A triumphal arch celebrating Napoleon’s victories situated between the Arena Civica and the Torre Branca now serves as the entrance to Parco Sempione. The Arco della Pace is one of the most interesting elements of Neoclassical architecture in Milan. In the same vicinity as one of the original roman gates, Arco della Pace use to be called Porto Giovia, the name of the Roman gate. Due to the dense concentration of bars, clubs, and restaurants located around the Arco della Pace, it is one of the best places in town to experience the “Milanese movida”. 

Arco della Pace
Piazza Sempione
M1 (red line) – M2 (green line) Cadorna FN
Tram 1 from Cadorna train and metro station

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Though called Porta Nuova (in Italian: “new”), it’s name is anything but new: in fact, since the very beginning, it has been a part of the city’s identity. This historic, formerly industrial area has been given a makeover thanks to an important and complex redevelopment plan that has now transformed it into Milan’s most futuristic district, redesigning and redefining both its skyline and character.

This urban revitalization scheme involved several internationally renowned architectural firms (Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associated, Boeri Studio and others), creating a ‘virtuous’ link with the Garibaldi and Isola districts, among some of the most vibrant and interesting in the city, renowned for their cultural assets and nightlife scene, and the Varesine district, which have been reconnected and embellished by pedestrian areas, cycling tracks and green spaces. Hi-tech stores, arcades, bookstores, bars and cafés, pizzerias and discotheques: a totally new area for Milan, and the Milanese.

The heart of the area is the large raised square erected next to the Garibaldi railway station, dedicated to architect and designer Gae Aulenti and crowned by three glass skyscrapers designed by César Pelli, including the Unicredit tower, the highest building in Italy. Towards the south, a walkway connects it to the ultra-trendy Corso Como, piazza XXV Aprile (home to the Eataly building, a haven of high-quality cuisine) and, just beyond it, to the Garibaldi district, renowned for its viby nightlife. Towards the north, a pedestrian boulevard and a cycling track connect it to the Isola district, a new, up-and-coming cultural hub, dotted with small restaurants and venues where you can listen to a great selection of upbeat music. Towards the east, the brand new Business Centre and the residential towers of the Varesine district.

From piazza Gae Aulenti, you can enjoy a unique view of the district and the skyline of the new city: just a little further on you will encounter the Vertical Wood, nominated the most innovative highrise in the world at the 2014 Highrise Award, the Diamant Tower with all the new towers of the Porta Nuova Business District, Palazzo Lombardia, the Lombardy Regional Government building and Palazzo Pirelli designed by Giò Ponti.

Shops and Boutiques

Browse our database of interesting shops and boutiques in the district

How to reach it

Walking: Garibaldi FS, Porta Garibaldi
Underground:
M2 (red line)-M5 (violet line), station “Porta Garibaldi”
M3 (yellow line), station “Repubblica”
M5 (violet line), station “Isola”

Other districts

Read about other famous areas

Piazza Gae Aulenti

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A favourite Milanese public garden is Parco Sempione, a large green area running from the Castello Sforzesco to Arco della Pace. In 1888 the park was created in response to pressure from the public; people were opposed to the urbanization of an area used for recreational purposes. Today the park — with its Britishstyle jogging tracks, green lawns and romantic bridges — is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the sunshine. It opens at 6.30am and closes at 10pm. Although the park has eight entrances, its main access points are from the Castello or the Triennale Museum.

Another top-ranking green area is the Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli (Porta Venezia): designed in 1786 with geometric flower beds and wide paths, the gardens host the Museum of Natural History and the Planetarium. Abounding in a number of interesting botanical species, the gardens offer a delightful play area and an oasis of butterflies. You can also find many shady benches on which to read or write. In fact, the gardens were one of the favorite haunts of renowned Italian journalist, Indro Montanelli, to whom the park was dedicated in 2002. In summer, the gardens are open from 6.30am to 11.30pm and can be accessed from four sides, including via Palestro (where the PAC – Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea museum is located).

On the other side of via Palestro you can find another small green area: the Giardini della Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte (which the Milanese usually refer to as the “gardens of the Royal Villa”). Here, a rather strange though charming rule exists: in theory, adults can only enter the park if accompanied by children. Boasting an expanse of water and a small temple dedicated to Love, the park has a typically 19th century appearance. Today, the Neoclassical villa hosts Milan’s GAM (Modern Art Gallery). It is open from 9am to 7pm.

Also worthy of particular note due to its combination of nature and architectural marvels is Parco delle Basiliche situated between the two ancient basilicas of Sant’Eustorgio and San Lorenzo (even though the highly trafficked via Molino delle Armi passes through the middle). Amidst Roman remains and well-equipped play areas, the park is a meeting point for young people, also due to its proximity to the fashionable Porta Ticinese area. It is open from 6.30am to 11pm.

Though small, the Giardini della Guastalla, situated between the Università Statale and the Ospedale Maggiore, are a gem of architectural appeal. In addition to a Baroque swimming pool and a notable 17th century shrine, the gardens offer a variety of age-old trees. They are open from 7am to 10pm.

Travelling to the northwest from the center of the city, you will find Monte Stella, also known as the “little mountain of di San Siro.” Not far from the Meazza Stadium, the hill was built on a pile of rubble from the bombings of the Second World War, thus testifying to the city’s desire to start anew. Monte Stella is a hikers’ haven (it has some of the few slopes in the city). A good reason to visit it is the “Garden of the Just,” where each tree reminds us that someone, at some time in history, had the courage to oppose genocide and cruelty.

At the other end of the city, the southeast end, we find Parco Forlanini, a vast green area not far from Linate airport. Devoid of fences and always open to the public, it features several small marvels including a mill, a few old farmhouses, and a small Romanic church.

An oddity: in all the parks in Milan you can find small drinking fountains offering passersby an incessant stream of water to refresh themselves. The Milanese call them “vedovelle” (young widows) because they never stop “crying”!

If you’re in search of a larger expanse of water, however, remember that Milan, in the absence of a sea, consoles itself with its beloved Navigli. You can once again start taking boat trips (leaving at all times) along them. As an alternative, this is the right season to hire a bicycle and ride along the paths flanking the Navigli; they lead to the countryside where you can lose yourselves amidst lush green surroundings (boat trip departures and cycling itineraries can be found on www.naviglilombardi.it or Zani Viaggi).

…ONLY 15 MINUTES FROM CITY CENTER

Parco del Ticino can be experienced in a number of different ways and offers a myriad of outdoor activities: trekking, biking, rafting and horse riding…
The trails of the park allow visitors to relax and enjoy the marvels of nature: 650 km set within lush green surroundings, along stretches of water, in the proximity of buildings that tell the story of the People of the Ticino Valley. Among the best-known trails, worthy of particular note is the E/1 trail that crosses Europe from Capo Nord to Capo Passero in Sicily, winding through Parco Ticino along a stretch of land measuring almost 130 km. Visitors can also enjoy discovering the park on the saddle of a mountain bike: 122 Km of interconnecting cycling tracks leading to 23 beaches along the Ticino river.
The park also offers a number of year-round leisure-time options. Not only culture and art in Pavia, Vigevano, Magenta or Abbiategrasso, but also evocative atmospheres in farmhouses given over to agriturismo or ancient abbeys such as Morimondo, located in a green area situated between the Navigli and the Ticino river. The area is also renowned for its gastronomic fare.

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Indro Montanelli Public Gardens is a splendid space situated directly between the Planetarium, the Natural History Museum and Palazzo Dugnani. The gardens were renamed and dedicated to famous Italian writer and journalist Indro Montanelli shortly after his death. Many in the city of Milan consider these gardens as an oasis offering the perfect escape from the city’s hectic atmosphere. Complete with small waterfalls, bridges, ponds and a intricate system of paths, Indro Montanelli Public Gardens is a popular destination for bikers, joggers and the casual walker.

Indro Montanelli Public Gardens
Bastioni di Porta Venezia
M1 Palestro, M1 Porta Venezia, M3 Turati, M3 Repubblica

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This is an itinerary extending over 900 metres, that can be crossed on foot in just 15 minutes, from via Brera to piazzetta Reale, cutting through piazza Scala and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which hosts an extraordinary part of our country’s art history.

Fine Arts In Milan

Let’s start from Brera, one of Milan’s signature districts and one of the coolest areas in the city:  it boasts a number of retro-style boutiques, historic workshops and antique shops. Home to the famous Accademia di Belle Arti (Academy of Fine Arts), over the years it has been a meeting place for artists and intellectuals (artist Piero Manzoni’s studio was located here).
The Neo-classical building of the Accademia – which opens out onto a superb courtyard consisting of a two-storied loggia and a forceful statue of Napoleon by Antonio Canova – hosts the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, the Museo Astronomico (Astronomical Museum), the Giardino Botanico (Botanical Garden) but, above all, the Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery).
Among the most important national galleries of ancient and modern art in Italy, the Pinacoteca di Brera  contains a wonderful collection of both Venetian and Lombard masters as well as important works by other schools. Thanks to multiple donations, the exhibition features works ranging from the dark ages to contemporary art, with impressive oeuvres by 20^th century artists. Its permanent collection offers a wealth of Italian and foreign masterpieces such as Piero della Francesca, Giuseppe Bellini, Donato Bramante, Andrea Mantegna, Raphael, Caravaggio, Rubens, van Dyck and Hayez.

Brera art gallery

Botanical Garden

Astronomical Museum

The History Of The City

While heading towards the centre to reach the Duomo, the heart of the city, you will come upon the imposing Gallerie d’Italia-Piazza Scala, three historic buildings overlooking Milan’s elegant via Manzoni, piazza della Scala and via Morone serving as the prestigious home to 19th and 20th century masterpieces, a new exhibition space offering visitors the artistic treasures of Fondazione Cariplo and Intesa Sanpaolo.
Epitomizing the history of Milan, the buildings were designed by two prominent Italian architects between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Two of them host masterpieces of 19th century Italian art, the opulent Neoclassical rooms of Palazzo Anguissola and the 19th century Palazzo Brentani. The works on display cover a century of art history – the Italian nineteenth century – from Antonio Canova to Umberto Boccioni. The exhibit is divided into 13 sections and spans 23 rooms of significant architectural and decorative value revisited by architect Michele De Lucchi. Palazzo Anguissola marks a turning point in architecture between the 18th and 19th centuries while, in the adjacent Palazzo Brentani, the atmosphere is that of noble 19th century dwellings. Particularly worthy of note, in the area dedicated to 19th century Lombardy works, are several never-seen-before views of old-world Milan, the Duomo, Navigli (canals) that no longer exist together with highlights from battle scenes during the Risorgimento and scenes from private family lives.
The new section “Cantiere del ’900” (Twentieth century worksite) is located in the early twentieth century Palazzo housing Milan’s historic Banca Commerciale in Piazza della Scala. In the bright halls of the ground floor, masterfully redesigned by architect Michele De Lucchi, the layout takes visitors on a journey through 12 sections and 2 overtures with works executed according to the different artistic techniques and poetics of the post World War Two period, suggesting a dialogue between sculpture and painting – or between plastic and representational forms – and between artistic experimentation centres in Italy, primarily in the relationship between the Milanese and Roman scene.  

International Exhibitions

After crossing Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, an integral part of the pulsating heart of the city for almost 150 years, home to exclusive shops and restaurants, you will reach Palazzo Reale, literally a 5-minute walk away.  Formerly the residence of all those who governed Milan – from Napoleon to the Royal House of Savoy – it is situated just steps from the Duomo and is currently one of the most important cultural centres in the city hosting exhibitions of international renown such as Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.
As one of the youngest museums in the city, lying adjacent to the Duomo, the Museo del Novecento hosts more than 400 20th century masterpieces of Italian and international art. Ranging from Fontana to Picasso, some of the most prolific artists are exhibited in this recently refurbished Palazzo dell’Arengario,  a building where works of art interact with the city engaging with the past while looking towards the future.

Palazzo Reale

Palazzo Reale, Sala Cariatidi

Grande Museo del Duomo

Grande Museo del Duomo

Museo del Novecento

Museo del Novecento

Museo del Novecento

The Duomo’s hidden face

The heart of Milan beats in piazza Duomo. It is here that its symbol, the splendid Gothic cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente resides. Furthermore, its amazing history – which is also the history of the city – is chronicled and safeguarded just a few steps away at the Grande Museo del Duomo. Completely refurbished in 2013 and extending over a surface area of two thousand square metres, the museum is home to hundreds of works of art including sculptures, paintings, jewellery, vestments, religious objects, stained glass windows and architectural models, from the 15th century to the present time. An extraordinary heritage that reveals the very soul of the cathedral, where works by famous masters are displayed alongside those of anonymous artisans. Together with the treasures of the Duomo, the Museum’s collections retrace the story of its age-old history, from the first stone right up to the birth of the symbol best loved by the inhabitants of Milan, i.e. the ‘Madonnina’ which, since 1774, has stood atop its highest spire. Particularly noteworthy are the rooms of the Treasure, Christ at the Temple by Tintoretto, various works by Giovan Battista Crespi known as ‘Il Cerano’, an imposing wooden model of the cathedral dating back to 1519 and the panels of the fifth door of the Duomo by Lucio Fontana and Luciano Minguzzi.

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When your passion becomes a job you can overcome many obstacles in order to fulfill your dreams. Luca Tafuni’s devotion to his city, Milan, was as great as his love for his tiny, shining FIAT 500.
A 1973 technical prodigy that tends to excite girls moiré than a brand new Ferrari, especially when they catch a glimpse of its driver weaving in and out of the small, crowded streets of central Milan. Following the recent founding of his company ‘Vintage Tour’ , Luca has come to the realization that he needs to increase the number of 500′s available in order to satisfy the fast-growing number of bookings from all over the world. “Asian and American tourists really love the 500″ says Luca with his contagious smile. He can’t wait to see his fleet growing. Expo 2015 is just around the corner and more than 20 million potential customers are likely to be standing in line to enjoy the Milan 500 experience with Vintage Tour.
The next step will be a sustainable revolution targeted at the green feeding of their engines. Furthermore, in partnership with Where® Milan and prominent tourist association Milano Loves You, Luca is also working on developing a new guide to the city. A surprise that will intrigue and engross many of you… and a new, fun, unique way to say hello to the city!

Vintage Tour

Vintage Tour

Private tours of the city (not modifiable by the customer) for a maximum of three people, aboard a splendid vintage car with a qualified Tour Guide. All tours (excluding the ‘Tour Veloce’ and the ‘Tour delle Porte’) last for three hours, from 10am to 11pm. The ‘Night Tour’ starts at 8pm and ends at 11pm. Routes may be subject to change due to traffic, accidents or warnings issued by the Municipality. The Vintage Tour Milano partners are Cardiac Science, 1380 Vintage Design Store, Locanda Chiaravalle and Taxi service 02 4000.

Tour Veloce
A 30-minute tour of the centre: Teatro alla Scala, via Montenapoleone, Brera, Castello Sforzesco, Ago&Filo, via Brisa, Palazzo Mezzanotte Borsa, Duomo, via Torino, Carrobbio, San Lorenzo, Anfiteatro Romano, Università Statale, Giardini Guastalla, via Montenapoleone.

Night tour
A trip in discovery of Milan’s swinging aperitivo and cocktail scene.

Tour della Campagna
Exploring the farmhouses and abbeys of Parco Sud Milano

Tour Delle Porte Storiche (30 minutes)
A tour of the old city

…COMING SOON
Tour Classico – An absolute must-do in Milan.
Tour La Città che sale – Innovative architecture, past and present, that makes Milan unique.
Shopping Tour – The window displays of the City of Fashion.
Tour di Leonardo – Following in the footsteps of Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci
Tour di Giuseppe Verdi – A glimpse of the maestro’s haunts in Milan

T: 349 2695335
info@vintagetour.it
www.vintagetour.it
www.facebook.com/vintagetourmilano
#vintagetourmilano

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In the ranking of must-see cultural attractions in Milan, the ‘Ambrosiana’ is rated at number 14. “Are you actually telling me that there are 13 other things to see before our museum”, says an incredulous Giorgio Ricchebuono, President of the Foundation that subsidizes the ’Ambrosiana. “You must be joking! This is the most beautiful museum in the world, not only in the city!” Put like this, his statement might seem excessive, naïve or simply biased: however, before concluding that that Mr. Ricchebuono is exaggerating, you should come to Milan and take a tour of the venue.
To give you a better idea, the Ambrosiana is a Library containing one million (one million!) books, including manuscripts and prints; it’s an Art Gallery boasting masterpieces from all over the world; it’s ‘home’ to Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus and, what’s more, it’s connected to a monumental sacristy designed by Bramante.
Priceless works include Caravaggio’s famous Basket of Fruit; The Musician, one of Leonardo’s phantasmagoric portraits, a little less famous but no less intense than his Gioconda; the iconic Portrait of a Woman, also known as “the Duchess of Milan”, famed for the marvelous transparency of her pearls; Raphael’s ‘cartoon’, i.e. a life-size sketch (whose black and white rendition makes it particularly striking) for The School of Athens, offering viewers unique insight into one of the artist’s most famous works.
Here too you can admire several incunabola, examples of books printed during the earliest period of typography, ancient Christian and Jewish codices, a Koran thought to have been written at the time of the Prophet, Renaissance publications of Dante’s Divine Comedy, a copy of the La divina proportione by fra’ Luca Pacioli, still considered a key treatise for today’s designers and the so-called “Ilias Picta”, i.e. an illustrated version of the Iliad originating from none other than Alexandria in Egypt.
Not satisfied?
And that’s not all because, at the Ambrosiana, you can admire the entire Codex Atlanticus, the largest collection of drawings and manuscripts by Leonardo da Vinci, including a total of 1119 sheets, all housed in one building which, per se, is a work of art, featuring corners of rare beauty, stunning cloisters, original flooring, frescoed vaults, coffered ceilings and grand staircases adorned with statues from the Duomo. The general impression is that, as if by magic, like Alice in Wonderland, you have simultaneously stumbled upon your old high school art book, Harry Potter’s library and da Vinci’s Codex. Only that here, it all looks so much better!

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana

Ambrosiana, Caravaggio_Canestro

Ambrosiana, Musico Leonardo da Vinci

A contemporary venue. Since the very beginning

When instituted, in 1607, the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, was an extraordinarily innovative place. It was originally founded by the pious Cardinal of Milan, Federico Borromeo, a nobleman and a patron of the arts. His love of books and his deep devotion to the people of Milan inspired him to create a library open to the public: a place of study, consultation and learning.
The collection was soon enriched by thousands of priceless texts: Christian texts (the erudite Francesco was, first and foremost, a man of religion) but also Hebrew codices and writings from the Arab world, Greek and Latin authors, classic and modern poets, illuminated manuscripts and examples of books printed during the earliest period of typography.
A little later, the art gallery, featuring paintings by Leonardo, Raphael and the Flemish School, was added to the library. At that time, the idea of collecting and preserving cultural assets with the aim of spreading information and thus contributing to ‘educating the people’ was an extremely advanced concept.
For this reason, in spite of the fact that the museum houses several of the most impressive traces of our past, we are of the firm conviction that the best way to honour its spirit is to perpetuate its modernity. An intelligent mission on which its curators are presently concentrating all of their efforts.
Thus, those entering the Ambrosiana will find themselves in a highly technological museum, offering the option of consultation via video touch screens and new generation guided tours.
For example, for 3 euros, you can rent smartphones (and, word has it that, in the future, tablets will also be available) which, thanks to a localization system, allows visitors to receive a wealth of information about the works being viewed. Additionally, based on a pioneering study, the paintings are illuminated by Led lighting designed to highlight them to a maximum with no risk of damage to the works themselves.

The Leonardo factor

The way in which the Codex Atlanticus has been displayed over the past few years, i.e. as an exhibition ‘ in instalments, means that, on the one hand, visitors will have a better chance of studying it in-depth and, on the other, be encouraged to return, thus serving as an example of prudent management designed to further enhance its prestige.
In fact, the exhibition displays the various ‘chapters’ of the Codex (referred to as ‘Atlanticus’ because it consists of large sheets, having the same size as those found in an atlas) one by one. Leonardo’s machines, his sketches and his studies are obviously amazing: admiring them against the backdrop of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, where the best of human knowledge is flaunted on floor-to-ceiling shelves, is a one-of-a-kind experience.
Among other things, it goes without saying that, over the past few years, thanks to a certain bestseller (need I say more?), the legend of Leonardo da Vinci has been infused with new life blood. However, the Foundation’s president, Giorgio Ricchebuono, prefers not to dwell on the subject of Dan Brown. “This venue houses so many marvels that we certainly didn’t need a book to advertise them. Yes, the writer did conduct research at the museum and you can find traces of his visit in his book but, I’d like to think that people are learning to love Leonardo and the Ambrosiana not only because of the work that we’re doing but also because people are finally beginning to spread the word.”
In fact, the Foundation’s tireless commitment to the project is beginning to pay off: established in 2008 on the initiative of the Administrator of the Ambrosiana, monsignor Franco Buzzi (its artistic curator and the cultural élan vital of the museum), the Foundation has involved people from the academic and corporate world, including professors Giorgio Ricchebuono and Claudio Devecchi. Its objectives: to preserve the library’s artistic and cultural heritage, to increase its use by the public, to serve as a means of exchanging ideas and artworks with other cultural realities and, last but not least, to raise funds.
Giorgio Ricchebuono (if you google him, you’ll find mention of his name in the New York Times and Businessweek) boasting a curriculum as a banker, was called in to deal with finances, driven as he himself says by “an authentic passion for beauty”.

Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci

Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci

Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci

Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci

Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci

Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci

Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci

A vibrant place

As stated by the then president of the European Commission Manuel Barroso, “It is not solely a question of manuscripts or paintings, of codices or works of art, but rather the atmosphere as a whole. You can feel that this is a truly vibrant place!” Initially, like all other visitors, the president was attracted by the ‘Leonardo factor’: he was absolutely amazed. “I asked him to admit that this is the most beautiful and surprising museum in Europe – Ricchebuono says smiling – and he was unable to deny it.”
The Ambrosiana is also the headquarters of an Academy that, still today, and with unexpected vitality, deals with the ongoing pursuit of philological studies and the organization of literary cafés across the globe. It works in close collaboration with Milan’s universities and with countless cultural centres throughout the world. It regularly organizes ‘literary Thursdays’ , real international symposiums.
And, thanks to the intuition of its managers, over the last few years, it has become a setting for events and gala dinners in collaboration with the world of fashion and design.

The real heart of Milan

The Ambrosiana nestles amidst the narrow, picturesque streets between the Duomo and piazza Cordusio. The area was finally closed to traffic a few years ago and you can now admire a sculpture by Daniel Libeskind dedicated to Leonardo. Thus, even contemporary art lovers now have their own attraction set, however, against an historical background.
For example, the place where the Ambrosiana stands is the exact point where the ‘Cardo’ and ‘Decumanus’ met. The focal points of the old Mediolanum, as the city of Milan was called by the Romans who conquered it in 222 B.C. As in all Latin cities, the ‘Cardo’ and ‘Decumanus’ were the two main north-south and east-west routes: in short, the Ambrosiana actually stands in the centre of the city.
To this we must add that ‘ambrosiana’ is synonymous with ‘Milanese’: the word comes from the name Ambrogio, bishop and patron saint of the city, who lived here in 300 A.D. and who had a profound influence on the history of Milan. Since that time, reference has been made to ‘the Ambrosian regional capital’, ‘Ambrosian tradition’ and so on.
For this reason, it is extremely sad to admit that, based on a survey conducted in 2013, as many as 45% of Milanese inhabitants (almost half of the city’s population!) know nothing or hardly anything about it. However, thankfully, things are changing rapidly and, hopefully, ‘Expo 2015’ will provide an additional opportunity to learn more about it. Among other things, several “ambassadors” of Expo have already included a visit to this museum among the ‘100 must-do things in Milan’.
So, take our advice and go and see it. But, not as the fourteenth thing on your list!

Elena Binda

Open Tues-Sun 9am-7pm.

The Atlantic Codex is on show in two different locations: Sala Federiciana (Pinacoteca Ambrosiana – 10am-6pm) and Bramante Sacristy (Santa Maria delle Grazie church – 8.30am-7pm).
Full ticket for the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana  15€, 10€ for the Bramante Sacristy, 20€ for a unique ticket.

Piazza Pio XI, 2
M1-M3 Duomo, M1 Cordusio
T:+39.02.806921
www.ambrosiana.it
www.leonardo-ambrosiana.it

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5-8 December
“Oh Bej! Oh Bej!”
Saint Ambrose Traditional Fair
Piazza Castello
M1 Cairoli, M2-M2 Cadorna, M2 Lanza

12-14 December
CREATIVITÀ ARTIGIANA
National Show of Italian Arts and Crafts
Palazzo Giureconsulti in Piazza Mercanti, 2
M1-M3 Duomo, M1 Cordusio

14-16 December
Green Christmas
Fonderia Napoleonica Eugenia, via Thaon di Revel, 21
M3-M5 Zara
www.fonderianapoleonica.it/greenchristmas

Until 6 January
Banco di Garabombo
Via Giotto corner of via Pagano
M1 Pagano

Until 11 January
Il Villaggio delle Meraviglie
Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli
M1 Porta Venezia, M1 Palestro, M3 Turati, M3 Repubblica
www.villaggiodellemeraviglie.com

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According to José Carreras, “at La Scala you have a real sense of theatre”. You have a sense of its history, its prestige and its talent. La Scala is hallowed ground to lovers of music and, in particular, opera. All of the world’s most famous singers and musicians have graced the Milanese stage: from Rossini to Verdi (the house composer for decades), to Puccini; from Toscanini to Abbado, to Bareinboim; from starred singers (Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Mirella Freni, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Nicolai Ghiaurov), to prominent directors (Luchino Visconti, Franco Zeffirelli and Luca Ronconi) right up to celebrated choreographers and ballet dancers (George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, Carla Fracci, Luciana Savignano and Roberto Bolle). Founded at the behest of Empress Maria Teresa of Austria and designed by architect Giuseppe Piermarini, Teatro alla Scala was inaugurated in 1778 with an opera by Antonio Salieri, “L’Europa riconosciuta”. From that time onwards, though renovated and refurbished several times, including 2001 when it closed for extensive renovations, re-opening in December 2004, it has retained all of its allure and magic intact. Its elegant Neo-classical façade, its stuccoes and mirrors in the foyer, its magnificent auditorium swathed in gold and red, the glitter of its huge crystal chandelier and the impressive dimensions and complexity of its stage settings: all these elements contribute to making an evening at La Scala an unforgettable experience. Home to the Choir, the Corps de ballet, the Orchestra and the eponymous Academy and Museum, the musical event of the year at Teatro alla Scala is on 7 December (a holiday dedicated to the city’s patron saint) marking the opening of the opera season, attended by the cream of Milanese and international society. This year, the new season will kick off with “Fidelio”, by Ludwig van Beethoven, conducted by Daniel Bareinboim.

Elena Peverata

Future events at La Scala: check

Piazza della Scala
M1-M3 Duomo, M3 Montenapoleone
T:+39.02.72003744
www.teatroallascala.org

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The half day program includes:

• Guide to the city’s gourmet shops and local markets
• Private service with food journalists and food bloggers, experts of the Italy’s finest food products
• Tips on nutritional value of foods and on new recipes
• Assistance with the purchase and shipment of products back home

Reserve your tour on www.personalfoodshopperinitaly.com or write to paola.pinotti@westin.com

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