{"id":7371,"date":"2022-10-25T15:28:06","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T13:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.passports.top\/?p=7371"},"modified":"2022-11-27T12:15:38","modified_gmt":"2022-11-27T10:15:38","slug":"milan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.passports.top\/en\/milan\/","title":{"rendered":"City break in the capital of fashion \u2013 Milan"},"content":{"rendered":"

After\u00a0<\/span>Rome<\/span><\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Milan<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0– the capital of\u00a0<\/span>Lombardy –<\/span><\/em>\u00a0is the second most populous city in\u00a0<\/span>Italy<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Along with\u00a0Paris<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0London<\/a><\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0New York<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Milan<\/strong>\u00a0is one of the capitals of fashion and the home of famous brands, such as\u00a0Giorgio Armani<\/em>,\u00a0Gucci<\/em>,\u00a0Roberto Cavalli<\/em>,\u00a0Versace<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Dolce&Gabbana<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Located in the north\u00a0of Italy<\/em>,\u00a0Milan<\/strong>\u00a0is a metropolis that combines ancient and fascinating culture with creativity and modernity, being one of the most developed urban regions of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

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To get discounts on museum entry, you can opt for the\u00a0Milano Card 24h<\/strong> (\u20ac8\/person), 48h (\u20ac14\/person) or 72h (\u20ac19\/person). With the card you can travel for free on any public transport, and discounts for museums or hop-on\/hop-off bus tours range from 10% to 50%.\u00a0In addition, you can benefit from discounts at certain restaurants, shops, bars or receive a free panettocino from\u00a0Patisseria\u00a0<\/em>Vergani\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 one of the oldest patisseries that has been producing authentic panettone since 1944. <\/span><\/p>\n

You can buy the card online by going to this\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0and then pick it up at\u00a0the Central Station<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What can you visit in Milan?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Piazza del Duomo<\/b>\u00a0– the popular square in\u00a0Milan<\/em>\u00a0where the\u00a0Duomo<\/b>\u00a0is located – the country’s most important and extravagant building built in the late Gothic style and the second largest cathedral by area in\u00a0Italy<\/em>, after\u00a0St. Peter’s Basilica<\/em>\u00a0in the\u00a0Vatican<\/em><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The construction began in 1386 and lasted around 600 years, the cathedral being adorned with 135 towers, the tallest being 109 meters, and over 2000 statues.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Being one of the emblematic images of\u00a0Italy<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Europe<\/em>, the cathedral is dedicated to\u00a0Saint Mary the Mother of God<\/em> (Santa Maria Nascente<\/em>) – the protector of the city – represented by a statue on the main peak of the building, since 1774. The statue is covered with 33 tiles of gilded copper and 6750 sheets of gold foil, it has a height of 4.16 meters, 399,200 kg \u2013 the weight of the plates and 584,800 kg \u2013 the weight of the stainless steel supporting structure.\u00a0Inside the cathedral is a 1:1 scale statue made of wax and gold leaf.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Prices: entrance to the cathedral \u2013 3\u20ac\/person;\u00a0terrace \u2013 \u20ac9\/person\/up the stairs; \u20ac13\/person\/up by the lift;\u00a0Duomo Pass A: \u20ac12\/person (entrance to the cathedral, terrace – up the stairs, Duomo Museum<\/em>,\u00a0Archaeological Zone<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0San Gottardo Church<\/em>);\u00a0Duomo Pass B: \u20ac16\/person (entrance to the cathedral, terrace – up by elevator, Duomo Museum<\/em>,\u00a0Archaeological Zone<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0San Gottardo Church<\/em>);<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tickets can also be purchased online, from\u00a0the official website.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Royal Palace<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 is located in\u00a0Piazza del Duomo<\/em>\u00a0and houses\u00a0the Museum of Contemporary Art<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0The Duomo Museum<\/em>.\u00a0In addition to these, the palace is an important cultural center where events and art exhibitions take place.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II<\/span><\/b>\u00a0is one of the oldest malls in the world, being named after\u00a0<\/span>Victor Emanuelle II<\/span><\/em>, the first king of\u00a0<\/span>Italy<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0<\/span>The gallery connects two of the most important areas of the city, P<\/em>iazza del Duomo<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Piazza della Scalla<\/em>.\u00a0In addition to luxury stores, the historic building houses some of the city’s oldest restaurants, such as\u00a0Savini Ristorante <\/em>(1867), Camparino <\/em>(1867) or Ristorante Biffi <\/em>(1852).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Opera House\u00a0<\/b>and The Statue<\/strong> of Leonardo da Vinci<\/b>.\u00a0Teatro alla Scala<\/strong>\u00a0is perhaps the most important opera house in the world and the largest in\u00a0Italy<\/em>, with a 3,000-seat auditorium.\u00a0For those who want to attend a show, they must reserve tickets well in advance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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La Scala<\/strong>\u00a0also has a museum where you can admire representative exhibits associated with the great composers of Italy<\/em> such as\u00a0Rossini<\/em>,\u00a0Verdi<\/em>,\u00a0Puccini<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Toscanini<\/em>, paintings, scores and sketches, ancient musical instruments and much more.\u00a0Entrance to the museum costs \u20ac7\/person, and with\u00a0Milano Card<\/em>\u00a0you have a 30% discount.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In front of the opera is the\u00a0statue of Leonardo da Vinci<\/strong>, erected in 1872 by\u00a0Pietro Magni<\/em>.\u00a0Although he did not live very long in\u00a0Milan<\/em>,\u00a0Leonardo da Vinci<\/em>\u00a0created one of his most famous paintings here –\u00a0The Last Supper<\/i>\u00a0– which decorates the former dining room of the\u00a0Santa Maria delle Grazie<\/i> church.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The artist spent two years painting the fresco, between 1495 and 1497. Due to the bombings of the\u00a0Second World War<\/em>, the painting is not in the best condition, but it is still one of the world’s most iconic works of art, attracting millions of visitors every year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Only a limited number of people are allowed to enter the area where the painting is located at the same time, after they are checked that they are not carrying anything that could damage the work.\u00a0To see the artwork, you need to book your ticket at least one month in advance.\u00a0Unfortunately we didn’t manage to see it, but it is definitely on our list for the next visit to\u00a0Milan<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sforzesco Castle<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Sempione Park<\/b>.\u00a0The Sforzesco Castle<\/strong>\u00a0was built in 1300 by the\u00a0Visconti<\/em> and was originally called the Castle of Jupiter’s Gate.\u00a0<\/em>After its partial destruction,\u00a0Francesco Sforza<\/em> decided to turn the building into a residence. <\/span><\/p>\n

During\u00a0World War II<\/em>, the castle suffered major bombing damage and had to be restored to its present state.\u00a0Today it houses several museums, among which are the\u00a0Museum of Ancient Art<\/em>,\u00a0the Museum of Classical Instruments<\/em>,\u00a0the Collection of Applied Art<\/em>\u00a0orThe Egyptian or Prehistoric Sections<\/em>\u00a0of\u00a0the Archaeological Museum<\/em>.\u00a0The castle’s most important museum is the\u00a0Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco<\/strong>, which exhibits\u00a0Leonardo da Vinci<\/em>‘s\u00a0Codex Trivulzianus <\/em>manuscript, Michelangelo<\/em>‘s Rondanini Piet\u00e0<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Andrea Mantegna<\/em>‘s\u00a0Trivulzio Madonna<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sempione\u00a0<\/b>Park<\/b>\u00a0was established in 1888 and has a total area of \u200b\u200b386,000 square meters, being located in the historic center of the city.\u00a0The park is adjacent to the gardens\u00a0<\/span>of the Sforzesco Castle<\/span><\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>the Arch of Peace<\/span><\/em>, two of\u00a0<\/span>Milan<\/span><\/em>‘s main attractions.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Branca Tower<\/strong>\u00a0is a metal structure located in\u00a0Sempione Park<\/em>, with a height of 108.6 meters.\u00a0Originally, the platform of the tower housed a restaurant, but it was closed for safety reasons for tourists.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Arch of Peace<\/b>\u00a0is located in the immediate vicinity of the\u00a0Sempione<\/em> Park<\/em>, behind\u00a0the Sforzesco Castle.<\/em>\u00a0The 25-meter-high monument was built in the neoclassical style and decorated with marble sculptures\u00a0and\u00a0Corinthian columns.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Monumental Cemetery<\/b>\u00a0is one of the largest cemeteries in\u00a0Milan<\/em>, noted for its abundance of artistic tombs.\u00a0The cemetery was opened in 1866 and was completed with contemporary and classical Italian sculptures, Greek temples, obelisks, but also a reduced version of\u00a0Trajan’s Column<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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China Town<\/b>\u00a0is an important commercial district that is home to the largest Chinese community in\u00a0Italy<\/em>, with approximately 21,000 people in 2011. The first Chinese immigrants originally settled here in the 1920s and used the area to open small workshops textiles and leather.\u00a0Today, the district is full of silk and leather shops, Chinese restaurants, travel agencies or hair salons.\u00a0<\/span>Several Italian-Chinese companies have their offices in the area, including the editorial office of the\u00a0China Daily Europe<\/em> newspaper.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The National Museum\u00a0<\/b>of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci<\/b>\u00a0is the largest technical-scientific museum in\u00a0Italy<\/em>, which houses a collection of models of devices, built according to the drawings of\u00a0Leonardo da Vinci<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The collection includes over 10,000 items, including steam trains, airplanes, the transatlantic\u00a0<\/span>Conte Biancamano <\/span><\/em>(launched in 1925, the name being chosen in honor of\u00a0<\/span>Humbert I Biancamano<\/span><\/em>, the founder of the\u00a0<\/span>Savoy<\/span><\/em> dynasty) and the first submarine in\u00a0<\/span>Italy<\/span><\/em>,\u00a0<\/span>Enrico Toti<\/span><\/em>, but also workshops interactive for the little ones.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The ticket costs \u20ac10\/person (with\u00a0<\/span>MilanoCard<\/span><\/em>\u00a0you have a 25% discount).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Navigli district<\/span><\/b>\u00a0named after the\u00a0<\/span>Naviglio Grande canal,<\/span><\/em>\u00a0is one of the famous areas of\u00a0<\/span>Milan<\/span><\/em>, known for its nightlife and\u00a0<\/span>aperitivo<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 an Italian tradition of having a glass of\u00a0<\/span>Spritz<\/span><\/em>, wine or cocktail accompanied by a series of tasty snacks, between 17:00 and 21:00.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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All you have to do is pay for your drink and receive a plate of snacks on top of it, or you can choose the restaurants that offer the aperitif buffet, where a varied selection of dishes awaits you, from vegetables and cold meats to pizza and pasta, different types of cheese, salads, fruits and cakes.\u00a0Prices vary from 5-6 euros to 15 euros.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Other tourist attractions:\u00a0<\/span>Casa Milan<\/span><\/i>\u00a0\u2013 exhibition presenting\u00a0<\/span>AC Milan<\/span><\/em>\u00a0trophies from the history of the club.\u00a0<\/span>Villa Bonaparte<\/i>\u00a0\u2013 currently\u00a0the Modern Art Gallery<\/em>, one of the most important modern art galleries in\u00a0Europe<\/em>.\u00a0The Botanical Garden<\/i>\u00a0– with an area of \u200b\u200b5000 square meters, houses two monumental examples of ginkgo biloba.\u00a0The Trivulziana Library<\/i>\u00a0\u2013 one of the most famous in\u00a0Europe<\/em>, dating from the 18th century.\u00a0Leonardo da Vinci’s crypt<\/i>\u00a0in the basement of the oldest church in\u00a0Milan. The<\/em>\u00a0Aquarium <\/i>\u2013 includes 36 huge aquariums with over 100 species of fish.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Milan\u00a0\u2013 June 2018)<\/span><\/p>\n

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