Entertainment

Art & Culture

Milan has plenty to offer in terms of great entertainment, culture and art… Need a little persuasion? The city has the famous Pinacoteca di Brera (the Brera Art Gallery) and the Museo Cenacolo Vinciano, which houses artefacts relating to the Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper as well as the famous fresco itself.

There are a host of museums spread out all over the city. It would take a long time to explore all of them; the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia (Museum of Science and Technology) is a definite must for boffins and future Einsteins, and will take a good two hours to see everything. If you only have time to visit the city center, there are plenty of museums to see; in fact, there is a circuit of five museums known as the "Museums of the Center". These museums cover everything from the Revival period (Museo del Risorgimento, Museum of the Risorgimento) to contemporary history, stopping at the Museo di Milano, Museum of the History of Milan. Piazza Duomo itself has the Duomo Museum, filled with tapestries, stained glass and clerical vestments.

Milan is rich with history, and close to the center stands the Castello Sforzesco, which has interesting archaeological and numismatic collections. Again, this can be quite time-consuming, but you can take advantage of the gorgeous park behind to sit and have a picnic before pressing on. There are also two private homes (Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi and Museo Poldi Pezzoli ), perhaps not quite as grand as the Castle but just as interesting, which have been turned into museums and display textiles, furnishings and paintings.

If you prefer art, there are many art galleries here, such as the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana , the Civica Galleria d'Arte Moderna, and the Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea. In these museums, you are bound to find paintings, sculptures and sketches to suit your tastes and you will always find a new exhibition somewhere.

Theatre & Music

If you are more interested in the theater and opera, one name springs to mind: the world-famous Scala; but the city has many other theaters, offering hundreds of shows. The principle theaters include: the traditional Teatro San Babila, the Piccolo Teatro, founded by Strehler, and the Teatro Franco Parenti, which has devoted recent seasons to European culture. Milan has also recently rediscovered its passion for ballet and big-name musicals, such as Singin' in the Rain, The Sound of Music and the eternal Rocky Horror Show. Many of these are staged at the Teatro Ventaglio Nazionale and Teatro Ventaglio Smeraldo.

Milan is a city of music, too. If you like classical music, then the Scala is home to a major symphony orchestra. Both the Conservatorio and the Chiostro host lyrical concerts. Jazz and Blues can be heard wafting down the Navigli canal from places such as Scimmie, home to modern jazz. For the more youthful, there are lots of discotheques, often playing live music, and many of the stadiums outside the city are used for major concerts.

Cinema

Cinema is also very popular in Milan; the center of town is filled with multi-screens, which are always busy. There are also multiplexes on the outskirts (with much better parking facilities than the center) that show blockbusters, but there are also many independents that show original language and experimental films, and these cinemas have a charm and a decor all their own!

Nightlife

Milan has a lively, dynamic atmosphere day and night. The most crowded and trendiest nightspots are in the Brera, Ticinese and Navigli districts. Most of the fashionable bars are in Ticinese. The Navigli area is considered by some to be slightly retro, but is still adored by many; filled with lots of "boho" bars, it is just the place to go with a group of friends or in the company of your paramour. Brera and Isola are known as Milan's original hotspots; every bar here is fantastic. Glamor oozes from every door and this is a great area for an evening stroll. There is a huge amount of choice when it comes to clubs, discos and bars. Thursdays are best at De Sade, Friday is the day to go to Shocking Club and Hollywood is cool any time, any day!

Milan is so cosmopolitan that it has something for everyone; you are strongly advised to go and explore this incredible city.