WHAT I SAW: MILAN
Milan has wonderful museums too!
The main public gallery for paintings in Milan, contains one of the foremost collections of Italian paintings, from the 13th to the 20th century. Giant gold frames containing Italian Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces are luxuriously hung in vast, high ceilinged rooms. Here’s a video I took for my son back in LA to share the wonder:
Personal delights: Francesco Hayez’s The Kiss (Naturalmente!) and Andrea Mantegna’s San Luca Altarpiece will give you wonderful chills of energy and delight.
While at Pinacoteca don’t miss just a short walk away: The newly opened, Palazzo Citterio. 50 years in the making, this 18th century space is now filled with 200 modern and contemporary works.
It’s a great juxtaposition between architecture and content and time periods co-existing as if observing one another.
A hub for culture in this historic palace, I saw a fantastic Picasso exhibit while there. The juxtaposition of the setting of its grand halls and staircase and the modern Picassos tucked inside jolted like a second cup of espresso…
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And if modern art is your thing then certainly don’t miss…
Dedicated to 20th-century Italian art, it also has an elegant café and its upper floors offer great views of the Duomo.
It’s the ossuary you must visit : the small space adjacent to the church that’s lined with human bones and skulls that were originally placed in the 16th century while the church was being expanded.
The contrast between the Tim Burtonesque arrangement of the bones against the celestial fresco of the ceiling haloed above them is strangely surreal:
It’s a two for one visit: the Pinacoteca is the art gallery, established in 1618 and features Caravaggios and Raphaels. The Ambrosiana is the historic library containing rare manuscripts and ancient books, especially Codex Atlanticus, the largest collection of Leonardo da Vinci’s collection of drawings and masterful inventions. To see them in person is the closest you can feel to his genius.
Located just south of the city center, this former gin distillery, blends its industrial heritage with modern applications. Among several buildings (including a cinema) the highlight is a ten-story exhibition tower, with each floor offering a unique experience of art with both permanent and temporary installations:
Don’t miss afterwards stopping in the Wes Anderson-designed on site cafe, Bar Luce, complete with Formica tables, pastel-covered walls and decadent hot chocolate.
