LivingTravelMilan's best museums, galleries and churches for art enthusiasts

Milan's best museums, galleries and churches for art enthusiasts

While Milan is not as well known for its museums as Florence and Rome, the northern city has a host of great art spaces. It is also one of the few places in Italy where you can see the art of Michelangelo, as well as iconic Leonardo da Vinci works such as the Last Supper, and also some more modern masterpieces.

The last supper in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie

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Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie , 20123 Milan MI , Italy

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+39 02 467 6111

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Perhaps Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous work, “The Last Supper” ( Cenacolo Vinciano in Italian), is located inside the refectory of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie .

As this is one of the most requested paintings in the world, the church now acts as a museum, only allowing about 20-25 patrons to enter at a time to view the fresco.

Not surprisingly, tickets can be difficult to secure and should be booked at least two months in advance, whenever possible.

Sforzesco Castle

Direction
Piazza Castello , 20121 Milan MI , Italy

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+39 02 8846 3700

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Historical attractions
4.8

The exquisite marble sculpture by Michelangelo, Rondanini Pietà, is housed in the Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco. This massive castle is also home to a number of other museums, including a Museum of Ancient Art, a Museum of Musical Instruments, and the Archaeological Museum, which has prehistoric and Egyptian sections.

Galería Pinacoteca di Brera

Direction
Via Brera, 28 , 20121 Milan MI , Italy

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+39 02 7226 3264

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The Pinacoteca di Brera, part of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, is Milan’s premier fine arts gallery, with paintings by Italian and international artists, such as Raphael, Bellini, Bronzino, Mantegna, and Tiepolo, as well as Rubens, Braque, Hayez and Van Dyck.

Leonardo da Vinci Science and Technology Museum

Direction
Via San Vittore, 21 , 20123 Milan MI , Italy

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+39 02 485551

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The Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Technologia Leonardo da Vinci is the largest science and technology museum in Italy. In addition to housing the Leonardo Gallery, which contains some of Leonardo da Vinci’s original drawings and numerous models of his scientific innovations, the museum has interactive laboratories, an underwater exhibition, and a section dedicated to science for young children.

Pinacoteca y Biblioteca Ambrosiana

Direction
Piazza Pio XI, 2 , 20123 Milan MI , Italy

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+39 02 806921

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The oldest museum in Milan houses priceless works by artists such as Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) and Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and also contains Raphael’s School of Athens caricature, one of the highlights of the Vatican Museum.

The adjacent library is most famous for having Leonardo da Vinci’s Codice Atlantico , a collection of nearly 2,000 drawings and notes by the Renaissance master.

Royal Palace

Direction
Piazza del Duomo, 12 , 20122 Milan MI , Italy

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+39 02 8844 5181

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The Royal Palace of Milan was the seat of the city government for many centuries, but now it serves as a cultural center and art museum.

Used primarily to host temporary art exhibitions, the Palazzo Reale is also home to the Civico Museo D’Arte Contemporanea, also called CIMAC. CIMAC presents works from the 20th century, including collections of surreal and futuristic art.

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