can find a timetable showing when theatre
is visible from the museum. I’ll put the link in the description below. This castle is one of the
landmarks of Milan. This huge building houses the best collection of different museums and galleries
in the city. But for centuries citizens of Milan wanted to demolish this castle as it
served as a symbol foreign domination. The castle was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza,
Duke of Milan, as his residence. The Sforza family invited various artists to decorate the castle
including Leonardo da Vinci who frescoed several rooms. The Sforza family made Milan one of the
leading cities of the Italian Renaissance but the family soon died out. Years of instability
followed and eventually Milan was taken by the Spanish king. Under Spanish domination
the castle was militarised and has become a garrison for 3,000 soldiers. After the Spaniards
came the Austrians that turned this castle into one of the largest citadels in Europe.
After the Austrians were defeated and Milan became part of Kingdom of Italy,
the castle was demilitarised and ceded to the city. People of Milan were torn between keeping
the castle or replacing it with a new residential neighbourhood. As you can see the castle was
preserved and restored to its original shape when it was used as a residence by the Sforza family.
The restoration was completed in 1905 and included creation of the nearby
Sempione park where we started this video. Castles courtyards are open to the public
with no admission. But if you have the time you should also visit castles museums.
Inside this convent is one of the most famous and mysterious artistic masterpieces in the world,
The Last Supper painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. The complex was built from the 1400s onwards
and the famous painting was completed in 1498. The Last Supper was painted on the wall of the
dining hall of the monastery and it is huge. The scene shows a reaction of deeply shaken
Apostles at the last supper immediately after Jesus said to them One of you will betray me.
But rather than using fresco Leonardo created the painting using a dry technique with a special
tempera that he had invented. This enabled him to do slow progress suited for making changes.
But because of the technique used, the painting began to deteriorate twenty years after it was
completed. Over the years numerous restoration attempts have been made, but the painting still
represents a challenge due to its fragility. To preserve the painting a constant room temperature
is required and that is why entry has been restricted to a group of 25 people every 15
minutes. There is also a second huge fresco on the opposite wall that no one talks about, made at the
same time as Leonardo's masterpiece. It is titled Crucifixion and was painted by Giovanni Donato.
Booking ahead is needed and reservations open up every two months for the following two months.
For booking you should check out the official website of Leonardo’s Last Supper museum
to learn how to book a ticket and how to visit the museum.
This is Italy's oldest active shopping gallery that connects two of Milan's most famous
landmarks, The Duomo and the Teatro Alla Scala. But this beautiful gallery has become a landmark
on its own. It was built in the 1860s and was named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king
of the Kingdom of Italy. Impressive triumphal arch entrance leads in a four story space with
two glass-vaulted arcades covering the street connecting Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Scala.
Two arcades are intersecting in a large glass dome. Under the dome the floor is decorated by
four mosaics portraying the coat of arms of Milan and three capitals of the Kingdom of Italy Turin,
Florence and Rome. The legend goes that if you step on the testicles
of the bull on the Turin coat of arms and spin on a heel three times this will bring you good luck.
In the gallery are luxury retailers selling exclusive custom fitted high-end fashion,
jewellers, book shops, galleries, a museum of Leonardo I showed you earlier
as well as some of the oldest restaurants and cafés and even a luxury hotel.
This is the largest church in Italy, the second largest in Europe and the third
largest in the world. To put it in simple words, this is a ridiculously huge church.
Milan cathedral known as Duomo di Milan took nearly six centuries to complete. The
construction began in 1386 and the final details were completed only in 1965. The exterior of this
gothic style Cathedral is covered in pink and white marble and is decorated with thousands of
intricately carved spires and statues. This church actually holds a world record with a total of
3400 statues both within and on the exterior of a cathedral. The highest spire is 108 metres or 356
feet high and on its top is a golden copper statue of Mary known as the Madonnina, the symbol of
Milan. There are also 55 stain glass windows made from the late 1300s to the late 1900s. Cathedral
is also impressive on the inside where you can see 52 columns made of marble and carved statues that
reach the ceiling. The interior includes numerous monuments and artworks including the statue of St.
Bartholomew, sculpted with meticulous attention to detail showing the apostle’s body being flayed
alive and his skin draped over his shoulders. Here is also the relic of the Sacred Nail, allegedly
taken from the cross of Christ’s crucifixion. But one of the biggest attractions is the visit of
the rooftops known as Duomo terraces from where you can admire the inspiring panorama of Milan.
Milan is one of the richest cities in the world with an amazing heritage
and it offers many more interesting things to do. But Milan is also a fashion capital of Europe
and you may wonder how come my list of things to do in Milan doesn’t include shopping.
As shopping is taken extremely seriously around here I prepared a special video
dedicated only to shopping. That upcoming video will show you the best shopping areas in Milan
on a proper Shopping Tour and will be available in the top right corner. If you like this video
please give it a thumbs up. You can share your questions, suggestions or experience about Milan
in the comments below. And don’t forget to subscribe and turn on the notification bell
to be notified about my new travel videos. Thanks for watching, and see you next time.