Exploring Milan's Art and Architecture
From the Duomo to the "bone church", all the touristy things we did in Milan
In my last post, I introduced the trip my husband Jess and I took to Italy in May. We spent most of our time in Milan and left the city on two different days to explore Venice and Lake Como. In this post, I’ll share about the touristy things we did in Milan.
Arriving in Milan
Besides Milan being close to the mountains in northern Italy, one of the reasons we chose to stay in Milan is because United Airlines had a direct flight from Chicago. Secondly, between a flight credit and miles that we saved up on our United credit card, our flights cost us less than $100 out-of-pocket. Travel hacking for the win!
The flight itself was overnight and arrived at the Malpensa Airport just after 1 pm (Italy time). As with any overnight flight, we each managed maybe a couple hours of sleep. I dream of the day when we’ll accumulate enough travel points to splurge on lie-flat seats for an overnight flight.
After collecting our luggage, we took the Malpensa Express train from the airport to Cadorna station in Milan. At Cadorna station we bought tickets for the metro train system and hopped onto the M1 line for a short ride to the station located nearest our Airbnb.
This was our first time using a train system to get around (vs renting a car). It went surprisingly well, thanks to my pre-trip YouTube video binge and Googling which saved us from a lot of confusion.
Our Airbnb was situated above Piazza San Carlo. Not only did we have a view of the piazza, but we had a spacious, private terrace. First impressions were good and we looked forward to it being our home base for the week.
After dropping off our things, we set out on a walk to get familiar with the area. Our first stop was just a couple blocks down at the Duomo di Milano. After admiring the beautiful, gothic architecture, we escaped the people and pigeons and found a small grocery store where we picked up a few food items.
Exploring Milan
After a good night of sleep, we were ready to immerse ourselves in the city.
Milan, the economic capital of Italy, is home to a blend of famous artistic and architectural sights, from renowned art pieces like The Last Supper to the incredible architecture of Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral).
Milan is probably best known as an epicenter of fashion culture. And, let me tell you, people were SO well-dressed. Even if I didn’t have fancy clothes, it seemed like I could just go buy a stylish beige or khaki colored trench coat and fit in okay.
So, let’s dive in and explore some of the incredible places we saw in Milan. To see how we organized our days in Milan, you’ll find our day-to-day itinerary at the end of this article.
Duomo Terraces and Cathedral
Our first touristy destination was a self-guided tour of the Duomo di Milano and Duomo Terraces. We purchased our tickets online for one of the first available times (9:30 a.m.) and were pleasantly surprised to see very few people when we arrived.
After taking several flights of stairs, we reached the terraces, and wow, what a view! Not only were we closer to the intricate, gothic architecture at the top of the Duomo, but we had panoramic views of the surrounding area.
Once we finished exploring the terraces, we took the stairs down into the cathedral. Duomo di Milano looks huge from the outside, but wow (!!), the grand scale becomes even more apparent when you are inside.
Even if you do not purchase tickets to go to the Duomo Terraces or walk around the cathedral, it is really impressive just to walk around the outside. To get photos of the Duomo with fewer people, I highly recommend visiting in the early morning. By 10 am, people traffic really picks up.
Bagatti Valsecchi Museum
In my quest for off-the-beaten-path places to visit, I came across Bagatti Valsecchi Museum. This historic house museum is located in a posh part of Milan where you’ll find shops like Balenciaga, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, etc. The museum houses artifacts primarily from the Italian Renaissance. Our favorites were the interesting furniture pieces, intricately carved doors, and the armory hall!
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Next up, we meandered through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a multi-story covered shopping gallery with restaurants and shops. First opened in 1877, it was a key predecessor to the modern day shopping mall. We visited it for the architecture and gelato.
Santuario di San Benardino alle Ossa
The most unique stop in our tour of Milan was Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa. Also known as the “bone church”, this ossuary was built to hold bones when the adjacent cemetery ran out of room in the year 1210 A.D. It was both spooky and fascinating. Visiting the church here was free, but entering the ossuary cost 1 euro per person. Worth it.
Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and San Sepolcro Crypt
We aren’t really art gallery enthusiasts, but, being in Italy, it felt right to visit at least one.
Established in 1618, Pincacoteca Ambrosiana has 24 rooms with paintings and artifacts on display. Our ticket to the art gallery also included a self-guided tour of the neighboring crypt. San Sepolcro Crypt is a historic underground church originally built in 1030 A.D. Both the art gallery and the crypt are worth a visit.
Castello Sforzesco, Parco Sempione, and Arco delle Pace
Castle Sforzesco and Arco delle Pace bookend Parco Sempione, so it was easy to lump them together as a small walking tour.
Construction on the medieval castle started in 1360 A.D. and continued into the 15th century. You can explore the grounds for free, but an inside tour requires tickets.
After exiting the castle grounds, we wandered through Parco Sempione, surrounded by trees and a few ponds. After being around so much concrete, it was nice to see and hear birds, be around trees, and see dogs running around 🙂.
Arco delle Pace is on the northwest end of the park. Construction started in 1807 and finished in the mid-1800’s. It’s an impressive looking arch. When we visited, there was a union strike starting, so we didn’t explore it up close.
Wandering the streets
Beyond the tourist hotspots, Milan has numerous picturesque streets and other hidden gems. Best of all, they are free to visit. Below are a few things that we discovered on our walks (click each pic to enlarge).
Top Left: intersection near Duomo di Milano
Top Right: L.O.V.E sculpture in Piazza degli Affair - this is in front of the financial center :-)
Lower Left: Palazzo Imperiale di Massimiano - Ruins of Roman imperial palace built for Emperor Maximian when Milan became capital of the Western Roman Empire in 286 A.D.
Lower Right: Via Cerva
Summary
We enjoyed our time exploring the unique sights Milan has to offer. Our favorite paid, self-guided tours were the Duomo Terraces & Cathedral and Bagatti Valsecchi Museum. The architecture at Duomo di Milano is absolutely incredible. So much detail. Both tours provide excellent value for the money spent.
While in Milan, we were impressed at the meticulous cleanliness of the streets around the Duomo, thanks to the dedicated street sweepers (…that ran at all hours of the day and night). It was also quite easy to get by with English. We tried to use a little Italian here and there, but let’s be honest, most of the time we felt like clueless tourists bumbling over our words.
In case you’re wondering about food, we tried a few restaurants in Milan, but unfortunately didn’t have any experiences that blew us away. Our favorite restaurant out of the 3 we tried ended up being a sandwich place called Panino Giusto. I will say that all of the bakery/coffee places we tried were great!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about our time in Milan. You can find our day-to-day Milan itinerary below.
I am very excited to share about the two day trips we took out of the city. First up will be Venice, so stay tuned!
Until next time,
Stephanie
Milan Itinerary
Day 1
Duomo Terraces and Cathedral
Bagatti Valsecchi Museum
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa
Day 2
Self-guided walking tour
Several narrow streets within a few blocks of the Duomo
Piazza degli Affari
Palazzo Imperiale di Massimiano
Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and San Sepolcro Crypt
Day 3
Castle Sforzesco
Parco Sempione
Arco della Pace
Via Cerva
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