Milan is the cultural capital of fashion and design. As Italy’s most elegant city, its mix of contemporary fashion, classic art, and rich attractions makes it the perfect location for an aesthetic trip to Europe.
Regarded as one of the most exciting cities to visit in Europe, Milan has plenty to discover. Whether you’re here for high-end fashion or some of the best art and design museums Italy has to offer, you certainly won’t run out of things to do.
Read on as we walk you through Italy’s design capital and reveal the hottest locations to enjoy an art-infused trip to Milan.
See The Last Supper
For historical art fanatics, you’ll be pleased to know that Milan is home to one of the most famous paintings in the world.
(Image Source: The Last Supper: TimeOut)
The Last Supper, painted by the iconic Leonardo Da Vinci, is on the wall of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie and is an absolute must-see for art history buffs. Painted between 1494 and 1498, this four-year mural commemorates the last supper of Jesus and his disciples.
To see the painting, you can book tickets online to the Santa Maria delle Grazie museum or take a walking tour of Milan that includes a stop at The Last Supper.
Sample Contemporary Fashion In Fondazione Prada
For fashion lovers, Milan is brimming with high-end designer shops, catwalk events, and high-street style. However, for those wanting to delve deeper into the creations of one luxury fashion house in particular, Fondazione Prada is the place to be.
(Image Source: Fondazione Prada)
Located on the south side of Milan, the Fondazione is Prada’s newest museum, exploring more than just fashion design.
Opening in a former gin distillery built back in 1910, architect Rem Koolhaas has collaborated with Prada to take a contemporary approach to the building’s regeneration.
Inside, you’ll find contemporary art exhibitions, live shows, and guided tours of the Haunted House, a four-story building enveloped in gold leaf.
While the Fondazione is not directly dedicated to fashion, it still maintains Prada’s elegant essence. It’s the place to be for a closer look at some of their inspirations and out-of-the-box designs.
Step Into Wes Anderson’s World In Bar Luce
Bar Luce is also located in the Fondazione and is an absolutely unmissable cafe experience if you’re a Wes Anderson fan.
(Image Source: Bar Luce at the Fondazione: Designboom)
Designed in an Art-Deco style by the director himself. Bar Luce mimics some of the scenes in famous films like The Grand Budapest Hotel and French Dispatch and is a great Instagrammable city spot to visit.
You can’t help but love its retro Formica chairs, bright pastel hues, and, of course, its architectural flourishes, which pay homage to the famous Milan landmark, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.
Enjoy The Classics In The Brera Museum
For classic art lovers, Milan has you covered. The Brera Museum is the largest classical art museum Milan has to offer, packed full of iconic paintings, an extensive collection of late Leonardo Da Vinci notebooks and some of the first still-life pieces the world ever saw.
To mention just a few of the famous installations, visitors can see The Lamentation of Christ (1480) by Andrea Mantegna and his Renaissance classic, Marriage of the Virgin (1504).
(Image Source: The Pinacoteca of Brera: Visit Italy)
Your ticket also gets you into two partner galleries, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, which are home to the still-life sensation Caravaggio ‘Basket of Fruit’ at Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and the Codex Atlanticus at Biblioteca Ambrosiana.
For Da Vinci lovers, don’t forget to also scope out Biblioteca’s basement gallery for a 1487 musician portrait by the artist.
Get A Taste Of Italian Innovation At The Museum of Italian Design
Last but not least, Milan is home to Trienniale, the Museum of Italian Design, a brilliant hub for commemorating innovation across the country.
(Image Source: Italian Museum Of Design: Dezeen)
Italy is known for designing some of the best things in the world, including cars, lighting designs, furniture, and electronics.
With over 1600 objects within the museum itself, you can take a walk down design memory lane and watch the country flourish as an innovative design hub right before your eyes.
Trienniale, the Museum of Italian Design, primarily stocks artefacts made in Italy between 1940 and 1980, making it one of the more contemporary museum tours on this trip.
Time To Take An Artistic Tour Around The City
If you’re a first-time traveller to Milan, make sure to check out some of the best in-design locations the city has to offer.
From classic galleries to fashion-house installations, Milan certainly knows how to appear to art fanatics. Milan is a stylish Italian hub from the inside out, so a trip to this design capital will leave you wanting more.
