10 Things to do in Centro Storico That You Shouldn't Miss

For sheer belle époque splendor, this extravagant 19th-century glass-topped, barrel-vaulted tunnel serves as a lively, noisy and colorful shopping mall, teeming with life and inviting you to people-watching from the tables that spill from the Galleria's many bars and restaurants.

The Bagatti Valsecchi Museum is a historic house museum that exquisitely expresses an extraordinary adventure of collecting at the end of the 19th century. The protagonists were two brothers: the Barons Fausto and Giuseppe Bagatti Valsecchi.

This fine museum houses an exquisite collection of art, furnishings and historic arms, including Antonio Pollaiuolo's "Portrait of a Lady," which has become an icon for Milan's own style and elegance.

One of the world's most famous paintings, Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" (1495-97), is displayed here.

The Duomo, symbol of Milan in the world, is one of the largest cathedrals in Italy and Europe. Patrimony of Milanese people and humanity, over the centuries it has been expressing, with its magnificence, the devotion of humanity toward the Divine, involving future generations in an endless commitment. The Milan Cathedral, besides being an artistic monument, is a privileged place of prayer, deeply linked to the memory and teachings of the Bishops who succeeded on St. Ambrose's chair, and to the history of the millions of worshippers who, every year, gather in this place to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries. The Cathedral is the mother Church of the Diocese, having a symbolic role of exemplarity both in the life of the city worship, and in relation with the Diocese activity.

This world-renowned opera house was built in 1778, where many composers wrote and conducted works including such greats as Rossini, Puccini, Verdi and Toscanini.

This busy and vibrant city square features the gothic cathedral, one of the largest in Europe.

An artsy, bohemian-type neighborhood hosting a number of high-quality leather shops, great for purses, shoes and clothes.

The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana was established in April 1618, when Cardinal Federico Borromeo donated his collection of paintings, drawings and statues to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, which he had founded in 1607. Inside the Pinacoteca's expositive path, articulated in 24 rooms, we can admire some of the greatest masterpieces of all times, like The Musician by Leonardo, The Basket of Fruit by Caravaggio, The cartoon for the School of Athens by Raphael , the Adoration of the Magi by Titian, the Madonna del Padiglione by Sandro Botticelli and the magnificent Vases of Flowers by Jan Brueghel. In addition to Renaissance artworks, the museum's collections include paintings by important 17th century Lombard artists (like Morazzone, Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Daniele Crespi and Carlo Francesco Nuvolone) as well as 18th century artists like Giandomenico Tiepolo, Fra' Galgario, Francesco Londonio, and also a notable cluster of 19th and early 20th centuries authors like Andrea Appiani, Francesco Hayez and Emilio Longoni. Walking from a room to another you can also discover a series of genuine curiosities, like the gloves that Napoleon wore at Waterloo, the armillary spheres from the Settala Collection, or the case that keeps a lock of Lucrezia Borgia's hair, in front of which many famous poets like Gabriele D'Annunzio and Lord Byron came to take inspiration. The ideal end of the visit is the Biblioteca Ambrosiana's old 17th century reading room, the Federiciana Room, which is the frame for the Codex Atlanticus exhibition.