 Come Si Arriva
Plane
There are two airports in Milan: The Malpensa airport handles almost all international flights. It's about 50km (31mi) northwest of the city. Most domestic and some European flights use Linate airport, about 7km (4.5mi) east of the city centre. Public transportation links both airports to the city centre. The Malpensa Express train and coach bus Malpensa Shuttle connect's Malpensa airport to Milan and there is a bus service from Linate Airport to Central Station. There is shuttle service that connect's the two airports. About 45 km outside Milan is Orio al Serio (BGY) international airport mainly used by low-cost airlines.
Car
Many of Italy's main motorways converge at Milan's ring road, known as the Tangenziale Est and Tangenziale Ovest. Prepare to deal with unexpected traffic on your way into and out of Milan, particularly on the busy A4 west to Torino.
Train
You can catch a train from Stazione Centrale (Piazza Duca d'Aosta) to all major cities in Italy. Daily trains run to and from Venice (3.5hrs), Florence (3.5hrs), Genoa (1.5hrs), Turin (1.5hrs), Rome (6hrs) and Naples (8hrs). This is also a good point to pick up international connections to and from Switzerland (with the Cisalpino train) and France (with the TGV). Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM) trains from Stazione Nord (Stazione Cadorna, Piazza Luigi Cadorna) connect Milan with Como (1hr, hourly) and Desanzano (1.5hrs, hourly). Regional services to many towns northwest of Milan are more frequent from Stazione Porta Garibaldi (Piazza Sigmund Freud). For times please consult the Trenitalia site.
Bus
Bus stations are scattered across the city so unless you know exactly where you're going, you're better off travelling by train. Buses (which are operated by numerous companies) to many national and international points leave from the bus station (tel: 02 63 79 01; Piazza Sigmund Freud) opposite the main entrance to Stazione Porta Garibaldi.
City Transport
Bus
ATM operate an efficient bus system working in tandem with the underground rail. Tickets ,valid for 75 minutes and can be used for one metro trip and as many bus and tram rides as you want. They are on sale at tobacconists, bars and at the metro station newsagents; most outlets close at 8pm so it's best to buy a few tickets in advance, or a carnet of ten. Some stations have automatic ticket machines, although only the newer ones give change. You can also buy a one-day or two-day ticket from the Stazione Centrale or Duomo metro stations. Free public transport maps are available from ATM's Info Point in the Duomo underground station.
Taxi
Taxis don't cruise the streets, so don't bother trying to flag one down. Either head for a taxi rank - on Piazza Duomo, Largo Cairoli, Piazza San Babile, Stazione Centrale. Apart from taxis, driving in the city is best avoided: the streets are congested and parking close on impossible. Parking in prohibited zones is not worth it; you'll be fined if caught and have your car impounded by the police.
History and Culture
Milan endured centuries of chaos after the fall of the Roman Empire caused by waves of barbarian invasions until it was conquered by the Lombards in 569 A.D.
From the mid-13th century, the city was governed by a succession of important families: the Torrianis, the Viscontis and the Sforzas. Under the latter dynasties, Milan enjoyed considerable wealth and power, Viscontis founded what is still the city's most spectacular building, the florid late-Gothic Duomo, and built the first, heavily fortified nucleus of the Castello - which, under their successors, the Sforza, was extended to house what became one of the most luxurious courts of the Renaissance. This was a period of much building and rebuilding, notably under the last Sforza, Lodovico, who employed the architect Bramante to improve the city's churches and Leonardo da Vinci to paint The Last Supper and design war-machines to aid him in his struggles. Leonardo's inventions didn't prevent Milan falling to the French in 1499, marking the beginning of almost four centuries of foreign rule. The city came under Spanish rule in 1535 and was given to Austria in 1713 as part of the Treaty of Utrecht. Austrian power-broker Maria Theresa left her mark on the city; the facades of La Scala and the Palazzo Real remain her favourite shade of yellow. Napoleon made Milan the capital of his Cisalpine Republic in 1797 and his Italian Republic five years later. It hosted his coronation as King of Italy in 1805.
Milan was a center of the 1848 revolution against Austria and helped lead Italy to unification in 1870.
Chiese e Musei
This cathedral looms mighty over the piazza named after it, built on the wishes of Gian Galeazzo Visconti it dates back to 1300. Made of marble and incorporating a evolution of styles from Baroque to Gothic it's an interesting spectacle. To fully appreciate the interior it is recommended that you buy a detailed guide book, or pay for the 1 hour audio guides. Absolutely do not miss a trip to the roof! It is amazing. You can walk among statues, gargoyles, flying buttresses and the 14 foot gilded statue of the Madonna while taking in wonderful views of the city.
Related Articles: Duomo
Santa Maria delle Grazie
This church is home of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Last Supper' This famous church was completed in 1490. Leonardo da Vinci was asked to paint a mural on the refectory wall and the result was one of his most famous masterpieces. Reservations are highly recommended if you do want to see this church, because of this only a limited number of people are allowed to view it at any one time.
Related Articles: Santa Maria delle Grazie
Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
The church of Sant'Ambrogio is east of the National Museum in Milan. The present church is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture (12th century; choir ninth century). Notable features of the interior are the pulpit, restored about 1200, with late Romanesque carving, and the casing (paliotto) of the high altar, a masterpiece of Carolingian art (made in 835 at either Milan or Rheims).
Related Articles: Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio
The Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio for many years was an important centre for pilgrims on their journey to Rome or the Holy Land, because it was the site of the tomb of the Magi or Three Kings. Commissioned by Bishop Eustorgio II in 515 the church was almost completely damaged in 1164 by Frederik Barbarossa. The reconstruction works started in 1190 and last several centuries. The typical Lombard bell tower was built between 1297 and 1309 and in the 15th century was added the beautiful Renaissance style Portinari Chapel
Related Articles: Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio
Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore
The Basilica di San Lorenzo Maggiore is a basilica dedicated to the Christian martyr St. Lawrence. Built outside the Roman city walls, near the ampitheatre from which it has taken most of its salvage materials, this extremely old religious building is of great importance not only for art history but also for all sacred Western Christian architecture.
Related Articles: Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore
Museum of Science and Technology
With its twenty-eight sections, from information technology to engines to astronomy, some 40 000 square metres of displays, and a massive 15 000 pieces in its collection, the “Leonardo da Vinci” National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan is one of the most important technical and scientific museums in the world. The museum is made up of three separate buildings: the Monumental Building, which is a former Olivetan monastery whose construction dates back to the early sixteenth century; the Rail Transport Building and the Air&Sea Transport Building. Here is a definite must for boffins and future Einsteins and will take a good two hours wandering around to see everything. It's a must do activity if visiting with children.
Related Articles: Museum of Science and Technology
La Scala Theater Museum
The museum contains a precious collection of objects and relics relating to the history of La Scala Theatre and to theatrical art from classical antiquity to modern times. The most important deposits are in the “Casa di riposo per musicisti” (Retirement-home for musicians) founded by Giuseppe Verdi, as well as in public places. The Museum also includes the Library, founded with its present structure with the 40.000 volumes given in 1952 by Renato Simoni
Related Articles: La Scala Theater Museum
Cenacolo Vinciano
In the refectory of the domenican convent adjoining the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, houses one of the world's most celebrated works: Leonardo da Vinci's “Last Supper”. Extensive measures have been implemented to protect the fresco from further exposure. To ensure that the fresco be kept at room temperature, since restoration the visitor intake has been restricted to a group of 25 admitted every 15 minutes.
Related Articles: Cenacolo Vinciano
Pinacoteca di Brera
On the first floor of the Palazzo di Brera is the Pinacoteca di Brera which contains one of the foremost collections of Italian paintings, an outgrowth of the cultural program of the Accademia di Belle Arti (“Academy of Fine Arts” or Accademia di Brera), which shares the site in the Palazzo Brera. The Brera contains among many other exhibits futuristic paintings of the 20th century. The collections are particularly important in understanding the history of the visual art in northern Italy between the 14th and 18th centuries. There are also excellent examples of Renaissance works, and famous, if not numerous, paintings by other Italian and foreign Old Masters. Only some of the rooms of the Pinacoteca are open to the public. The chief strength of the Pinacoteca di Brera lies in the works by the north Italian masters.
Related Articles: Pinacoteca di Brera
Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
The museum, founded in the 17th century by Cardinal Federico Borromeo and named after Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, it is one of the city's treasures. The museum holds many paintings by the Venetian, Lombardian, Flemish and schools, plus bronzes and marbles.
Related Articles: Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
The Museum of Ancient Art
The Museum of Ancient Art is located in the Castello Sforzesco. It exhibits art works from the fourth century to the sixteenth century. It includes Michelangelo's painting the Pieta Rondinini
Related Articles: Museo d'Arte Antica
Historical buildings
Castello Sforzesco has interesting archaeological and numismatic collections. Originally a military fortress, the Castello Sforzesco was completely remodelled by the more comfort-minded Francesco Sforza. The new and improved defences were designed by uber-engineer Leonardo da Vinci. Inside there courtyards, built in Gothic-Renaissance style and frescos painted by master painters such as by Bellini, Tiepolo, Mantegna, Correggio, Titian and Van Dyck, and a collection of Egyptian artefacts. There are also two private homes (Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi and Poldi Pezzoli), perhaps not quite as grand as the Castle but just as interesting; these have been turned into museums and display textiles, furnishings and paintings also worth seeing when in the area.
Related Articles: Castello Sforzesco Travel Guide
La Scala Theater
The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala, as it is known), is one of the world's most famous opera houses where world famous composer, singers, and orchestra conductors make their debuts. This theatre had a total over 3,000 seats organized into 678 pit-stalls, arranged in six tiers of boxes above which is the “loggione” or two galleries. The stage is one of the largest in Italy; the proscenium is 26m wide and 27m high, and the stage was originally 20m deep. The season begins in early to mid-December and runs through May.
Related Articles: La Scala Theater Travel Guide
The Monumental Cemetery
The Cimitero Monumentale in Milan, is a very large cemetery (250,000 mq) located on the square given its name, Piazzale del Cimitero Monumentale. Near the heart of Milan, it is filled with a wide range of both contemporary and classical Italian sculptures as well as Greek temples, elaborate obelisks, and other original works such as a scaled-down version of Trajan's Column.
Related Articles: Monumental Cemetery Travel Guide
Places of Interest
The neo-classical arch at the far end of Parco Sempione was designed by Luigi Cagnola to hail Napoleon's entry into Milan. Construction was begun in 1807 drawing inspiration from the typology of three “fornici” (arch shaped openings found in classical monumental buildings; as for example the Coliseum in Rome).
Utili |
Pagina iniziale
Guida Turistica di Milano
Single room - Da 59€
Single room - Da 55€
Single room - Da 58€
Single room - Da 90€
Single room - Da 65€
Single room - Da 48€
Single room - Da 63€
Single room - Da 60€
Single room - Da 50€
Double room - Da 70€
Twin room - Da 99€
Single room - Da 40€
Single room - Da 60€
Single room - Da 100€
Single room - Da 67€
executive single u - Da 138€
Single room - Da 45€
Double room - Da 100€
Matrimoniale ad Us - Da 79.5€
Single room - Da 76€
Single room - Da 40€
Twin room - Da 70€