Outside the exhibition

Milan is more than just the nation's most important industrial and financial centre.

It is also a metropolis with long-standing cultural traditions, and countless opportunities for entertainment and shopping rounds.

Mini tours of Milan

The historic centre
The historic centre downtown Milan is small enough to be visited on foot. The tour of the historical city centre starts from Piazza Duomo (Yellow line 3 and Red line 1 of the underground).

The monuments not to be missed include:

The Duomo: this is third biggest church in the world after Saint Peter in Rome and the Cathedral of Seville.

The "Galleria" Vittorio Emanuele II: conceived to serve as a link between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala, is it an elegant passageway lined by coffee shops, stores and book shops.

Teatro alla Scala: built by Giuseppe Piermarini between 1776 and 1778, it was destroyed by the bombings of 1943 and promptly reconstructed. After a three year period of inactivity for restoration works, in the winter of 2004, Teatro alla Scala will reopen to inaugurate a new season, fully restored to its old splendour. From the restoration works, Milan has also acquired a new, futuristic theatre, the "Teatro degli Arcimboldi", designed by famous architect Gregotti, it is the second biggest theatre in Europe for seating capacity. It was used to stage Scala events while the restoration works were underway.

The Royal Palace: former residence of the archduke Ferdinand of Austria, since 1965 it has accommodated offices, temporary shows and museum facilities, such as the Civic Museum of Contemporary Art.

The "Castello Sforzesco" and surrounding area
The "Castello Sforzesco" and surrounding area Not far from Piazza Duomo, another section of the city is of the utmost interest from the historical and monumental viewpoints. The monuments in this zone include:

"Castello Sforzesco": built by the Visconti in 1368, the castle was converted by the Sforza into a renaissance style luxury mansion. Not to be missed inside it: the "Sala delle Assi", whose pergola was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, and Pietà Rondanini, the last statue to be crafted by Michelangelo.

"Parco Sempione": situated behind "Castello Sforzesco", it was created in the late 19th century after the fashion of English landscape artists and extends over 470.000 square meters.

The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie: built in 1463. Adjacent to the church, the Refectory of the Dominicans contains Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, one of the most important works by the great artist from Florence.

"Brera" and the "fashion quadrilateral"
Extending behind the Teatro alla Scala, the historical Brera district is characterised by small, tortuous streets, abounding in antique shops and art galleries; it houses the Brera Fine Arts Academy and Art Collection. Not far from Teatro alla Scala rises the so-called "fashion quadrilateral" delimited by via Montenapoleone, via Manzoni, via Sant'Andrea and via Della Spiga. All the most important fashion and luxury brands have their boutiques and showrooms in this area

The "Navigli" district
Though it rises several hundred kilometres away from the sea, until the 1950's Milan was the thirteenth most important harbour for quantity of goods handled, thanks to a 150 km network of waterways that had contributed to the growth of the city over the centuries. A majority of the waterways was closed in the 1930's. However, in the southern part of the city (Underground Green line 2 - Porta Genova station) you can still get an idea of what the city was like in the past. Not to be missed: the Dock, the "Naviglio Pavese", the "Naviglio Grande" and "Vicolo dei Lavandai".