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Six ‘secret’ places in Milan you need to visit

From the Duomo to the Castello Sforzesco, Milan’s most popular sights are in no way safe from overcrowding, especially during the warm season. Here are six of the northern city’s best hidden attractions to escape the tourist crush.

Published: 22 May 2023 16:45 CEST
Milan's Cimitero Monumentale
A view of Milan's Cimitero Monumentale, in the north of the city. Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP

Though it may not have the artistic cachet of Rome or Florence, Milan has no shortage of world-famous attractions, with hundreds of thousands of people visiting the city every year. 

But, as in the case of nearly all major tourist destinations around the country, the northern capital’s most popular sights – from the iconic Duomo to the imposing Castello Sforzesco – tend to get extremely (and often hopelessly) crowded during the warm months. 

So, if you’re not exactly a fan of long queues and packed tours, is there a way you can escape the crowds while still making the most of the city?

Luckily, Milan has plenty of hidden gems which attract smaller numbers of visitors but are just as enjoyable as some of the more popular attractions. So, here are six of the city’s best ‘secret’ places.

Stroll through Leonardo’s Vineyard

While he was born and raised in Florence, Renaissance mastermind Leonardo da Vinci spent most of his adult life in Milan.

In 1498, Milan’s Duke Ludovico Sforza thanked Leonardo for his services by gifting him with a beautiful vineyard located just 10 minutes away from the Castello Sforzesco.

Thanks to large-scale recovery works undertaken in 2015, the vineyard looks now just as it looked in the eyes of its former owner some 500 years ago, also producing its own wine, Milan’s Malvasia, since 2018. 

Tickets to the Vigna di Leonardo also give access to the adjacent Casa degli Atellani, a historic 15th-century mansion boasting prestigious fresco paintings. 

Get lost inside the Necchi-Campiglio Villa

Built between 1932 and 1935 for a family of well-heeled Lombard industrialists, the Necchi-Campiglio Villa is one of the best-preserved examples of 20th-century high-society urban residences. 

Located at the heart of the elegant Quadrilatero del Silenzio district, the luxurious villa is known for its marble art deco features and its impressive modern art collection.

The property is also surrounded by a verdant, magnolia-dotted garden, which makes for an idyllic place to wind down on a sunny day.

Marvel at the Basilica of Sant’Eustorgio and its ‘rainbow dome’

Located in the south of the city, close to the popular Navigli area, the Romanesque-style Basilica of Sant’Eustorgio is often overlooked by experienced locals as well as international visitors. 

The church, which boasts the tallest bell tower in Milan, holds one of the most celebrated examples of Renaissance art in Italy: the striking Portinari Chapel.

Decorated with frescoes by art master Vincenzo Foppa, the chapel culminates in a majestic polychrome dome which is often referred to as ‘cupola arcobaleno’ (‘rainbow dome’).

Take a walk in the city’s Monumental Cemetery

You may have a hard time thinking of a cemetery as a city attraction (and rightly so), but Milan’s Cimitero Monumentale is not an ordinary cemetery, by any stretch of the imagination. 

Built in 1866, the site has an endless array of spectacular architectural works (chapels, mausoleums, temples, etc.) and sculptures, including a scaled-down version of Rome’s Trajan Column. 

The cemetery, which measures over 250,000 square metres, is also known for its commanding Neo-medieval marble entrance.

Turn back the hands of time at the Alfa Romeo Museum

Located in a former car factory in Arese, about 12 kilometres northwest of Milan, the Alfa Romeo Museum tells the story of the glorious Milan-born manufacturer. 

Classic Alfa Romeo cars

Classic Alfa Romeo cars on display at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, just outside Milan. Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

From the HP 24 – the first-ever Alfa Romeo vehicle – to the latest Tonale model, the museum chronicles a 112-year journey through speed, technology and unique aesthetics.

Discover Milan’s ‘Sistine Chapel’

As ordinary as it might look from outside, the Chiesa di San Maurizio is anything but on the inside. 

Once part of the largest female Benedictine monastery in Milan, the Baroque-style church is one of the city’s best-hidden treasures.

Suffice to say that the superb fresco paintings covering the building’s walls and parts of its ceiling have earned it the moniker of Milan’s ‘Sistine Chapel’.

Music buffs will also be happy to know that the church’s choir loft is home to a pipe organ dating back to 1554. 

Bonus item: Enter Casa Rossi and look up

At number 12 of Corso Magenta, less than 50 metres away from the Chiesa di San Maurizio, you’ll find Casa Rossi, an elegant neo-Renaissance building designed by architect Giuseppe Pestagalli in the 1860s.

But, the real surprise lies just behind the building’s main entrance as an internal courtyard of Greek-reminiscent style carves a perfectly octagonal shape out of the Milan sky.

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What’s on: 9 unmissable events taking place around Italy in August 2024

As everyone prepares for the long summer holidays, Italy's cultural calendar fills up with all sorts of open-air events and festivals. From high-energy races to a nationwide stargazing festival, here are nine picks for things to do this August.

Published: 25 July 2024 12:19 CEST
What's on: 9 unmissable events taking place around Italy in August 2024

Palio del Golfo, La Spezia, Liguria: August 4th

The Palio del Golfo is a spectacular rowing race held every year on the first Sunday of August which sees four-man teams from each of the 13 seaside villages lining the Gulf of La Spezia, Liguria, vie for the top spot of the podium.

The race is held in the waters facing La Spezia’s Morin promenade, and is followed by a firework show.

Miracolo della Neve, Rome: August 5th

Every year on August 5th Rome celebrates the Madonna della Neve (or Our Lady of the Snows) by recreating a miraculous summer snowfall that, according to legend, covered the Esquiline Hill in 358 AD, tracing the outline of the future Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.

Annual celebrations include an artificial snowfall spectacle, a shower of white rose petals, and a spectacular light display illuminating the basilica’s facade amid a live music performance from Italy’s Carabinieri orchestra.

The Summer Snow Miracle, held on August 5th every year, is one of Rome's most evocative cultural events during the summer.

The Summer Snow Miracle, held on August 5th every year, is one of Rome’s most evocative cultural events during the summer. Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP

Notte di San Lorenzo, nationwide: August 10th

The Notte di San Lorenzo (or Night of Saint Lawrence) is one of the most magical nights of the summer in Italy as thousands of locals gather at outdoor stargazing spots in hope of seeing shooting stars cross the sky.  

August 10th and the days immediately around it are the best time of year to catch the annual Perseid meteor shower (debris from the Swift-Tuttle Comet catching fire as it collides with the Earth’s atmosphere), with up to 100 stelle cadenti etching the night sky every hour.

Towns around the country may hold special stargazing events on the day, but if you’re not in the mood for an organised activity, you won’t struggle to find quiet spots to gaze skyward, even in major cities.

Ferragosto, nationwide: August 15th

The Ferragosto national holiday, falling on August 15th every year, marks the peak of Italy’s summer vacation season. 

Though it is celebrated on the same day as the Catholic Assumption of Mary holiday, Ferragosto has pagan roots as it traces back to the Feriae Augusti – festivals introduced by Roman emperor Augustus in 18 BC to give farmers a period of rest following harvest season.

Despite being Italy’s most important summer holiday, Ferragosto is typically fairly low-key, with most Italians taking the whole week around the feast off work and heading to the beach. 

Ferragosto, Italy

Most Italians head to the beach on the Ferragosto public holiday, falling on August 15th every year. Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP

Cookouts and seaside barbecues are among the most popular activities of the day around the country.

Palio di Siena, Tuscany: August 16th

The Palio di Siena is one of the most popular horse races in the world, with ten of the city’s 17 contrade districts competing against each other in an intense three-lap race around oval-shaped Piazza del Campo.

First held in 1633, the race takes place twice a year: on July 2nd and August 16th. The July palio is called Palio di Provenzano, whereas the August one is known as Palio dell’Assunta as a homage to the Assumption of Mary, celebrated on August 15th. 

A number of events are held in the days leading up to the race, including several trial runs and the momentous tratta (draw), where each competing contrada is randomly assigned a horse.

Notte della Taranta, Melpignano, Puglia: August 24th

One of the most hotly anticipated events of the Pugliese summer is the Notte della Taranta, taking place in Melpignano, just outside Lecce, on August 24th.

It’s a night of high-energy pizzica, a folk dance owing its name to the legend that anyone bitten by a tarantula would have to dance in a frenzy for days to flush out the venom.

Bravio delle Botti, Montepulciano, Tuscany: August 25th

The Bravio delle Botti, which takes place every year on the last Sunday of August in Montepulciano, southern Tuscany, is one of Italy’s oddest contests. 

Two-man teams of ‘pushers’ (or spingitori) representing Montepulciano’s eight contrade districts compete to be the first to roll an 80-kilogram wooden barrel through the streets of the historic centre.

The total distance is around 1700 metres and is uphill for nearly the entire course, with collisions between contestants being far from rare.

Suoni delle Dolomiti, Trento Dolomites: August 28th-September 29th

Once you’ve soaked up all the August sun Italy’s beaches have to offer, why not see out the end of the summer by heading up north to the Trento Dolomites and experiencing live music performances immersed in nature.

The four-week-long Suoni delle Dolomiti music festival takes place in different locations around the Trento province, set against spectacular mountain backdrops, some of which can only be reached by a trek.

Venice Film Festival: August 28th-September 7th

If you want to rub shoulders with cinema stars in Italy, there’s no better time and place to do so than Venice from late August to early September.

Founded in 1932, the Venice Film Festival is the oldest of its kind in the world, with the Golden Lion being one of the most prestigious and distinguished prizes in the film industry.

The 2024 edition of the festival will run from August 28th to September 7th, with stars of the likes of Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Hollywood pals George Clooney and Brad Pitt all expected on the red carpet.

Do you have an August event that you’d like us to highlight? Let us know in the comments section below.

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