The real Milan is inside these 11 museums

Built between 1931 and 1933 to a design by Giovanni Muzio to house the 5th Triennale, the Palazzo dell’Arte is one of the buildings that tells the story of 20th-century Milan. The rationalist-style building, which still houses the Triennale di Milano, towers over Parco Sempione in lively dialogue with other monuments in the city: Castello Sforzesco, Arena Civica, Arco della Pace, and the nearby Torre Branca, designed by Gio Ponti specifically for the 5th Triennale. Inside, the Palazzo dell'Arte preserves significant evidence of the integration between architecture and visual arts desired by Giovanni Muzio. In the atrium, you can see the large floor mosaic depicting the Cavalcata delle Amazzoni (Cavalcade of the Amazons), created by Achille Funi and Leonor Fini, while the Salone d'Onore houses Gino Severini's mosaic Le Arti. Today, it hosts the Italian Design Museum, the Teatro dell'Arte, and temporary exhibitions, maintaining the original flexibility of the spaces, which has been revised and guided over the decades by the interventions of Gae Aulenti, Umberto Riva, and Angelo Cortesi in 1983, and then in 2002 by Michele De Lucchi, who reorganized the common areas and the Impluvium. Outside, in the rear garden overlooking Parco Sempione, are Giorgio de Chirico's famous Bagni Misteriosi (Mysterious Baths), a fountain-sculpture created in 1973 for the XV Triennale, which extends the journey between art and architecture into the open space of the park. In recent years, the “Back to Muzio” project has further reorganized the institution's spaces, looking back to the original 1933 design, an example of which is the relocation of the restaurant to the park level. Viale Emilio Alemagna 6, 20121 Milan

The Castello Sforzesco is undoubtedly one of the most visited places in the city, but perhaps also one of the most forgotten by the Milanese, who are always on the lookout for something new. Originally a defensive structure and later transformed into a palace of power, the Castello Sforzesco is one of the places that best illustrates the historical, urban, and symbolic stratification of Milan. Built in the 14th century on the site of the Castello di Porta Giovia and enlarged under the Visconti and, above all, the Sforza families, the complex takes the form of a large quadrangular brick fortress, organized around successive courtyards, corner towers, and imposing walls. The Filarete Tower, destroyed in 1521, was rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century to a design by architect Luca Beltrami, re-establishing the monumental axis towards the historic center. With Beltrami's design, the Castle was transformed into a museum complex and now houses eight civic museums, including the Archaeological Museum, whose Egyptian section has recently been reopened to the public, the Art Gallery, where masterpieces of Milanese and Lombard painting from the 15th to the 18th century are on display, the Museum of Decorative Arts, which also houses works by Gio Ponti, Arturo Martini, and Pietro Melandri, and the Museum of Musical Instruments, which preserves the equipment from the RAI Phonology Studio in Milan, where Luigi Nono, John Cage, and Henri Pousseur, among others, wrote numerous pieces of electronic music. Particularly noteworthy are the Sala delle Asse, decorated by Leonardo da Vinci, which is once again accessible, and the Museo della Pietà Rondanini, which houses Michelangelo's last work in a dedicated exhibition. Piazza Castello, 20121 Milan

The current headquarters of the Prada Foundation, inaugurated in 2015 and designed by OMA/Rem Koolhaas, is one of the most significant examples of architectural reuse in Milan, so much so that it has given its name to the neighborhood in which it is located, known as SouPra (South of Prada). The complex is the result of the conversion of a former industrial distillery from the early 20th century, whose various buildings have been preserved and enhanced, avoiding a unified recomposition in favor of a plurality of volumes and spaces. The preservation of the existing buildings is complemented by three new constructions—Podium, Cinema, and Tower—which expand the repertoire of building types intended for exhibition projects and for sharing art in its many forms with the public. Located in Largo Isarco, in the southern part of Milan, the complex covers a total area of approximately 19,000 square meters and is configured as a multifaceted cultural campus. The 60-meter-high Torre, built in exposed white structural concrete, marks the completion of the project: its nine levels feature exhibition spaces that vary in scale and light quality. Also not to be missed are the two venues dedicated to conviviality: the Torre restaurant, designed by Rem Koolhaas in 2018, with a panoramic view and works of art displayed throughout the bar and restaurant area, and Bar Luce, designed by American director Wes Anderson in 2015, where you can experience the atmosphere of a typical old Milanese café. Largo Isarco 2, 20139 Milan

Villa Necchi Campiglio is a real gem tucked away in the heart of Milan, which every architect or architecture enthusiast should visit at least once in their lifetime. Designed by Piero Portaluppi between 1932 and 1935, it is one of the finest examples of bourgeois residential architecture in 1930s Milan. Commissioned by the Necchi Campiglio family, owners of an Italian company operating in the metallurgical sector, known mainly for the production of sewing machines, the villa combines rationalism and Art Deco influences with high-quality materials and extraordinary attention to domestic comfort, featuring technological solutions that were advanced for the time, such as a swimming pool, installed for the first time in Milan in a private residence. In 1938, some changes were made to the exterior and interior furnishings by architect Tomaso Buzzi (1900-1981). Transformed into a house museum in 2008, it also houses two art collections: the De' Micheli Collection, with works from 18th-century Venice, and the Sforni Collection, with drawings by Modigliani, Picasso, Fontana, and other 20th-century masters. Via Mozart, 14, 20122 Milan

Casa Corbellini-Wassermann, the Milanese headquarters of the Massimo De Carlo gallery, is one of the most representative examples of Milanese rationalism in the 1930s. Designed by Piero Portaluppi and built between 1934 and 1936 in Viale Lombardia, in the Città Studi area, the building was originally designed as a private residence for the Corbellini and Wassermann families. The façade, clad in gray and pink Ornavasso marble, is accompanied on the garden side by a spiral staircase that was part of the Casa del Sabato per gli Sposi (Saturday House for Newlyweds), which was exhibited at the 5th Milan Triennale, designed by Portaluppi himself in collaboration with the BBPR studio. The first-floor apartment, which houses the gallery, features a variety of precious marbles, including Alpi Cesana green, Issorie green, Roja green, and Carrara white. In 2019, the Studio Binocle completed the philological restoration of the apartment, with the advice of Antonio Citterio, which aimed to enhance the original structures that now interact with the works of the artists represented by the gallery. Viale Lombardia 17, 20131, Milan

The Milan Pavilion of Contemporary Art, designed by Ignazio Gardella and inaugurated in 1954, is one of the cornerstones of Italian modernism after World War II and one of the first examples in Italy of architecture designed specifically for contemporary art, similar to European Kunsthallen. Located in the heart of the city next to the Porta Venezia Gardens and the Villa Reale, the PAC, with its approximately 1,200 square meters of exhibition space, is housed within the perimeter of the former stables of the Villa Reale, creating a trapezoidal layout organized on three levels. The lower level, in direct dialogue with the garden through a large glass window, was originally intended for sculpture; the upper level, lit by adjustable skylights, housed paintings; the third level, an artificially lit elevated gallery, was designed for drawings, prints, and photography. The three spaces revolve around a central core, creating oblique views and continuous visual relationships between the rooms. Partially destroyed in a mafia attack on July 27, 1993, and rebuilt in accordance with the original design, the PAC continues to host high-profile temporary exhibitions, with only one permanent work, Fausto Melotti's Sette Savi (1981), large marble sculptures that seem to observe visitors from the garden. Via Palestro, 14, 20121 Milan

Palazzo Citterio is an 18th-century building located in the heart of Brera, which has undergone a long and complex transformation. Built by the family of the same name and purchased by the state in 1972 to make it part of the Grande Brera project, in the early 1980s, the Amici di Brera association commissioned James Stirling to draw up plans for the renovation and extension of the building, with the aim of transforming it into a museum of international standing. The British architect's design also included an underground area in brutalist style, which is now the Stirling Room. Stirling's project encountered several obstacles during its implementation, so much so that the complete restoration of the building was only completed in 2024, when it reopened to the public. The current layout is the result of a project by Mario Cucinella, whose studio reinterpreted the building as a dynamic cultural space for modern and contemporary art, redefining the entrance, courtyard, and exhibition spaces. The inner courtyard houses the “Tempietto,” a circular wooden structure inspired by Renaissance elements such as Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin. The main floor displays 20th-century masterpieces from the Jesi and Vitali collections, including works by Umberto Boccioni, Amedeo Modigliani, Giorgio Morandi, Pablo Picasso, and Filippo de Pisis, documenting the main European artistic movements from Futurism to Metaphysical Art. Palazzo Citterio, together with the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Braidense National Library, is part of La Grande Brera, a unique cultural system that connects these three extraordinary Milanese institutions. Via Brera 12-14, 20121 Milan

Pirelli HangarBicocca is one of the most impressive examples of the renovation of an industrial building transformed into an exhibition space for contemporary art. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the Bicocca district in northern Milan was effectively the city's industrial district, home to the production facilities of large companies such as Breda, Pirelli, Falck, and Marelli. The complex, part of the former production area of Breda Elettromeccanica e Locomotive, originally consisted of three production buildings and warehouses: the Shed, with exposed brickwork, gabled roofs, and skylights; the Cubo, with a barrel vaulted ceiling, added in 1955; and the large three-aisled factory building constructed between 1963 and 1965 for the transformer department. These buildings, which have remained virtually intact in terms of size, were restored and converted into exhibition spaces in 2004, thanks to Pirelli. Open to the public since 2004, Pirelli HangarBicocca houses one of the most impressive site-specific installations by German artist Anselm Kiefer, The Seven Heavenly Palaces, seven towers weighing 90 tons each and varying in height between thirteen and nineteen meters, made of reinforced concrete and enriched in 2015 by five large canvases signed by the artist himself. A second permanent work is installed in the garden at the entrance, La Sequenza by Italian artist Fausto Melotti (since 2010), which connects the exhibition space with the outside, alongside the mural by Tunisian-French artist El Seed, Waves Only Exist Because the Wind Blows (2024). The remaining spaces, Navate, Cubo, and Shed, are dedicated to temporary exhibitions curated by the foundation, with the aim of promoting contemporary art—working with both artists at the beginning of their careers and internationally renowned artists—and spreading awareness of it, guaranteeing free access to all visitors. Via Chiese 2, 20126 Milan

Among Piero Portaluppi's most significant works in Milan, we cannot fail to mention the Boschi Di Stefano House-Museum, built between 1929 and 1930 as a modern bourgeois residence. The house, inhabited for decades by collectors Antonio Boschi and Marieda Di Stefano, preserves its original domestic layout and has been transformed into a museum without altering its structure or private atmosphere. The apartment, located on the top floor of a building designed by Portaluppi himself in Via Giorgio Jan, retains its original furnishings, floors, windows, and spatial solutions, which preserve the character of 20th-century living intact. Modern architecture thus becomes the setting for one of the most important collections of 20th-century Italian art, with works by Umberto Boccioni, Giorgio Morandi, Mario Sironi, Carlo Carrà, Giorgio de Chirico, Arturo Martini, and Massimo Campigli, among many others. The arrangement of the works follows the logic of a home rather than a museum, avoiding invasive displays and favoring continuity between living space and exhibition space. Via Giorgio Jan, 15 20129 Milan

Ordet is an independent space for contemporary art that has taken on a leading role in the Milanese art scene in recent years thanks to its strong curatorial identity and the quality of its installations and exhibition projects. Founded in 2019 by Edoardo Bonaspetti and Stefano Cernuschi, Ordet has a new home since 2025: a former garage in Via Filippino Lippi, in the Piola district, characterized by high ceilings and an open floor plan which, with its clean structure, offers great flexibility for site-specific installations and large-scale works. The renovation, undertaken by the Ballabio & Bava studio, has transformed the former garage into a dynamic open space with a mezzanine and small openings that allow diffused light to enter, making some of the original architectural elements functional for artistic enjoyment and moving away from the idea of the gallery as an anonymous container. The materiality of the building, with references to its industrial origins and rough surfaces, encourages a direct dialogue between the works and the space, also generating unusual perspectives. A few steps away is the bookshop of Lenz Press, a publishing house linked to the Bonaspetti and Cernuschi project, which brings the exhibition dimension closer to the editorial one. Via Filippino Lippi, 4, 20131 Milan

Given the growing interest in topics such as interspecies dialogue, the peculiarities of minerals, human evolution, and the mysteries of the universe, the Civic Museum of Natural History in Milan certainly offers many opportunities to discuss these issues. It is the oldest civic museum in the city, founded in 1838 thanks to the donation of the natural history collections of Giuseppe De Cristoforis and Giorgio Jan. Opened to the public in 1844, right from the start it became a key scientific and educational institution in 19th-century Milanese culture. After initially being housed in the former Convent of Santa Marta and then moving to Palazzo Dugnani, the growth of the collections led to the construction of the current building—the first Italian museum architecture—built between 1892 and 1907 to a design by Giovanni Ceruti and inspired by the great European natural history museums. In 2023, the room dedicated to the origins of the human species will reopen with a permanent exhibition curated by Studio Migliore+Servetto. The museum is located within the Porta Venezia Public Gardens, a historic 19th-century city park, and has been part of an integrated system of green, educational, and scientific spaces since its inception. A few steps from the Natural History Museum is the Ulrico Hoepli Civic Planetarium, with a large dome housing a planetarium capable of projecting images of the stars and their movements onto the celestial vault. Opened on May 20, 1930, the building was designed by architect Piero Portaluppi on commission from Italian-Swiss publisher Ulrico Hoepli, who donated it to the city as a tool for scientific dissemination dedicated to astronomy. Corso Venezia, 55, 20121 Milan