Culture
& Entertainment
Museums &
Galleries
Music &
Theatre
Nightlife
Football
Museums
& Galleries
Pinacoteca di Brera
 On
the road linking the city centre to the heart of the rather bohemian
Brera district, a single sixteenth-century palazzo houses the Accademia
di Belle Arti, the Biblioteca Nazionale and the Pinacoteca. The latter,
originally an offshoot of the Academy, became autonomous in 1803,
and subsequently obtained the qualification of National Gallery. It
houses one of the richest and most important collections of paintings
in Italy, from the fourteenth century to the present day. A must for
the visitor are the rooms housing works from the late fourteenth to
the sixteenth centuries, including an extraordinary collection of
Venetian and Lombard religious paintings. It houses Andrea
Mantegna's The Dead Christ as well as paintings by Raphael,
Bellini, Rembrandt,
Goya and Caravaggio.
Contact Information
Via Brera, 28 Milan. Phone 39/02722631
Hours: 9am-12.30pm Sunday, 9am-5.30pm
Monday-Saturday. Prices: L 8,000, admission
is free for children under 18 years and adults over 60 years.
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Santa Maria delle Grazie
 Originally
constructed in austere Gothic style in 1490, the church and its adjoining
convent are now a symbol of the glory of Renaissance Milan. Ludovico
il Moro, in his quest to turn Milan into a beautiful rival of Florence,
directed the architect Bramante (Donato di Pascuccio) to reconstruct
the apse and lantern of his favorite church, St. Mary of Grace Leonardo
da Vinci was commissioned to paint the frescos - the most famous
being the Cenacolo or Last Supper, which
graces the far wall of the adjacent Dominican dining hall.
Poldi Pezzoli Museum
 Gian
Giacomo Poldi-Pezzoli opened his private collection to the public
in 1881. An interesting collection of paintings dating from the 14th
century, fine artisan displays of gold work, enamel work, Murano glass,
ceramics, furnishings, textiles, lace, tapestries, clocks, arms and
armor. This red velvet altar cover is just one example of the fine
quality materials and workmanship of the textiles used for church
decorations and clothes of the noble classes of the Renaissance era.
A similar pattern was favored and worn by Beatrice d'Este at the Venetian
court in 1493.
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Museo Della Fondazione
Bagatti Valsecchi
 Located
in an nineteenth century building that is reminiscent of a late Renaissance
Gentleman's residence, the Museum is located in the historical center
of the City, in a street adjacent to via Montenapoleone.
Inaugurated in 1996, the house was constructed by two brothers, Fausto
and Giuseppe Bagatti Valsecchi who, in the eighth century, collected
art and architectural pieces of the 1500s. The furnishings are integrated
with the art collection. The collection includes ivory, ceramics,
glass, arms, among which are sixth century Brescian amour, and renaissance
furniture. Among the paintings are important works by G. Bellini,
A. Vivarini, and B. Zenale.
Contact Information:
Via S. Spirito, 10 Milano Phone 39/0276006132
Hours: 1pm-5pm Tuesday-Sunday. Prices:
L 10,000.
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Music &
Theatre
Teatro alla Scala (www.teatroallascala.org)
 In
Milan the visitor cannot fail to be impressed by the sober, neo-classic
Teatro alla Scala. This world-famous temple of operatic art lies
on north-west side of the piazza of the same name. The distinctive
name of the theatre derives from the fact that it was begun by Piermarini
on the site of the earlier church of Santa Maria della Scala, built
in the fourteenth century by Beatrice Regina della Scala, wife of
Bernabo Visconti. This most famous of all the buildings in Milan
first opened in 1778 and has been the site of many premieres of
talents such as Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, Donizzetti, Mascagni and
Puccini, to mention only those better known to a wider public. Devastated
by bombing and faithfully reconstructed, thanks largely to the energy
and tenacity of Arturo Toscanini, who raised funds even abroad,
it had its second inauguration in 1946 with the representation of
Rossini's "Gazza Ladra". Even nowadays a premiere at the
Scala constitutes a unique and unrepeatable occasion both for opera
lovers and for the fashionable set. The season traditionally opens
on 7 December, the feast of St. Ambrose, patron saint of the city.
You can enjoy opera, theatre, ballet and concerts here year-round,
except for during the month of August.
Piccolo Teatro
 One
of the most modern theatres in Milan, the Piccolo was founded in 1947
as Milan's first folk theatre.
Piccolo Teatro gained European acclaim under the brilliant director/actor
Giorgio Strehler.
Some of the best known and loved performances at the Piccolo include
the plays of Brecht and of course Strehler in his amazing interpretation
of Faust.
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Nightlife
Some of Italy's best clubs can be found in Milan. You'll find them
in the Brera, Navigli
and Porta Ticinese areas.
In Milan, the night has to be lived intensely and without preconceptions.
It is a night, which is elitist, tiring and black, stretching out
to lose itself in the damp, cold gray mornings. Up to 5 p.m. the locals
are normally at work. After work they go home, sleep a few hours,
and then go out at about 11 p.m. to join the throng, to cruise or
simply to dance, because in this kind of metropolis if you don't live
by night then you get left out.
Football
 Milan
is world famous for its football teams - AC Milan
and Inter Milan. They play on alternate
Sundays at the San Siro stadium and are
well worth catching. |
