The Duomo is Milan's most beautiful church by exterior, but he has a competitor for the most…read morebeautiful church by interior: San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, a former nunnery! Behind a virtually nonexistence facade, San Maurizio hides perhaps one of the most ornate church interiors and can actually compete with the famous Sistine Chapel. From the moment you step in the door - assuming you finally find the right door - you will be awed by the incredibly colorful paintings that surround you! Despite being in a small room, the vast amount of the beautiful paintings can spell-bind you for a while. Additionally, for the first time in history, you as a public member can finally pass through the partition wall into the previously restricted nunnery hall! Like the public worship hall across the wall, the nunnery hall is also filled with paintings. However, while the worship hall paintings are intended to awe the public the divine grace with vibrant colors, the nunnery hall paintings intend to invoke piety with serenely-colored examples of female saints. You can admire for a few minutes or examine for hours, but this church is certainly a sight that you should not miss! Did I miss it's free to enter? --- tl;dr version: 1) Perhaps Milan's most beautiful interior 2) Small spaces that are filled with marvelous paintings 3) Free sight that should not be missed

This is one of the most beautiful churches I have seen in Italy…read more Considered the "Sistine Chapel" of Milano, San Maurizio is overwhelmingly blessed with walls and ceilings decorated by one of the masters of frescoes Bernardino Luini and his sons. Entering through the doorway of the Archeological Museum, you walk to the left to the entrance. Once inside, your eyes are mesmerized by the frescoes of men and women dressed in flowing robes as appropriate in the mid-1500s. There is a huge organ on the second floor looming over wooden choir seats. The frescoes are on a wall separating the church where the general masses sit and the hidden portion of the church where nuns par tipster in the service. The towards the back are frescoes from passages of the Bible such as Noah's Ark, the passion of Christ, etc. The volume of art was spectacular. Having just been restored the color are so freshr-looking you could be looking at the scenes as they would have appeared when the Master artists finished their work. Entrance is free but please do tmake a donation to support this incredible treasure.

Such a hip little area to explore while in Milan! I stayed in the Navigli district during my visit…read more and it was definitely the best decision that I made. First off, the views of the canal (Naviglio Grande) are stunning! It's safe and a wonderful place to get your stroll on. Every morning I'd see people out running, walking their dogs, and taking a stroll up and down the canal. Public transit is so easy to access and will take you to any part of the city from here. Also, there are a ton of cute restaurants, bars, and shops! This is the place to be at night. If you want a nice aperitivo, you HAVE to check out Navigli in the evenings! There are literally tons of bars and restaurants advertising their aperitivo hour and trying to scoop you up into their places. The music is bumping and there are live street performers and several vendors out on the street selling all kinds of things. This is the epicenter of Milan's urban nightlife and it's so fun! When in Milan, you should definitely make some time to check out Navigli.

A recent tour guide recommended the Canal neighborhood and her recommendation was definitely 5*…read more There are so many options to choose from. They specialize in "Happy Hour" (Italian word apparently) with snacks and drinks. They also have lots of restaurant choices with patio and inside options. Lots of street vendors. Definitely make time for a walk both before and after a meal or snack. It is really close to the green line Genova stop. I'm very glad to have made this a part of my Milan trip, it is a must go!

Milan is known for quite a few things: The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, the Duomo, the fashion…read morecapital of the world, and more. Castello Sforzesco, while it doesn't get as much hype, is on par with the aforementioned attractions. It's a must-visit while in Milan! We saw the castle as part of a tour which did a gross injustice because the tour guide only spent about 20 minutes at the attraction. We ended up skipping the rest of the tour to spend more time at Sforzesco. Located in the heart of Milan, Castello Sforzesco is one of the largest castles in Europe. It's free to enter. Once you do, marvel at the medieval architecture. You can also check out the park adjacent to the castle where you'll find a large statue of Napoleon along with other goodies. While entering the castle is free, you have to pay to see the various museums inside the castle. The most prominent is the one that features Michaelangelo's Pieta. The famous artist's last work, although unfinished, is one of his most notable works. Beyond this museum, there's plenty more to visit. We spent three hours or so at the castle and didn't have time to visit everything before it closed. Make sure to make it part of your Milan itinerary!

This is a campus of museums- you could spend an entire day here alone!…read more We visited prior to another tour so only explored the campus itself not any of the museums- impressive! Many many various courtyards that all have a different purpose & feel. I am sad we did not have more time here to explore but we had not researched the area enough to... shame on our loss

Seeing The Last Supper is one of those Milan experiences you kind of feel obligated to do, and…read morehonestly, it's worth it -- just don't expect fireworks. Even with prepaid tickets, you still have to go to the building next door to redeem them, then wait until your exact assigned time to enter. They run it super precisely, moving groups of about 20-30 people through a few climate-controlled rooms before you reach the main hall. You wait around five minutes in each section, then get about 15 minutes with the mural itself. Total experience is roughly half an hour. The process feels like airport security meets museum logistics, but it's designed to protect the painting. Having a tour group in my slot actually helped a lot: I unintentionally learned a ton by listening in, which made the experience more interesting. Without context, it's easy to just stand there like, "Yep, that's the painting." As for the mural itself, it's cool, historic, and obviously iconic -- but it is pretty faded in real life compared to photos. It's not visually mind-blowing, but knowing you're standing in front of something Leonardo painted over 500 years ago hits differently. Not thrilling, not overrated either. More of a quiet, respectful "wow, this actually exists" moment.

It was a very cool place in Milan! We went a few months ago but it was hard to purchase tickets…read moredirectly without a tour group (they get the tickets) The " Last Supper"

Stolpersteine are quite literally "stumbling stones". Small plates inscribed with the name and life…read moredates of Nazi genocide victims. The original stolpersteine art project was initiated by the German artist Gunter Demnig in 1992 and continues to this day. The art aims to commemorate individual people at exactly their last place of residence or work. Over 56,000 stolpersteine have been laid in a number of European countries and it is good to see that the project has expanded to Italy. Jews and other "undesirables" were deported from Italy, just like Germany and the Netherlands and other countries occupied by the Nazis. Stolpersteine are placed into the pavement with name, place and date of birth, concentration or extermination camp, and date of death. Every person who will walk into these "stones" will remember the atrocity happened. (You don't actually "trip" over them. They're flush with the pavement.) We can never forget. Here on Corso Magenta, there are three stones. Giuseppe Segre (born 1873), Olga Lovvy Segre (born 1878) and Alberto Segre (born 1899) were deported from Milan in 1943 and 1944, then killed at Auschwitz in 1944. Never again. [Review 10715 overall, 483 of 2019.]

Most people come to Milan for the fashion and to see the Duomo di Milano, but my main reason?…read moreConnecting with my Christian roots and seeing The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. This painting is known all over the world--whether you're religious or not, it's hard to NOT know this painting. Seeing it in person is just as breathtaking as expected. Highly recommend: set your calendar and book tickets at the earliest time 3 months in advance! Though you can hire a tour guide, I didn't find it necessary, since I found everything I needed to know about the Last Supper via AI. Since tickets are strictly timed, show up a bit earlier than your slot. Tickets allot a 15-minute viewing time. Once the 15-minutes are up, you WILL be escorted as a group out to allow for the next group.

I did not get to enter because I arrived just as they were closing for a few hours and I couldn't…read morewait. But the quick glimpse I saw before they kicked me out was beautiful.

If you're able, come to this treasure. The gardens equal the interior in beauty and wonder.read more

I've been to the Palace of Versailles near Paris in the last century, and now Palazzo Borromeo, a…read moregrand palace shaped like a castle surrounded by a beautiful lake. We took a ferry from Baveno, Italy to Isola Bella, an island in Lago Maggiore, second largest lake in Italy, bordering on Switzerland, and the Swiss Alps, at the height of the heat wave in Europe in July. Starting in 1670, it took four centuries to complete the Palazzo Borromeo, and the surrounding gardens. The palace includes the Throne and Queens rooms, the Napoleon's Room, the Gallery of General Berthier with a collection of 130 paintings. On a lower floor, six grottoes were built to keep cool from summer heat. Yes, Napoleon did stay overnight here, along with his entourage of several dozen of his officers, who managed to make a big disarray of their overnight accomodations before leaving. Imagine having to prepare a meal fit for a king on one days notice. The gardens include the Teatro Massimo at the center, ten terraces in the shape of a truncated pyramid. We checked out the the monumental unicorn, the obelisks, the statues, the two towers and other architectural elements, as well as the camphor and citrus trees, and the collections of roses, rhododendrons and camellias. We spent much of our time trying to chase down the magnificent white peacocks around the grounds, for that classic picture shot. Just like my cat, the peacocks never obey me, and never did spread their feathers in full spread.