Milan cathedral is a majestic symbolic monument of the Lombard capital and is located in the Piazza del Duomo in the city center.
The cathedral is completely covered in pink white marble on the outside and is decorated with around 3,400 statues. The famous Madonnina gold copper statue, built in 1774 and around 4 meters in height, is located on top of the main spire of the cathedral and is one the key traditional symbols in Milan.

Inside the cathedral, there are 5 broad naves divided by 52 spellbinding columns. The patterned floor is made up of intertwining light and dark marble and the vaults were painted in the mid-1800s by Alberti and Alessandro Sanquirico.

Of particular interest are the Paleochristian excavations located around 4 meters below the churchyard and the cathedral’s rooftop terraces. Among the 135 spires, visitors can enjoy beautiful views of the city and, on clear days, the Alps.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, considered one of the city’s most symbolic features, was designed by Giuseppe Mengoni and built between 1865 and 1877 in an eclectic style.

The arches are 165 and 105 m long, 14.5 m wide and 32 m high. At the intersection, there is an octagonal space topped by a dome, which is known as the ‘octagon’ because of the four corners divided at the intersection of the two galleries. On the floor, there is a mosaic of the House of Savoy coat of arms. Next to it, you can see the emblems of what once were the four capital cities in the Kingdom of Italy: Milan, Turin, Florence and Rome.

The Galleria was often nicknamed the ‘salotto di Milano’ (Milan’s Drawing Room) as it became a place for bourgeois citizens to enjoy visiting new stylish stores and, particularly, restaurants and cafés.

The Sforza Castle in Milan is one of the most beautiful castles in Italy, which was originally a Visconti fortress and then became home to the Sforza dynasty.

The Castle was initially built as a stronghold between 1360 and 1370 by Galeazzo II Visconti; his successors continued to build it until Filippo Maria transformed the structure into her own residence and built the large garden north of the building.

From the death of Ludovico il Moro in 1499, years of battles, sieges and invasions ensued; the Castle was subjected to a number of raids and suffered extensive damage. Under Spanish domination, star-shaped fortifications were added to the Castle, making it unassailable, and it was transformed into a military citadel complete with supplies, fodder and water wells.

In agreement with the people of Milan, who saw the Castle as symbolic of centuries-old foreign tyranny, Napoleon ordered the demolition of the Castle’s external structures. Despite some losses, the Sforza Castle survived destruction and was restored at the beginning of the 1900s by the architect Luca Beltrami, who worked tirelessly to make the Castle appear as original as possible.

The construction of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan was ordered by empress Maria Theresa of Austria in 1776 after a fire destroyed the Teatro Regio Ducale. Its name comes from the Santa Maria alla Scala church (named in honor of Regina della Scala, the wife of Bernabò Visconti), demolished to make way for the new opera house.

The outer structure of the building is a perfect example of neoclassical style and the building’s multi-purpose interior was once home to small workshops and a restaurant. Elite gatherings, dances, shows and parties all used to take place on the stage and in the stalls area. It was also possible to flood the stalls area to re-enact spectacular naval battles.

The Teatro alla Scala Museum maintains a rich collection of costumes, set designs, letters from composers, marble busts and portraits of a number of composers, conductors and musical artists working in Europe over the past two centuries.