Risotto alla milanese
Creamy rice turned golden by saffron, finished with butter and Parmesan and, traditionally, beef marrow. It is the dish that best sums up Lombard cooking, rich in rice and dairy.
Where to try it
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Free walking tours in Milan
Roman columns, devil legends and Italy's most intricate cathedral.
- 3 themed routes
- 17 stops
- Audio guide
Milan is known for business and fashion, but beneath its shop windows lie twenty centuries of history: capital of the Roman Empire, city of Saint Ambrose, court of the Visconti and the Sforza, and a river port linked by canals. Three free routes to explore it on foot, between the Duomo, Leonardo and the Navigli.
Choose your free tour
One city, three walks.
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the mixed route.
History
From Mediolanum to the Sforza: twenty centuries on foot
Roman columns, the basilica of a bishop who stood up to emperors, Leonardo's refectory and the dukes' castle.
Mysteries & legends
Dark Milan: devils, plague-spreaders and skulls
A column with two holes, an unjust plague trial, Italy's first serial killer and a chapel lined with bones.
Mixed
Must-see Milan: from Brera to the Navigli
Art, opera, the marble cathedral and an aperitivo by the canal: Milan's highlights in a single walk.
The map
The whole city on foot.
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
History
Mysteries & legends
Mixed
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
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A day in the city
What to see in Milan in one day
Link the three routes and you will see the best of the city on foot, for free: the mixed route in the morning, history in the afternoon and legends as the sun goes down.
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Morning
Must-see Milan: from Brera to the Navigli
- Palazzo di BreraA former Jesuit college turned temple of art, with a naked bronze Napoleon in the middle of the courtyard.
- Teatro alla ScalaA modest façade for the world's most famous opera house, born in 1778 on the ruins of a church.
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele IIMilan's «drawing room»: a glass-and-iron covered street with a bull in the floor that everyone treads on for luck.
- Milan Cathedral (Duomo)Almost six centuries of building, a forest of pinkish marble spires and a golden Madonna watching over the city.
- The Columns of San Lorenzo and the TicineseRoman columns, a basilica with a huge dome and the square where Milan sits down to chat at dusk.
- The Navigli and Vicolo dei LavandaiThe canal that brought the Duomo's marble, a century-old stone washhouse and Milan's favourite bank for an aperitivo.
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Afternoon
From Mediolanum to the Sforza: twenty centuries on foot
- The Columns of San LorenzoSixteen Roman columns that have stood for nearly two thousand years, a reminder that Milan was once an imperial capital.
- The Basilica of Sant'AmbrogioThe church founded by the most influential bishop of his age, which became the spiritual heart of Milan.
- Santa Maria delle GrazieThe Dominican convent Ludovico il Moro wanted as his family mausoleum, and where Leonardo painted the Last Supper.
- San Maurizio al Monastero MaggioreA plain façade hiding the so-called «Sistine Chapel of Milan» and a church split in two by a wall.
- Castello SforzescoThe fortress of the Visconti and the Sforza: blown up, occupied, half demolished and finally revived by a stubborn architect.
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Early evening
Dark Milan: devils, plague-spreaders and skulls
- The Devil's ColumnA Roman column with two holes that, legend says, were made by the devil's horns as he charged at Saint Ambrose.
- The Colonna InfameThis was the home of the barber Gian Giacomo Mora, executed in 1630 as a plague-spreader after a trial under torture.
- Via BagneraA narrow, winding alley where Antonio Boggia, regarded as Italy's first serial killer, carried out his crimes.
- The half-woolly sow of Piazza dei MercantiA sow half covered in wool, carved on a medieval arch, holds the legend of Milan's founding.
- Casa degli OmenoniEight stone giants guard the house of Leone Leoni, sculptor to emperors and a man with a violent temper.
- San Bernardino alle OssaA small church beside Santo Stefano hides a chapel whose walls are covered in skulls and bones.
Where to eat. Try Risotto alla milanese at Trattoria Milanese.
What to eat
Flavours of Milan
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
Cotoletta alla milanese
A bone-in veal chop, breaded and fried in clarified butter. Thicker than the Viennese schnitzel, with which it has been arguing over paternity for centuries.
Where to try it
Ossobuco
Cross-cut veal shank with its bone and marrow, slowly braised. It is served with gremolata of lemon zest, garlic and parsley, often alongside saffron risotto.
Where to try it
Panettone
Milan's Christmas cake: a tall, airy dough studded with raisins and candied fruit that takes days of leavening. The historic pastry shops still make it by hand.
Where to try it
Luini's panzerotti
Fried turnovers from Puglia, filled with tomato and mozzarella, sold by the Luini family next to the Duomo since 1949. Eat them standing up in the street, like the Milanese do.
Where to try it