Europe Travel Guides

Points of interest

Museo Poldi-Pezzoli

This aesthetic treasure-trove, amassed by the incredibly wealthy Giacomo Poldi-Pezzoli in 1881, is filled with collections of jewellery, porcelain, sundials, tapestries, ancient armaments, period furniture and paintings. Botticelli's masterpiece, Madonna and Child, is alone worth the visit.

Pollaiuolo's girl in pearl earrings rivals Vermeer's, easily holding her own among angelic-action-packed Tiepolos and Moroni's smirking knight in black. One room showcases timepieces, including one boastful watch painted with women admiring it; another chamber features chests engraved with maps showing Australia as a porcupine.

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Duomo

Milan's Duomo is the world's fourth-largest church. This late-Gothic wonder features a forest of spires and statuary, marble pinnacles and pillars, all woven together with a web of flying buttresses. Gian Galeazzo Visconti had grand designs on the city in 1387, and rallied support for the massive new Duomo. The view from the roof is the city's finest.

To win over naysayers, Visconti agreed to cover the cost of the lavish pinkish-grey Candoglia marble. Yet, as the edifice went up, engineers denounced the massive structure as unscientific and unconstructable. The marble was nice, but how could the largest slabs be transported through the narrow streets to the centre?

As always in Milan, there was also the matter of style. By the time the cathedral began taking shape, the rest of Italy had moved on from French-inspired Gothic. But rather than stripping away Gothic ornament, Milan piled it on, literally taking Gothic to the next level with spires capped by thousands of sculptures in a fusion International High Gothic style.

Don't be surprised if some of its splendours are under wraps when you visit - like certain ladies who lunch in the Quadrilatero d'Oro, the Duomo gets a little work done to its face and backside on a regular basis.

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Cenacolo Vinciano

Take a long, hard squint because, despite restoration efforts, this masterpiece is gradually fading. In 1495, Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned by Ludovico Sforza to paint the wall of this convent. He painted the iconic Last Supper in an experimental mix of tempera and oil which, whilst brilliant then, has been peeling off the walls ever since.

To visit the refectory of the Convento di Santa Maria delle Grazie you'll need to plan ahead. There are tales of travellers who managed to get in without making prior arrangements, or get in as part of a one-day Milan tour, but such miracles seem reserved for the truly faithful.

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Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio

Founded in the 4th century by Milan's patron saint Ambroggio, this church has been repaired, rebuilt and restored many times and is a hotchpotch of styles. The shorter of the two bell towers dates to the 9th century as does the canopy over the altar inside. The saint himself is buried in the crypt and his body can be viewed in spooky desiccated form.

Ambroggio rose to power rather suddenly, graduating from public servant to bishop in about a week after rowdy Milanese crowds demanded his appointment. Sant'Ambroggio proved to be a quick study and unusually gutsy, a staunch defender of the poor and opponent of Arianism, Lombardy's main religion at the time. For all his successful politicking, he wouldn't sacrifice principle for diplomacy - he demanded that Emperor Theodosius repent for the massacre of 7,000 people at Thessolonica under threat of excommunication.

The church itself is a fitting legacy: the solid brick structure is well grounded, and its purposeful simplicity is truly uplifting. Once inside, your eye may be caught by the shimmering altar mosaics and AD 835 gilt altarpiece telling Sant'Abroggio's life story - but wait until you see the 4th-6th century mosaics inside the Sacello San Vittore in Ciel d'Oro.

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Museo Teatrale alla Scala

'Untutored hands may not touch me', are the words of a true diva, inscribed here on an 18th-century spinette (piano). Harlequino costumes and playing cards left at La Scala also hint at centuries of Milanese musical drama. Portraits show Rossini chatting up patrons, while Verdi seems troubled by mixed reviews, and Callas a goddess towering above critique.

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Rolling Stone

Belle and Sebastian, Artic Monkeys, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and local bands you never heard of (but should) play Milan's leading rock venue. Patrons have been known to shower bands with adoration and contempt by spraying them with beer from the bar above the stage, but nowadays management keeps a look out for amp-destroying rabble-rousers (you know who you are).

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Magazzini Generali

When an entire former warehouse full of people is working up a sweat to indie international acts, cutting-edge DJs and the best local bands, there's no cooler place to be in Milan. Can't argue with the price, either: most acts are under EUR 15 , there's free entry Wednesday, a.k.a. Night of Contemporary Beat, and the legendary Jet Lag Fridays are free with a drink.

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Caruso

The living is good and the people-watching even better at this sidewalk café in Milan's most fashionable piazza, with the best-dressed parade hauling designer booty and little dogs along Via Manzoni, gingerly descending Montenapo Metro steps in staggering heels, and pretending not to be flustered by the pulchritude of Emporio Armani Caffé waiters.

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Il Coriandolo

Like a little black dress, Il Coriandolo is the classic choice to accompany gallery openings or business meetings - and in the right company, it hints at other possibilities. The house spumante is a worthy prelude to house-made truffle ravioli with butter and crispy sage, whether you've come for a power lunch in a leather banquette or scintillating dinner conversation in the covered garden.

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Caffé Cova

Founded in 1817 by a soldier in Napoleon's army, this elegant tearoom has languished on Monte Napoleone since 1950 (the original was destroyed during WWII). A popular shopping stop, you can either shoot an espresso at the bar or relax over drinks in one of the sitting rooms.

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Italian Bar

Flattery gets you everywhere at Peck's blush-pink lunch bistro that gives everyone a healthy glow, with help from superb wines by the glass. The bow-tied wait staff will be pleased to recommend a Barolo to accompany your tortellini Peck and bresaola (dried salted beef) with arugula, capers, oil and lemon.

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Events

Milan likes to celebrate the spiritual and material worlds with equal gusto. The Festa di Sant'Ambrogio, on 7 December, is Milan's biggest feast day, and is marked with religious celebrations and traditional fairs around the Fiera di Milano. La Scala marks the solemn occasion by opening its opera season on this day.

The first 10 days of June are devoted to the Festa del Naviglio, a smorgasbord of parades, music and other performances. The Milan Jazz Festival rocks through the city in November. Make the tourist office your first port of call for finding out more about these and other festivals and events.

If you feel the need for speed, Milan has the raceway for you: the Monza Autodrome, 20km (12mi) northeast of the city, hosts the Italian Grand Prix, where the top designers from Fiat, Jaguar and Ferrari show off their finest Formula One racers at an average speed of 250km/hr (150mi/hr).

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