A Museum-Goer’s Guide to Milan
Make the most of your visit to Milan by visiting sights and museums that go beyond the basics: La Vigna di Leonardo, Gallerie d’Italia, and Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Ossa.
By Catherine Potenza and Anette Guajardo
We’ve all heard of Milan’s famous sites and galleries, such as Duomo di Milan and “The Last Supper” mural by Leonardo Da Vinci. But, you might be thinking what is there to see once you check those famous sites off your list? Worry no longer! There are numerous hidden museums and galleries to explore and immerse yourself in during your time in Milan.
La Vigna Di Leonardo
Everyone wonders about “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci, they stop and stare into the wonderful painting. However, a few of them get to experience firsthand the same place where Leonardo got his inspiration for the masterpiece. Where he sat down, stroked the canvas, and admired the views, La Vigna di Leonardo. Ludovico. Sforza, a duke, personally gifted Da Vinci the small vineyard in order to express his gratitude to the artist. The gift was held so close to Leonardo’s heart he included it in his will (Boulter, 2017). A year after he finished the famous painting, 1499, Leonardo fled the Atellani house and the garden due to the French troops’ invasion. The house and garden endured distinct bombings and fires during World War II. Then, the property was purchased by Ettore Conti and remodeled in the 1920s by Piero Portaluppi, a famed Milanese architect. (Hengel, 2019). Later on, it was revived by Portalupiis grandchildren after their grandfather’s death, where they worked with the University of Agricultural Sciences in Milan and Luca Marini, an oenologist. Geneticist, Serena Imazio and vine DNA expert, Professor Attilio Scienza, represented the University of Milan in order to bring the Original Vineyard to life and to study the original grape variety. Their goal was to replant the vineyard in honor of the original pattern of the vines in the 15th century, the time period in which Da Vinci painted “The Last Supper.” In 2015, the garden was ready to come to life in the Expo Milan.
La Vigna di Leonardo lies in Casa degli Atellani, a real Milanese Renaissance, where one can stay at one of the six boutique Atellani Apartments or just visit the vineyard where it’s possible to taste his very own wine. If one decides to stay at one of the apartments they are carefully designed to have the feeling they are being transported into another era. The feeling of transportation is accomplished by guests having direct access to the private garden, allowing them to immerse themselves in the vines and the statues that lie there. The tour is open to the public and it can be a guided tour which is 20 euros or a self-guided tour of 10 euros into the garden, both of which usually last around 30 minutes in the vineyard. And be sure to end your tour by grabbing a cappuccino in the cafe next door.
Gallerie d’Italia
Not interested in La Vigna di Leonardo? Not to worry, you can also explore Italian works from the 19th and 20th centuries in a spacious, elegant art museum that is known as the Gallerie d’Italia. The contemporary museum is located in Piazza della Scala. The museum hosts 195 artworks from the collections of Fondazione Cariplo with a strong representation of nineteenth-century Lombard painters and sculptors, including Antonio Canova and Umberto Boccioni (Gallerie d’Italia, 2022). And more recently, the gallery welcomed a new section that hosts 189 artworks from the twentieth century. For only 10 euros, you can enter and explore the museum for as long as you want. And for only one euro more, you can access a personal audio guide on the MuseOn App that will take you on your own guided tour full of information, fun facts, and the history of the artwork before you, both of which you can find more information about here.
In addition to just exploring the museum to the extent of their interests, visitors have the option to choose a specific exhibit or tour of their liking. The first exhibit offered is called the “Grand Tour.” Unfortunately, the exhibit was first opened on November 19th, 2021, and will only be open until April 2022, so make sure you get your visit in soon! The Grand Tour refers to the educational trip in Italy that occurred between the 18th and 19th centuries for many European elites and artists. They traveled from Venice to Pompeii, enriching their knowledge and career in each city, and found themselves fascinated by the beauty of Italy and the Mediterranean (Simmonds, 2017). This exhibition highlights artwork that was collected, purchased, or commissioned by travelers along this journey who wanted to remember and celebrate what they had admired and was referred to as the “dream of Italy.” The tour allows visitors an immersive experience into the stories of the travelers along this adventure of knowledge and admiration of Italy through the eyes of various artists, elites, and travelers. And for those who do not have enough time on their trip to Milan to visit this exhibit, the Galleria d’Italia offers a virtual exploration as well, which can be found on the museum’s website.
The second exhibit that this hidden museum offers is part of Milan’s Museo City 2022 initiative which is dedicated to “The Rooms of Art,” focusing on the architecture, building, and construction of famous museums, buildings, and galleries in this lovely city. In the “When Space Is Art” exhibit, visitors can examine the construction phases of the building designed by Luca Beltrami. Starting with construction between 1906 and 1911 as the headquarter of the Italian Commercial Bank and its transition into the beautiful museum it is today (Gallerie d’Italia, 2022). This exhibit would be perfect for anyone with an eye for design or interest in the city’s architecture. Overall, Gallerie d’Italia is a historic building occupied by a museum full of 19th and 20th-century artwork that is definitely worth seeing during your visit to Milan.
Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Ossa
The last hidden gem of the city is the beautiful Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Ossa. Milan’s pride and joy is the Duomo di Milano due to its grandiose architecture and being located at the center of the city. However, this smaller, hidden church is full of beauty and history, making it a must-see sight as well. In 1145, a hospital and a cemetery were built in front of the basilica of Santo Stefano Maggiore. In 1210 a chamber was built to house bones from the cemetery, next to which a church was built in 1269. In 1712, the church was destroyed and rebuilt by Carlo Giuseppe Merlo with an increase in the size of the ossuary (Sanctuary of San Bernardino alle Bones). The interior is beautifully constructed with Baroque-style decorations and chapels painted throughout the 16th to 18th centuries. The ossuary of the church is known to be one of the most peculiar, yet fascinating religious sites in Milan as the walls are decorated with human skulls and vertebrae and the door frames are embedded with femurs and other human bones. In fact, the skulls enclosed in the cases above the entrance door are those of offenders condemned to death by beheading (Yes Milano).
After reading about this church, I could not help myself but visit. The entire church was eerie, yet intriguing. I found myself slightly spooked, but also did not want to leave. And the best part? It was free. Just an eight-minute walk from Milan Cathedral, visitors can access the church and ossuary for free every day, aside from Sundays, these hours can be found on the church’s website. Unfortunately, due to it being a place of worship and technically not a museum, I felt rather uncomfortable taking out my phone to snap a photo of the ossuary. However, that just means you should take a visit there in your own time!
Of course, when in Milan, you must see the Duomo di Milano and “The Last Supper,” but be sure not to cut your trip short in thinking that those two sites are all there is to see. From dining in Leonardo da Vinci’s vineyard to viewing contemporary artwork to exploring the fascinating church full of bones, Milan is a city full of hidden gems and opportunities to learn and explore.
