Planning a visit to the Italian city of Milan? Here are some recommendations*. To view all the photographs (with the captions in full) of the city, click on any image and navigate using the left and right keys.

1. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Santa Maria delle Grazie (Church and Dominican Convent of the Holy Mary of Grace) contains the mural painting “The Last Supper”, by painter and sculptor Leonardo da Vinci. Even though I did get lost, the location is but a short walk from a nearby metro station, and entrance into the church is free.

2. For many who have visited grand European churches or cathedrals, this Gothic brick church in Milan may not be as spectacular, and would resonate more strongly with believers. There are smaller chapels on both sides of the Santa Maria delle Grazie, and while the general interior is relatively simple, there are also intricate sculptures and designs.

4. “The Last Supper” is contained not in the church itself, but in the adjoining rectory. The ignorant me thought that it was a canvas painting, though because the work has been studied and copied extensively the misperception is not uncommon. The masterpiece, arguably da Vinci’s most famous, has gone through a lot – bombings during the Second World War, when it was sandbagged, wear and tear, as well as the weather – and has deteriorated and flaked despite major restoration. Tickets must be reserved way in advance (unless one travels with a tour), and the 15-minute stay feels necessary before the painting is gone for good.

5. Built as a fortress and enlarged as a citadel centuries ago, the Castello Sforzesco (Sforza Castle) now houses art collections and museums of Milan. Across the compound the emblems of the city – a red cross on a white background, as well as the Bissa or Biscione, an azure serpent consuming a human child – can also be seen.

6. The city of Milan is hosting Expo 2015, with the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, which seems relevant with the ongoing discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals in the United Nations. To celebrate this Universal Exposition, banners displaying the flags of all the participating countries are hung along the main shopping district.

8. It took five centuries for the façade of Il Duomo to be completed, and the cathedral is adorned with stone pinnacles, thousands of marble statutes, and while marble. Because of its prominence and beauty, the outside is often crowded with pigeons, tourists, and peddlers. It costs two euros to enter the cathedral, eight to head up to the rooftop on foot.

13. Built in 1865 and completed in 1877, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a large shopping arcade. With its luxury shops, glass ceilings and domes, and delightful architecture consisting of iron and glass, the salon may have inspired similar locations around the world, such as the Marina Bay Sands shopping district in Singapore.

14. In the centre of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, there are tile insignias of four prominent Italian cities of the North, including Milan. One of them is the insignia of Turin – a rampant bull – and it has been said that individuals will be blessed with good luck, if they twirl around on their heels three times on the testicles of the bull on the floor. Over time, there is now an obvious hole for the twirls to be completed.
* Not an advertisement, and also not sponsored (unfortunately).
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