ITMilan: Art, Fashion and Nature
Start from Piazza Duomo, with a visit to the Cathedral.
Continue on foot towards Galleria Vittorio Emanuele to reach Piazza della Scala. On the left is the Teatro Alla Scala, Milan's temple of lyric opera with its annexed Museum; on the right Palazzo Marino, Milan's City Hall. In the centre of the Piazza: a statue of Leonardo Da Vinci and his most famous disciples. From the Piazza, take Via Manzoni. At no. 12, you will the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, the home of the noble collector Gian Giacomo Pezzoli (1822-79). Enter Via Manzoni: now you are in the Fashion Quadrilateral. Via Manzoni is an elegant city street. One important detail: at no. 29, you will find the Grand Hotel et de Milan, where the famous composer Giuseppe Verdi lived and died. There are many antique shops. Follow Via Manzoni to the end to Piazza Cavour; to the right, the Palazzo dell’Informazione and, in front of you, the Indro Montanelli Public Gardens. As you cross the Piazza, Via Palestro is on your right, with the Neoclassic Villa Belgioioso Bonaparte, the home of the Gallery of Modern Art. If you'd like to relax, you can enter the park in front and follow its paths…. Or, continue along Via Palestro to the end and take Corso Venezia to the right, with its elegant Palazzi until you come to Piazza San Babila, which was famous in the 1980s as the meeting place of Milan's well-off youth; today, the piazza is the site of a beautiful fountain. The Church of San Babila is worth a visit.
Now, you can finally enter the heart of Milan's fashion district: Via Montenapoleone, unique in the world for its elegance and the names of the stores that line it: from here, you can reach the adjacent Via Borgospesso, Via del Gesù and Via Sant’Andrea where the antique shops are clustered. At Via Santo Spirito no. 10, you will find the Neo-Renaissance façade of the Bagatti Valsecchi museum-home, one of the jewels of Milan's museum scene. From here, you are just a stone's throw from the very elegant Via della Spiga where you will fall under the spell of its shop windows. From Via della Spiga, walk back up Via Manzoni towards Piazza della Scala, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and Piazza Duomo. Leaving the Galleria behind you, cross the Piazza on the right and you will come to the lovely Via Mercanti that runs alongside the splendid Piazza Mercanti. Continuing on, you will come, first, to Piazza Cordusio and then to Via Dante, an elegant pedestrian mall that leads to the Sforza Castle, home of the Civic Museums where our itinerary ends.
You can return to Piazza Duomo on foot in 10-15 minutes by returning up Via Dante and Via Orefici, which ends in Piazza Duomo or by crossing the courtyards of the Castle, you can pass through lush Sempione Park, Milan's green lung with its delightful lakes.