The Duomo. ⛪
It is the fifth largest church in the world and took nearly six centuries to complete. It bristles with 135 spires and 3,400 statues.
The Terraces
Take the elevator (or stairs) to the roof. You walk among the marble saints. On a clear day, the Alps frame the horizon.
Madonnina
Look for the Golden Virgin Mary at the very top. By law, no building in Milan can be higher than her (though skyscrapers cheat by putting replicas on their roofs).
The Last Supper. 🥖
Leonardo da Vinci's "Il Cenacolo" is not in a museum. It is painted on the wall of a monastery dining hall. It is fading, fragile, and miraculous.
The Rules
You must book months in advance. You get exactly 15 minutes inside. You must pass through air-locked dehumidification chambers.
The Perspective
Da Vinci painted it so the perspective lines match the actual room. It feels like Jesus and the apostles are sitting at the next table.
Survival
In WWII, a bomb hit the church. The roof collapsed, but the wall with the painting was protected by sandbags and survived.
Red Velvet
Perfect Sound
Teatro alla Scala. 🎭
The most famous opera house in the world. The exterior is modest, but the interior is a dazzling box of gold leaf and red velvet.
The Loggione:
The upper gallery seats ("the gods"). This is where the most critical fans sit. If a singer misses a note, they will be booed off stage.
Castello Sforzesco. 🏰
A massive red brick citadel in the center of the city. Once the home of the Dukes of Milan, now a complex of museums.
Pietà Rondanini
Michelangelo's last sculpture. He was working on it days before he died. It is unfinished, raw, and incredibly moving.
Parco Sempione
Walk through the castle courtyards to reach Parco Sempione, Milan's largest park. It leads directly to the Arch of Peace.