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Museums & Attractions<br />
Guidelines<br />
This directory, grouped by category, is a list<br />
of establishments recommended by the<br />
editors of <strong>Where</strong> Magazine and includes regular<br />
advertisers.<br />
MAP LOCATIONS<br />
Note that references in bold at the end of<br />
each listing (A1, B5 etc) refer to the coordinates<br />
on the street maps on pages 78-79.<br />
INFORMATION<br />
Places like the Duomo or the Last Supper are<br />
symbols of <strong>Milan</strong>, hence our decision to list them<br />
under a separate category.<br />
Museums displaying the red symbol are<br />
those entitling AmaMi Card holders<br />
either to free entrance or a discount on<br />
exhibitions. More information about<br />
AmaMi Card (where to buy it, how to use<br />
it and advantages) can be found on page 77 under<br />
“Essentials”.<br />
Navigli – The “Navigli” are artificial canals built<br />
800 years ago to ferry people and merchandise<br />
to <strong>Milan</strong>, to irrigate the fields and to defend the<br />
city. The network of canals was perfected in 1457<br />
by Leonardo da Vinci. Today, the area, bursting<br />
with trendy dining and nightlife spots, is one of<br />
the main hubs of the <strong>Milan</strong>ese movida. M2 Porta<br />
Genova FS. Map D7-E7<br />
“Pirellone” – Designed by the famous architect,<br />
Gio Ponti, it was inaugurated in 1960. Standing<br />
127.10 metres tall, until a few years ago, the Pirelli<br />
“skyscraper” was the highest building in <strong>Milan</strong>.<br />
Although today, even higher buildings are going<br />
up, the “Pirellone” (i.e. “big Pirelli”) still remains<br />
one of the symbols of the city. Open to visits<br />
on Saturday. Booking required. www.regione.<br />
lombardia.it. Piazza Duca d’Aosta. T: 02 45487400.<br />
M2-M3 Centrale FS. Map F1.<br />
Sant’Ambrogio – One of the most ancient<br />
churches in <strong>Milan</strong>, it was built by St Ambrose<br />
(patron of the city) in 379-386 A.D., in an area<br />
where numerous martyrs had been buried. The<br />
church is a wonderful example of Romanesque<br />
style. Open daily 9.30am-12.30am/2.30pm-<br />
6pm (Sun 3pm-pm). Admission free. www.<br />
santambrogio-basilica.it. Piazza Sant’Ambrogio,<br />
15. T: 02 86450895 (10am-noon/4pm-6 pm).<br />
M2 Sant’Ambrogio. Map D5<br />
Museums<br />
AcQUARIo di <strong>Milan</strong>o –<br />
Housed in a splendid Liberty-style building, it is<br />
one of the largest and oldest of its kind in Italy.<br />
Established in 1906 and restructured in 2006, it<br />
hosts 36 gigantic pools filled with more than 100<br />
species of fish, living in recreated environments<br />
ranging from the Amazon to the Mediterranean.<br />
The main focus of the pools is more towards<br />
native Italian fish, both fresh and saltwater, and<br />
plenty of exotic sea life from other continents.<br />
The aquarium hosts events whole suitable for the<br />
family and the library is one of the most important<br />
resources for marine biology and oceanic studies<br />
in Italy. Open Tues-Sun 9am-1pm/2pm-5.30pm.<br />
www.acquariocivicomilano.eu. Viale G. Gadio, 2.<br />
T: 02 88465750. M2 Lanza. Map E4<br />
AMBROSIANA PICTURE GALLERY – The<br />
“Ambrosiana” contains several exquisite works<br />
of art from the 15th through 17th centuries and<br />
includes “The musician”, attributed to Leonardo,<br />
Raphael’s cartoon for the “School of Athens”<br />
fresco and Caravaggio’s “Basket of fruit”. The<br />
Ambrosiana will be exhibiting Leonardo’s entire<br />
“Codice Atlantico” (Atlantic Codex) until 2015, 44<br />
or 45 pages at a time for three months at a stretch<br />
– the longest the International archival norms will<br />
allow such documents to be exposed to light.<br />
Open Tues-Sun 9am-7pm. Admission fee €15, €10<br />
for the adjacent Bramante Sacristy, €20 for group<br />
tickets. www.ambrosiana.it. Piazza Pio XI, 2.<br />
T: 02 806921. M1-M3 Duomo. Map F5<br />
BOSCHI DI STEFANO HOME MUSEUM – Once<br />
inhabited by the married couple Antonio Boschi<br />
and Marieda Di Stefano, the Boschi Di Stefano<br />
Home Museum has been open to the public<br />
since February 2003. The collection–paintings,<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
sculptures and drawings – is an extraordinary<br />
testimony to the history of Twentieth Century<br />
Italian art. Open Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. Free<br />
admission. www.fondazioneboschidistefano.it.<br />
Via G. Jan, 15. T: 02 74281000. M1 Lima. Off map<br />
CIVIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM –<br />
Found in the cloister of an old monastery – the<br />
Monastero Maggiore di San Maurizio – dating<br />
back to the 8th century A.D., it houses Greek,<br />
Etruscan, Roman and medieval works of art<br />
(the Dark Ages section is temporarily closed).<br />
Conversely, prehistoric and Egyptian art are<br />
housed in the Castello Sforzesco. Open Tues-<br />
Sun 9am-1pm/2pm-5.30pm. Full price ticket €2.<br />
www.comune.milano.it. Corso Magenta, 15. T: 02<br />
86450011. M1-M2 Cadorna FN; M1 Cairoli. Map E5<br />
CONTEMPORARY HISTORY MUSEUM – Heir to the<br />
former “War Museum”, it exhibits material related<br />
to the two World Wars: paintings and sculptures<br />
but also memorabilia, banners, weapons, official<br />
documents and private letters. Open Tues-<br />
Sun 9am-1pm/2pm-5.30pm. Free admission.<br />
www.museodimilano.mi.it. Via Sant’Andrea, 6.<br />
T: 02 88465933/76006964. M1 San Babila; M3<br />
Montenapoleone. Map G4<br />
FONDAZIONE ARNALDO POMODORO – The<br />
Foundation, which was established in 1995 and<br />
in 1997 officially recognized by the Ministry<br />
of Culture obtained definitive recognition as<br />
a museum from the Region of Lombardy in<br />
2007. According to its statute, the purpose<br />
of the Foundation is to guarantee correct<br />
information concerning all the works of the<br />
Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, and to<br />
promote detailed information regarding the<br />
founder’s oeuvre, for both the general public<br />
and as an educational tool for art schools. Open<br />
Wed-Sun 11am-7pm; Thu 11am-10pm. Admission<br />
photo credit goes here<br />
SCALA (LA) – The world’s premier opera house,<br />
built at the behest of Empress Maria Teresa<br />
of Austria and designed by Piermarini, it<br />
was inaugurated in 1778 with an opera by<br />
Antonio Salieri. For more information, also see<br />
“Entertainment”. www.teatroallascala.org. Piazza<br />
della Scala. T: 02 72003744. Open daily 9am-6pm.<br />
Closed on November 1. M1-M3 Duomo; M3<br />
Montenapoleone. Map F4<br />
Stazione Centrale – The Central Railway<br />
Station, the largest rail hub in Italy, is also an<br />
impressive work of architecture. Inaugurated in<br />
1931, it is characterized by an imposing white<br />
stone facade. Platform 21 has a commemorative<br />
plaque testifying to the deportation of the Jews<br />
between 1943-44. Piazza Duca d’Aosta. M2-M3<br />
Centrale FS. Map H1<br />
The Last Supper<br />
One of the most famous attractions in the world, “L’Ultima<br />
Cena” or “Cenacolo” by Leonardo da Vinci is a 15th century large<br />
mural painting representing the scene of the last supper of<br />
Jesus narrated in the Gospel. It can be found in the church of<br />
Santa Maria delle Grazie. www.cenacolovinciano.net. (p. 70)<br />
www.wheretraveler.com 71
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