Sights in Milan

A fascinating museum primarily devoted to determining the authenticity of art objects. It includes a sophisticated science laboratory that focuses on improving methods for ascertaining if art is real or fake.

The Torre Branca (named after the liquor company that restored it in 2002) offers visitors a panoramic view point in the city. At 108.6 metres, the iron tower is the fourth highest structure in Milan, located in the city's most expansive park, Parco Sempione.

The Milan Conservatory, named after Verdi though his application to study there was famously rejected, is Milan's most celebrated music college. Since 1808, it has been educating Milan's important, up and coming musicians.

The Ambrosian Library & Art Gallery, named after Ambrose the patron saint of Milan, opened in 1618 and is the city's oldest museum. The beautiful palace, as well as the world-class collections of paintings, manuscripts and books are well worth a visit.

La Scala is one of the most important opera theatres in the globe, where many of the most famous operas were premiered. It now stages concerts, recitals and cultural events as well as ballet and opera.

This museum is one of the most significant house-museums in Europe and shows the taste of one of the finest collectors in the 19th century, the nobleman Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli.

This gallery is the oldest in Milan, originally founded in 1957, and initially focussed on post-war avant-garde.

Located inside the Palazzo dell’Arengario, in Piazza del Duomo, this museum hosts a collection of over four thousand works that showcase the development of 20th-century Italian art.

This sweeping square, the grandest in the city, is flanked by several famous sights and landmarks. Most notably the Duomo cathedral, but also the 19th-century shopping arcade the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the 18th-century Palazzo Reale.

Prada, the huge Italian fashion house, has opened this foundation to showcase contemporary art together with contemporary philosophy conferences, research exhibitions and initiatives related to cinema.

Opened in 2001, this beautiful gallery houses both Italian and international artwork, the well-established and the aspiring artist.

PAC is Milan's most important centre for the exhibition of contemporary art, located in the heart of the city, near Porta Venezia's park.

The Castello Sforzesco is Milan's main attraction after the Duomo. The castle's popularity is due in no small part to the dozen museums and archives within its grounds, with exhibitions on subjects as diverse as Palaeolithic history to 1950s furniture.

This museum houses a superb collection of artefacts from the Roman eras, through to the Middle Ages in a historic monastery.

The Brera Art Gallery hosts one of Lombardy's most important permanent art collections. Though modest in breadth, the collection is outstanding in quality covering the works of acclaimed Italian artists from the 13th to the 20th centuries including masterpieces of Bellini, Raphael, Carvaggio, and Bramante.

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.

The invaluable collection of the Museo delle Culture contains important artefacts belonging to other cultures, exhibited in a way that showcases how the Milanese society has viewed them throughout the centuries.

One of the most important religious buildings, dedicated to Milan's patron saint, Saint Ambrose, who founded this Roman Basilica. It is bright and well rebuilt and has a wonderful golden dome with thousands of mosaics. Saint Ambrose is buried here in the crypt.