Visit Milano - Milano in one day - art and shopping
Today
we start from Piazza Scala, easily reached with the underground lines MM1 and
MM3 from Piazza Duomo through the Galleria
Vittorio Emanuele, or directly with several tram lines, the lines 1 and 2
stop right in the piazza.
The world famous La Scala theater and its museum can be visited: check on the La Scala web site for schedule and
availability of tours.
From Piazza della Scala we take via Giuseppe Verdi, on the right of the Theater,
and we make our way to the XVIII century Palazzo Clerici to
see the great fresco which Gian Battista Tiepolo palm Led in 1740, entitled, The
Course of the Sun, Via Verdi becomes Via Brera, and we come to the Brera, a distinguished
building designed by Richini with an austere courtyard, in the center of which
stands Canoed's Statue of Napoleon (1809), inspired by classical models. This
great gallery contains several masterpieces of Italian art from the XIV to the
XX century such as: Raphael’s “Marriage of the Virgin”; Giovanni Bellini’s “Pieta'”;
Piero della Francesca’s “Urbino Altarpiece”; Andrea Mantegna’s “The Dead
Christ”; Caravaggio’s “Supper at Emmaus”; and Bramante’s “Christ at the Column”.
There are also six new halls dedicated to Italian paintings between XIII and XVI
century; and a collection of metaphysical paintings, in addition to the Maria
and Emilio Jesi collection, which has been donated to the gallery.
Brera is an
extremely important picture gallery, as is the astonishing collection of
paintings left to the city in 1571 by Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli, which can
be reached from the Brera by taking Via Borgonuovo and Via Manzoni. A visit to
the two galleries will take up most of the morning.
For lunch go somewhere close by - we recommend "Latteria San Marco" in Via San
Marco, 24, a 7 minutes walk from the end of via Brera, recommended also by Slow Food, a
very small place with genuine Milanese cuisine. The place is
tiny and doesn't take reservations, so if you want to get one of the 8 very
popular tables, arrive when it opens or wait until when a few
tables will free up as the early-lunching tourist clientele clears out and the
locals take over. After lunch we will continue our tour in the afternoon by
wandering through the enchanting streets of romantic Milano, dear to Stendhal.
Choose the area delimited by Via Montenapoleone, the modern center of
fashionable Milano, Via Sant'Andrea, Via Manzoni and Via delta Spiga. This is the
area where you can do the most expensive shopping in Milano, be prepared to spend
as much as $6,000 for a skirt, if you want, and can afford it! Fortunately you
don't have to buy anything, you can get by with some inexpensive
window-shopping. Also go
along Via Borgospesso, Via Santo Spirito and Via del Gesu, where you will be
struck by the theatrical perspectives of the XVI century Palazzo Bagatti
Valsecchi.
Enter the courtyards, where to your astonishment you will discover,
among the splashing fountains, the green lawns and the elegant arcades, an
atmosphere of quiet you would have never expected to find in the heart of the
city.
You can then go on to the Public Gardens, or the Royal Villa. This villa is an
interesting example of Italian Neo-Classicism: it was designed by Leopoldo
Pollack in 1790 for Count Ludovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso, and it was used as a
residence by Napoleon before becoming royal property. To the right of the facade
facing the street, there is the Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea (PAC,
contemporary art gallery) designed in 1948-54 by Ignazio Gardella. This museum
is recommended, you should be sure not to miss it.
