Milan is one of the most famous cities in Italy and in the company of my friend Roberta, who was also my tour guide, we wandered through the main attractions of the streets of Milan. We had decided to walk around the city starting from the historic Arco della Pace located in Porta Sempione, one of the many gates of the city of Milan, then we crossed the beautiful and large Parco Sempione and arrived at the medieval fortification of the magnificent Castello Sforzesco.

After that we passed by Piazza Cordusio located in the city centre near Piazza Duomo is the Piazza Mercanti ("Piazza dei Mercanti") is a picturesque and wonderful square, and then continue to Piazza del Duomo, the magnificent Duomo Cathedral, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Teatro alla Scala, The Verziere district, Sanctuary of San Bernardino alle Ossa/Piazza Santo Stefano, the University of Milan, Camilla Caderna Garden, Brolo area, the Quadronno, Piazza XXIV Maggio. and then the life and vigour opened up as we strolled along the historic, curious and romantic Navigli district (Naviglio Pavese and Naviglio Grande) where you can admire the views of the waterways of the Naviglio and where you will find craft shops, restaurants, clubs, street markets steps and railing houses hidden in the courtyard and in secret corners, truly very beautiful.

Finally our stroll takes us to Porta Genova and back by bus to the Arco della Pace.

Highlights:

•  Arco della Pace

•  Castello Sforzesco

•  Cordusio

•  Piazza del Duomo

•  Gallerria Vittorio Emanuele II

•  Milan Verziere

•  Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa/Piazza Santo Stefano

•  University of Milan

•  Giardino Camilla Caderna

•  Brolo

•  Quadronno

•  Piazza XXIV Maggio

•  Navigli di Pavia

•  Naviglio Grande

•  Porta Genova and back via bus to Arco della Pace

After that we went to Piazza Castello from the main entrance of Sforza Castle, that is located at an historic fountain known as Torta degli Sposi. It was so named by the Milanese for its shape slightly similar to a wedding cake. It was built during the WWII fascist era and is a popular meeting point.

The neoclassic Arco della Pace   "Arch of Peace”" is Napoleon's 25m-high triumphal arch. Designed by Luigi Cagnola, the arch of peace is one of the most iconic buildings in Milan city centre, separated from Castello Sforzesco by the Sempione Park. This lovely Park is one of the main green spaces and is the largest city park in Milan.

Next we walked through part of Parco Sempione and around the enormous castle Sforza that shows signs of original and rebuilt parts over the centuries and is from every angle impressive and massive and is really beautiful. It is surrounded by nice gardens and a park and holds lots of different museums and galleries. We did not walk through Parco Sempione simply because I had already been there and I had also seen lots of different museums and galleries in another of my tours that you can see on my site….

After admiring the Piazza Castello and its beautiful fountain and browsing the open kiosks that give off food aromas, we stopped at the football team kiosk for a coffee and the people who worked were very welcoming and excellent service. Then, we continued to arrive at Piazza Cordusio. In the square there was a group of musicians and a guy with his cat on his arm was listening to their music. The cat was quite happy in the hands of the master! :)

After leaving Piazza Cordusio (it is a good obligatory transit point when moving from Piazza del Duomo to Castello Sforzesco), and at a short distance perhaps 400 metres, there is a famous and  lovely square called Piazza Mercanti (Merchant’s Square) which is a historic medieval and picturesque square and was a central craft and commercial square and is an hidden gem that is extremely close to the Duomo. In the Middle Ages, it was the commercial and governmental centre of the city.

And here we are in the heart of Milan there is the fabulous and famous Piazza del Duomo enclosed by the grandiose Gothic-style Duomo from atop which one can view the city from above. Next to the Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the oldest commercial gallery with boutiques luxury names such us Prada, Tiffany & Co., Versace and others. Inside the Galleria are high quality restaurants such as The Savini, Caffe Camparino, La Galleria, Motta, Biffi and others. The Galleria connects to Piazza della Scala.

I was lucky enough to be there during the Christmas to walk through Christmas lights  in the Duomo Square and on the roof, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Also there was The Swaroski Christmas Tree was placed in the exact center of the incredibly magnificent Gallery! There was also an outdoor Christmas market with over 60 chalets set up around the magnificent Duomo and the largest market in Milan.

In the chalets there are many local crafts that display and sell traditional Christmas gifts, handicrafts, food and typical sweets from various regions.

Check my il  Milano Tour #6 Christmas 2021-2022