Milan Walking Tour
From Gothic Architecture to Grand Opera and High Fashion Houses
Tour the must-see sights on foot in a two-hour itinerary from the Duomo and La Scala opera house through the fashionable shopping streets of the Quadrilatero della Moda.
Although Milan -- northern Italy’s largest city -- sprawls for miles, many of its best sights are fairly close to the Duomo. Follow this route in about two hours, plus stops for tours of the Duomo and museums – or a little shopping. Pick up a map at the tourist office opposite the cathedral on Piazza del Duomo, and get current museum and church opening hours.
This elaborate Gothic façade forms one entire side of the piazza. After touring the interior and the roof, turn your back on the cathedral and leave Piazza del Duomo at the left corner, following Via Torino. Set back from the shop windows and almost hidden behind a flower vendor on the left, is the entrance to Santa Maria Presso San Satiro. Step inside the church to see the surprisingly long sanctuary. Then walk close to the altar for an even bigger surprise, designed by the architect Bramante.
Piazza Mercante
Cross Via Torino and follow Via Spadari to Via Cantu. Turn right, crossing Via Dante to go through the narrow passageway and step into the center of Medieval Milan. This is one of the rare remaining places where you can see the old city, in its tiny market square. Through the market’s arcade is Via Mercante, watched by a statue of St Ambrose on the old law courts. Turn right and cross the street, back into Piazza del Duomo. On the left is the grand Galleria Vittore Emanuele II, a huge glass-domed gallery of stylish shops and cafes. Stop in the center to look up at the dome, and to grind your heel on the bull in the floor mosaics for good luck. You’ll see the worn spot. Walk through to the far end.
Piazza della Scala
Directly ahead as you leave the Galleria is La Scala, Italy's – and the world's – best-known opera house. To see inside, you can either attend a performance or take a tour of the adjoining museum, which includes a look at the newly restored interior -- if a rehearsal is not in progress.
Opposite La Scala is Palazzo Marino, Milan's city hall. Leave the piazza along its far side, on Via Case Rotte, to see its more attractive facade on Piazza S Fedele. The Jesuit church of San Fedele is on the left. Turn and walk through the long square to Via Omeneone, following it under the giant statues on the facade of Casa degli Omeneone, designed by the scuptor Leone Leoni in 1500. At the end, turn left into a square, where you can’t miss the decorated facade of Casa del Manzoni, home of a famous Italian writer. Follow Via Morone beside the house, to its end.
Via Manzoni
Turn right onto one of Milan's most elegant streets, Via Manzoni. All along it are palazzi, whose arched entrances open to courtyard gardens. Museo Poldi Pezzoli, one of these palazzi, is on the right, now an art museum. Farther on, across the street, is the sumptuous Grand Hotel, where composer Guiseppi Verdi died. At Via Montenapoleone, turn right.
Here you enter the high command of the fashion world, a quarter bounded by Via Montenapoleone, Via La Spiga, Via S Andrea and Via Manzoni. Wander these streets and those between them to shop or see window displays (a safer choice) at the great fashion houses. One of these streets is San Spirito, passing between the facing courtyards of the Renaissance-style Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi, now a museum. You can wander farther or return to the Duomo on the Metro from Montenapoleone station.
