The Royal Palace is a classically beautiful example of 18th-century Milanese architecture. Built in the 1300s, it was initially the residence of the Visconti and Sforza families, then later home to the Spanish and Austrian governors.
Giuseppe Piermarini, the architect who designed La Scala, renovated the Palazzo Reale between 1771 and 1778 in Neoclassical style, giving it its grand appearance of today. From the end of the 1500s, the palace housed the first permanent theatre in Milan - though it was destroyed by fire in 1776.
In 1965, the city of Milan purchased the palace to use as offices, museums and temporary exhibitions. It is a mansion of utter opulence and host to an impressive array of world-class art shows. Popular and celebrated exhibits of the past include the works of Caravaggio, a Francis Bacon portrait show and a Vivienne Westwood retrospective.
