Today a two days walking tour of Milan, the city of fashion but also full of art and history. Let's try to visit the most important things of Milan in two days.
DAY 1
From the train station or from hotel take the metro to the Duomo metro station. From the train station (centrale FS) you have to take the yellow metro line to Duomo: the ticket costs 1,50 euros and the cathedral is at the fourth stop.
The Duomo is the largest church in Italy and the fifth in the world and took nearly 6 centuries to complete. You can buy ticket to visit only the inside of the church, to climb up to the terraces, or to see the baptistery or a single ticket for all the places. You can book them in the official website of the Duomo.
From the Piazza del Duomo you can enter the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of the world's oldest shopping mall. When you see the mosaic with the Turin coat of arms, a bull, don't forget to put your right heel on the bull's genitals and turn on it three times, that brings good luck!
Outside the gallery there is Teatro alla Scala (in italian also "La Scala") the famous opera house built in 1776. Walk now in via Margherita, then turn in Via Filodrammatici until you reach the Sforza Castle, or take a metro to the Cairoli Castello station (in this case you have to head back to the Duomo metro station). The castle was built in the 15th century by the Duke of Milan. It hosts now many museums that you can visit by booking in the official site of the Sforza Castle your ticket.
Walk now in via Minghetti, then Carducci, and turn right in via Corso Magenta until you reach Santa Maria delle Grazie a church included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites and where you can find the Da Vinci's Last Supper. To see this famous mural the reservation is compulsory, you can book your ticket in vivaticket website.
If you want to go shopping try the so called quadrilatero della moda (quadrilateral of fashion), a high-class shopping district in the Via Montenapoleone, Via Manzoni, Via della Spiga and Corso Venezia .
DAY 2
Today we'll start from Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore, a church probably built between the end of the 5th century. Through the centuries it was damaged by fires and earthquakes and, in 1573, the dome suddenly fell apart. This caused many intervention to restore it and some of the artworks inside were destroyed. Outside the church there are the Columsn of Saint Lawrence which are a remain of the Roman era. For more information visit the official website of San Lorenzo Church.
Then we visit the Sant'Ambrogio Church, one of the most ancient and important churches of Milan. It was built by St Ambrose between 379 and 386 over an area where many martyrs were buried. After the death of St. Ambrose the church was dedicated to him. It has 2 bell towers, one on the left and one on the right. For more information visit the site of St. Ambrose Church.
We move now to the center, by walking or by underground (Lanza - Brera stop) and reach the Aquarium of Milan. Milan is famous for the Duomo, the Last Supper and the fashion shops, but not everyone knows about the Aquarium that is third most ancient of Europe. It was built in 1906 for an exhibition and it was the one building to to be destroyed after the exposition. Inside the Aquarium there also is a specialized library which have a "Fondo speciale" section where scientific books written more than 100 years ago are kept. The aquarium used to be free to the public but starting July 14th 2014 the entrance ticket will costs 5 euros. For more information visit the official page of the Aquarium of Milan.
Not far from the Aquarium there is the Brera Art Gallery. It is an important gallery with artworks mainly of the Milan and Venice school but also a collection from the prehistory to the 20th century. You will find paintings by Tintoretto, Mantegna and Bramante among others. For more information visit the official page of Galleria di Brera.
And finally we go to our last attraction: San Babila Church which is dedicated to Saint Babylas of Antioch. It was built in the 11th century but then was heavily restored, especially in the 19th and 20th century. This church is in San Babila square where many important avenue converge, so it's in a pretty urban area, with lots of buildings, avenues and cars. So the thing I like most of this church is the contrast with the surroundings. In front of the church you will notice a column with a stone lion on the top. But why there is a lion, the symbol of Venice in Milan? A legend will answer: the legend says that the Venetians wanted to attack Milan and decided to attack at night and take the Milanese by surprise. They organized in troops and started marching but suddenly they heard a noise, like a drum. They thought the Milanese discovered them so they fled in fear and left all their belongings - flags, standards, banners - including their symbol, the lion. And from that day it is exposed as a mocking to the Venetian army.
Hope you enjoyed the tour!
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