Pinacoteca Agnelli, by Renzo Piano - Turin

Museo del Cinema - Turin

Museo Egizio - Turin

A few kilometres from Turin, the Palace of Venaria is a sumptuous Baroque estate that, each year, attracts thousands of visitors, thanks to its stunning architecture, its breathtaking gardens and its unmissable events.

Palace of Venaria – Torino

[Top photo: Turin from Monte Cappuccini. Credits: Hpnx9420, CC BY 3.0]

The post Turin appeared first on www.wheremilan.com.

Villa Reale is open every day. Free admission to the public areas of the Villa and to the gardens.
Opening hours 
For the Villa, winter: from 7am to 7pm – summer: from 7am to 9.30pm on foot, from 7am to 8.30pm with car.
For the gardens, winter: from 7am to 6.30pm – summer: from 7am to 8.30pm.

CONTACTS:
Viale Brianza, 1 Monza
Trains from Milano Centrale to Monza Sobborghi
T:+39 199 151140 (Call center)
www.villarealedimonza.it

Events Venue

Today its royal spaces host various exhibitions, events, workshops and also conferences.
Check the events calendar for this location.

Watch

Villa Reale di Monza, the royal apartments

The post Villa Reale in Monza appeared first on www.wheremilan.com.

Boasting a number of important historic monuments, museums and theatres it is, however, music that makes Cremona unique throughout the world. The city is, in fact, renowned as the world capital of violin-making.
The tradition of crafting stringed instruments, handed down by several of Cremona’s most revered luthiers, including Antonio Stradivari, and the Amati and Guarneri families, continues at the city’s numerous artisan workshops, while, each year, the prestigious ‘Scuola internazionale di liuteria’ (the International School of Violin-making) (www.scuoladiliuteria.it) welcomes and trains students from all over the world.
About one year ago, the city also opened the Museo del violino (Violin Museum), a technologically advanced complex, designed to offer visitors insight into the world of the violin. The location is also an exclusive space that often hosts events and exhibitions. Those visiting the city this month should make time to head to the complex to see “La nascita di Magnum”, a photographic exhibition of Cremonese culture whose starred playbill dedicated to the well-known photographic includes top-level prose, opera, concerts and agency, scheduled to run until February 2015.

A treasure trove of culture

Though difficult, it is not impossible to take in all of Cremona’s attractions in just one day. In fact, in addition to boasting a rich and diverse cultural heritage, it is also home to several of Italy’s most important museums. Top of your ‘to do’ list should be a visit to the Piazza del Comune, fronted by several impressive buildings including the Torrazzo, the Duomo, the Baptistery, Palazzo del Comune and the Loggia dei Militi, one of the most significant examples of medieval architecture, whose original splendour has remained intact. Don’t forget Stradivari’s house in corso Garibaldi 57, and Teatro Ponchielli, one of the symbolic places of Cremonese culture whose starred playbill includes top-level prose, opera, concerts and musical performances.

The taste of Cremona

Cremona offers foodies a slew of gourmet specialities and is known, in particular, for its tantalizing cold cuts and cheeses, like Salame Cremona IGP, Provolone Valpadana, Grana Padano or Cotechino vaniglia, but also torrone (nougat), mostarda (made up of whole fruits, all preserved in a sweet mustard syrup) and Marubini (stuffed pasta). Its local specialities can be sampled at several of the city’s most traditional restaurants including La Sosta, Il Violino or Locanda Torriani, the Hosteria 700, Trattoria Osteria del Bissone or Ristorante Taverna la Botte, to mention but a few.

Shopping amidst past and present

Cremona offers visitors an upmarket shopping experience. Its streets are not only lined with old and new establishments but also traditional flea markets. The city offers a number of places where you can have fun searching for the most disparate objects, designed to suit all tastes and budgets: historic shops, boasting at least 50 years of activity, several of which still retain their original furnishings, trendy boutiques, artisans’ workshops where aficionados can purchase violins and other musical instruments plus lots of highly specialized establishments selling all types of original items. Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, a large, well-stocked market is held in the centre of the city. One of the oldest in Lombardy, dating back to circa the year 1339, in 2009 it was awarded ‘historic and traditional market’ status by the Regione.

How to Get Here:
By car from Milan (95km):
Strada Statale Paullese,
Autostrada (A1-A21) Milano-Piacenza-Cremona.

The post Cremona, a meld of music and taste appeared first on www.wheremilan.com.

Hermann Hesse Museum

The little museum dedicated to the German writer Hermann Hesse in Montagnola, above Lugano, is one of the most visited in Ticino. A permanent exhibit set up in the halls of the Torre Camuzzi, adjacent to the Nobel Prize winner‘s first home, introduces us to the forty years that Hesse spent in the South of the Alps from 1919. In the calm of the serene enchantment of this region the author of “Siddharta” certainly found the peace he always sought and that allowed him to bring to life some masterpieces that are today – half a century after his death – some of the most widely read and appreciated books in the world. Collected are objects and works of this author, one of the most widely read in the world: famous are his glasses, the typewriter and the delicate watercolours.
An excellent audioguide in Italian and German accompanies the visitor through the pleasant landscapes of the Collina d’oro (Golden Hill), dear to the writer, the “homeland of the soul”. The permanent exhibit gives the visitor the possibility to discover the author’s different phases of activity in depth, for example fundamental topics such as India or the creation of the work “The Glass Bead Game”.
Thanks to the dynamic director Regina Bucher and to the Hermann Hesse Foundation of Montagnola, the museum has become a lively meeting point for a vast international public. Every year a large program is organized, offering temporary exhibits, conferences, concerts, films, walks and weekly readings in Italian and German. A literary café was opened in the vicinity of the museum where you can find some of Hermann Hesse’s main works.

Torre Camuzzi, Ra Cürta 2 – 6926 Montagnola
T: +41 91 993 37 70
info@hessemontagnola.ch
www.hessemontagnola.ch

Museum of Cultures

The Museo delle Culture (Museum of Cultures) in Lugano presents an art collection of civilizations of the Far East, India, South-East Asia and Oceania. The core of the collections consists of works donated by Ticino artist Serge Brignoni (1903-2002). Fascinated by the world of “secret affinities”, he nurtured a passion for the arts of the southern seas and explored the figurative languages of simple cultures. He collected an extraordinary selection of works that have also influenced his artistic flair through personal research for abstraction between essential volumes and elementary contents. Since 2006 the Museum has expanded the core of 660 original works to over 8,000, coming from different loans or donations. The permanent exhibit is set up on the first and second floor. The course of the exhibit was conceived as an imaginary geo-cultural trip through the main areas documented by the museum’s collection. In addition, for each hall the visitor is encouraged to observe the works from four distinct levels of interpretation in order to allow a moment to reflect about the subjects of travel, of ethos, of anthropological relevance connected to a vision of the world of the cultures in question and, finally, of artistic style.

Villa Heleneum, Via Cortivo 24-28 – 6900 Castagnola
T: +41 58 866 69 60
info.mcl@lugano.ch 
www.mcl.lugano.ch

Züst Gallery

The Pinacoteca cantonale Giovanni Züst (Züst Gallery) of Rancate, close to Mendrisio, gathers works of artists that were active in Ticino from the 17th to the 19th century. The apex of the collection consists of a trio of Caravaggio-style works by Ascona artist Giovanni Serodine, one of the greatest authors of 17th century Italian art. The museum also offers important works by Giuseppe Antonio Petrini of Carona, protagonist of 17th century Ticino and Lombardy art. The century that is best represented is, however, the 19th century with paintings by Antonio Rinaldi of Tremona and other important Ticino and Lombardy painters.

Züst Gallery – 6862 Rancate
T: +41 91 816 47 91
decs-pinacoteca.zuest@ti.ch
www.ti.ch/zuest

The post Discovering Lugano’s museums, its history and culture appeared first on www.wheremilan.com.

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY
Monday 1 December, 6pm Piazza della Riforma An exciting moment especially for children: the lighting of the city’s biggest Christmas tree. With the help of some of the little ones, Julie Arlin and the Mayor Marco Borradori will light the tree, accompanied by the singer and pianist Eliane Müller.

GASTRONOMIC SQUARE
Daily from 1 to 23 December (11am-7pm) and 24 December (11am-5pm). Piazza Riforma During Advent, Riforma Square will be populated by gastronomic chalets that will delight both adults and children offering sweets, vin brûlé, pretzels and lots more. Gourmets will appreciate a very special chalet with dishes prepared by the most renowned chefs of the Canton. Until 24th December in other charming wooden houses, you can find all sorts of Christmas specialties, decorations and original gift ideas. Our aim is to make you remember the frosty winter period also as a romantic, contemplative and cosy Christmas season.

SKATING IN THE CITY OF LUGANO AND MENDRISIO

Lugano, Piazza Manzoni. Open daily, from 1 December to 6 January 2015
Entry is free and skates can be hired on-site.

Mendrisio, Piazzale della Valle. From 29 November to 6 January 2015 (11am-10pm)
Twirling around the rink in the heart of Mendrisio in an atmosphere illuminated with twinkling spherical silver lights and Christmas decorations! A skate rental point and a refreshment station are available at the edge of the rink. Mendrisio on ice offers a series of great shows and side events.

www.luganoturismo.ch
www.mendrisiottoturismo.ch

The post Christmas in Lugano appeared first on www.wheremilan.com.

Christmas Markets
All across Europe, including Ticino, the Nordic tradition of Christmas markets have become a tradition. Stalls are lined up with tantalizing goodies, toys and books, original floral compositions made from evergreens, pine cones and berries, greeting cards, creative decorations hand crafted by children and the seductive aroma of mulled wine, gingerbread and fir trees. Artisanal and ethnic gift items abound together with regional products to be sampled together during convivial dinners, animated by the nostalgic notes of bagpipes. Festive lights twinkle brightly, illuminating the winter nights and, in the season of good will, what could be more appropriate than supporting charitable initiatives by making generous donations.

Here is a list of the main Christmas markets in Ticino:

• Lugano, in the streets of the centre From 1 to 24 December, from 11.00am to 7.00pm (on 24 December from 11.00am to 5.00pm)
• Mendrisio, in the streets of the historic centre. 13 and 14 December, from 10.00am to 6.00pm Locarno, Città Vecchia. 11 December, from 12-noon to 11.00pm
• Bellinzona, Historic Centre. 14 and 21 December, from 10.00am to 6.00pm

Suggestions by: www.ticinotopten.ch

The post Christmas Markets appeared first on www.wheremilan.com.

Treat yourself to a regal day while strolling through the majestic rooms of the Reggia and visiting sophisticated exhibitions that highlight the beauties of art and Italian style. Where? At the Venaria Reale, a palace of rare beauty, which still retains all of its original charm intact. Board the delightful mini train and allow yourself to be enthralled by the lights and sounds of the thrilling spectacle of the Fountain of the Stag or indulge in an array of delicacies fit for a king while sampling the signature dishes of Piedmont cuisine at the Reggia’s refreshment points.
The Venaria Reale is a location of untold prestige whose vast spaces provide wonderful opportunities to relax and celebrate the joy of living by bringing together culture and entertainment. A ‘contemporary Palace’ that allows visitors to delve into the history, pomp and splendour of days gone by.

This grandiose estate lying on the outskirts of Turin comprises 80,000 square metres of buildings which combine to make up the Reggia and 60 hectares of Gardens, a masterpiece of architecture and landscaping, included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997, following massive restoration, the largest ever undertaken by the EU to conserve cultural property. This monumental building boasts several of the highest expressions of universal Baroque: the enchanting Hall of Diana designed by Amedeo di Castellamonte, the breathtaking Great Gallery and the solemn Chapel of Saint Hubert, the grandiose complex of the Juvarra Stables, designed by Filippo Juvarra in the 18th century, ornate decorations and the spectacular Fountain of the Stag in the Court of Honour. These provide a unique setting for the Theatre of History and Magnificence, the permanent display devoted to the House of Savoy, that runs from the basement level to the piano nobile of the Reggia.

The Venaria hosts events and exhibitions year round. For example, until 15 February 2015, you can visit the photographic exhibition entitled “A occhi aperti” or “La Regia Scuderia” at the Scuderia Grande Juvarriana, one of the Venaria’s most imposing architectural spaces.

Stefania Vida

Gardens

Fountain of the Stag

the Great Gallery

"A occhi aperti" exhibition

HOW TO GET THERE

The Reggia di Venaria is located:
145 km from Milan – 1h30min
135 km from Milan’s Malpensa Airport – 1h20min
160 km from the Milan’s Linate Airport – 1h40 min
15 km from Turin – 20min
15 km from Turin’s Caselle Airport – 15min
• Public transport: take the GTT ‘Venaria Express’ shuttle service from the centre of Turin (until 8pm) www.comune.torino.it/gtt
• By car: Torino – Tangenziale Nord, Venaria exit (La Venaria Reale – Reggia e Giardini) or Savonera / Venaria (La Venaria Reale – Scuderie Juvarriane

The post Majestic Venaria Reale appeared first on www.wheremilan.com.

FoxTown in Mendrisio, Switzerland’s best known outlet, boasting 3 kilometres of shop windows, offers 160 of the most prestigious brand names including clothing for men, women and children, sportswear, household goods and accessories. Each brand directly controls their own shops. These offer surplus goods or merchandise from the previous season with prices reduced by 30% to 70% year round. 220 labels including Armani, Burberry, Gucci, Prada, Dior, Dolce&Gabbana, Valentino, Nike, Napapijri, Guess, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Desigual, Tod’s and Fendi. 1,200 parking spots, 7 food and refreshments stations and a regional tourist office.

Via Nassa is undoubtedly one of the most important streets in the heart of Lugano. In fact, every single story told about the city involves mentioning it for one reason or another. Via Nassa is Lugano’s most important commercial street. In fact, in days gone by, not only was the street home to artisans’ workshops and fishmongers but also served as the main thoroughfare providing access to the old city. One of Via Nassa’s most distinctive architectural features are its arcades which, through the ages, have served as chic shelters for visitors. Shopping in Via Nassa is most definitely a memorable experience: highend boutiques and stunning jeweller’s shops are interspersed with stores selling tantalizing gastronomic treats and exquisite antiques that are impossible to pass up. Located just a stone’s throw from Lake Lugano, this street offers all the exclusivity and appeal of major European labels. A number of internationally renowned designer names have chosen Via Nassa to showcase their luxurious wares, a true epicenter of sophistication and style.

The post Shopping in Lugano and Mendrisio appeared first on www.wheremilan.com.

From the peak of Monte San Giorgio, located at an altitude of 1000m in southern Ticino, you can enjoy a breathtaking view overlooking the lake and the mountains. Those wishing to access Monte San Giorgio, can choose from among a number of different routes. The one that leaves from the church of San Silvestro in Meride is both easy and accessible. If the church happens to be open, makes sure to peek inside, it’s well worth a visit! A quick walk up the trail leading to the right of the chapel will bring you to the fossil excavation site. Go back to the chapel and follow the yellow signs to San Giorgio. Continue walking for another 35 minutes – the last stretch of the ascent is a little steeper – until you reach the summit, where a church was built. Once at the top, you will be treated to a sweeping view over Lake Lugano, surrounded by Swiss and Italian towns and villages, including Malcantone, Morcote, Arbostora, San Salvatore, Rovio and Arogno.
The Sentiero di Gandria (Gandria Trail) is a “must” for those vacationing in the Lake Lugano area. Framed by some stunning scenery, the trail runs along the lake, offering visitors an incredible view over the lake and surrounding mountains. The trail starts from the San Domenico parking lot in Castagnola which can be accessed by car or, better still, by boat from Lugano (Heleneum Museum stop). Shortly after passing under the picturesque arch that marks the beginning of the trail, you can choose whether to continue along the main trail to Gandria or opt, instead, to take the detour that leads to Parco degli Ulivi famed for its century-old olive trees. After admiring the scenery you can start to head back to the lakeshore trail, located just a little further on. You will now find yourselves back on the main trail that runs along the shores of the lake, boasting a spectacular view over Ceresio and the surrounding mountains. Gandria is a charming, unspoilt little village mirrored in the waters of Lake Lugano.

www.luganoturismo.ch
www.mendrisiottoturismo.ch

The post Discover the peak of Monte San Giorgio, a UNESCO World Heritage Site appeared first on www.wheremilan.com.

The post Enogastronomic events in Canton Ticino during 2015 appeared first on www.wheremilan.com.