West Milan is a district of the city of Milan. West Milan is the part of the city that embraces its only UNESCO World Heritage Site, which includes the famous Last Supper fresco. Other attractions are a monumental cemetery, and the old fairground where one might end up if one is visiting Milan on a business trip.
West Milan includes the main hub of the Trenord railway network:
Milan Cadorna station.
The Metro is a convenient way to reach
most points of interest in this area. Quite a few stops on the red line
(M1) of the Metro are located in the western part of Milan. Green line
(M2) leads to Cadorna, not far from Parco Sempione and Santa Maria delle
Grazie.
1 National Museum of Science and Technology, Via S. Vittore
(Reachable by bus or metro, M2: Sant'Ambrogio station). Large museum
with many sections including the one dedicated to aviation, ships and
submarines, trains and means of data transmission. Reservations are
required to visit the Toti submarine (6 people are allowed on board at a
time), but the visit is certainly very interesting. The museum is housed
in a former monastery, San Vittore al Corpo. Guided tours and workshops
for the little ones are also available.
2 Triennale di Milano, Via
Alemagna (bus 61; metro M2 Cadorna-Triennale station; or walking through
Parco Sempione from Castello Sforzesco). Museum of design and
architecture, always has 4/6 exhibitions on the theme of design,
photography or modern art, at least 1/2 of which are always free
admission.
3 Civic Aquarium of Milan, Viale Gadio 2, ☎ +39 02 88 44
5392, c.acquario@comune.milano.it. Housed in an Art Nouveau building,
the aquarium was built for the Milan Universal Exposition of 1906 and
was restored in 2003. The new exhibition itinerary of the Aquarium tells
the story of water from when atmospheric precipitation flows into a
mountain stream up to the sea, through the main environments that are
formed.
4 Santa Maria delle Grazie, Via Giuseppe Antonio Sassi, 3 (tram
20-24-29-30; metro M2 Cadorna station, or M1 Conciliazione station), ☎
+39 02-8942-1146. It houses the famous Last Supper (Cenacolo Vinciano)
by Leonardo da Vinci. Better to book tickets a few months before the
visit. Canceled bookings are sold from 8.15am each morning (if there are
any, it's best to show up in person). The church and the frescoes are
inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
5 Last Supper (Leonardo
da Vinci) (Cenacolo Vinciano), Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie, 2
(Entrance next to the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie - tram
20-24-29-30; metro M2 Cadorna station, or M1 Conciliazione station) , ☎
+39 02 80294401, pm-lom.cenacolovinciano@beniculturali.it. Tickets with
reservations required: tel. +39 02 92800360 or online - FULL: € 10.00 (+
€ 2.00 for booking fee) - REDUCED: € 5.00 (+ € 2.00 for booking fee) -
Guided tours: booking tel. +39 02 9280036002 or +39 02 92800360. Visits
last 15 minutes for a maximum number of 30 people at a time. From
Tuesday to Sunday: 8.15 - 19.00 all day (last admission 18.45) - Closed:
every Monday, January 1st, May 1st and December 25th. The Last Supper is
a wall painting obtained with a dry mixed technique on plaster (460×880
cm) by Leonardo da Vinci, datable to 1495-1498 and kept in the former
Renaissance refectory. This is the most famous representation of the
Last Supper, a masterpiece by Leonardo and the Italian Renaissance.
6
Palazzo del Sole 24 Ore, Via Monte Rosa 91. An office building that
houses the business magazine Sole 24 Ore. An example of modern Italian
architecture.
7 Messina Tram Depot, Via Messina 39. The tram depot is
an example of 20th-century Italian industrial architecture with an
imposing ceiling formed by an iron grid.
8 Villa Simonetta, Via
Stilicone 36. Renaissance patrician villa, it was built at the end of
the 15th century and then enlarged and restructured several times. Today
the villa is owned by the municipality and is the seat of the "Claudio
Abbado" Civic School of Music. Two side wings with porticoes were added
to the main rectangular body of the villa as early as the 16th century,
giving the villa its current U-shaped plan. The loggia was also added
which today characterizes the facade. The villa functioned as a candle
factory, opera house and hospital, now houses a music school.
9
Gianni Brera Civic Arena, viale Giorgio Byron, 2. designed by the
neoclassical architect Luigi Canonica, it is a multifunctional sports
facility inaugurated on 18 August 1807, still one of the most notable
monuments of the city.
Monuments
10 Monumental Cemetery, Piazzale Cimitero Monumentale (Monumental
stop M5). free. Old cemetery of Milan in neoclassical style. Designed by
the architect Carlo Maciachini in an eclectic style combining Byzantine,
Gothic and Romanesque references, the cemetery was built between 1864
and 1866. Full of sumptuous sculptures, mausoleums and imposing
monuments. Here are buried some of the most important personalities of
Milan such as Alessandro Manzoni, Gae Aulenti, Arrigo Boito, Arturo
Toscanini, Dario Fo, Giorgio Gaber, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and
Filippo Turati.
11 Arco della Pace (Porta Sempione) (NW corner of
Parco Sempione). The triumphal arch of peace is located where one of the
seven gates of the city of Milan once stood. Previously the arch was
known as Porta Giovia and was located near the city centre. Porta
Sempione means "Gateway to Simplon", and the road that led over the
Simplon Pass to Paris once passed through this gate. The current gate
was built at the beginning of the 19th century and has since been
baptized as the Arco della Pace.
12 Torre Branca - Sempione Park,
Torre Branca, avenue at the Luigi Camoens Park. The Torre Branca is a
steel construction located inside Parco Sempione in Milan. With its
108.60 meters it is the tenth tallest accessible structure in the city.
The tower has a truncated pyramid shape with a hexagonal section and is
built entirely of Dalmine steel tubes. It was inaugurated with the name
of "Torre Littoria". Today a very modern lift system located in the
center of the tower allows five visitors at a time to climb to the
covered belvedere top in less than 1 minute, and is surrounded by a
staircase for maintenance and emergencies.
13 Parco Sempione (Behind the Castello Sforzesco. Reachable from the Cairoli, Lanza, Cadorna or Moscova stations depending on which side of the park you have to go to). A large green space and one of the most famous and popular in the city. Landscaped garden designed in the neoclassical style, in which you can find: a lake, the arch of peace, a Roman amphitheater, a tower (which today houses the Just Cavalli Hollywood) and several other interesting things. A pleasant, leafy place to enjoy a stroll at any time of year.
14 Corso Magenta (The closest metro stations are Conciliazione,
Cadorna, Cairoli and Cordusio). An elegant and stately street in the
north-west part of Milan. It contains sophisticated cafés and shops, and
also some fine buildings, mostly Baroque, notably the Palazzo Litta; one
of the best examples of 18th century Milanese architecture, and also a
place where Napoleon spent some time. Very close to the Corso is the
famous church and convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where Leonardo da
Vinci's Last Supper is located.
15 Piazzale Luigi Cadorna (Cadorna FN
Station). A normal medium-sized square in the center of Milan with the
modern North Station and some beautiful buildings, but above all with a
series of particular modern sculptures in the centre.
16 Chinatowns.
Not as big or famous as those in London or New York, but Milan also has
its Chinatown, dating back to the 1920s.
This area (currently under construction, with completion expected in
2015) will be made up of skyscrapers and residential and commercial
buildings, moreover more than half of the area will be dedicated to
parks. Part of this project will also be a Museum of Contemporary Art. A
new metro stop (Tre Torri) on an extension of the M5 line will connect
this area to the city centre.
17 Hadid Residences. Designed by
Zaha Hadid and completed, but not yet in use.
18 Libeskind
Residences. Designed by Daniel Libeskind and construction completed.
19 Isozaki Tower (The Straight One). At the moment it is not accessible
and not yet fully completed, but since it is 207 m high with 50 floors
it can be seen from afar. Designed by Arata Isozaki. edit
Torre Branca (Via Camoens, near the Triennale, inside Parco Sempione). 108 m high tower, built in 1933 and designed by the architect Giò Ponti. From here it is possible to have a good view of Milan.
1 Bar Bianco, Viale Enrico Ibsen, 4 (Inside Parco Sempione), ☎ +39 02
8699 2026, info@bar-bianco.com. You pay only in cash. Frequented by
people clad in Gucci clothes and the like. Holidays are the order of the
day here.
2 Frescobar, Via Bramante 9 (Chinatown area).
3 The
Saloon, Via Niccolini 24 (Chinatown area).
4 Honky Tonks, Via
Fratelli Induno, 10 Fiera (near Corso Sempione), ☎ +39 02 3452562.
Mon-Sat 6pm-2am. Not exactly a country bar as the name might suggest, a
more accurate description would include a steaming lounge with jazz
playing in the background. The drinks are well made and they also serve
Tex-Mex style food.
5 Roialto, Via Piero della Francesca 55, ☎ +39 02
3493 6616. Its bland facade hides a real gem of a cocktail
bar/restaurant. It is a very popular place for an after work drink, or
even a pre-club drink if you are going to dance somewhere like the
Leopard.
6 Bar Magenta, Via Carducci 13 (on the corner of Corso
Magenta).
Modest prices
1 Pizzeria Da Giuliano, Via Paolo Sarpi 60 (on the
westernmost side of the street), ☎ +39 02 341 630. Nice and cozy
pizzeria with excellent wood-fired pizzas, large and quite thick. You
can choose your ingredients and have your own pizza in minutes.
Average prices
In west Milan you can find a dense concentration of
restaurants in 2 Via Ravizza. In a stretch of 200 meters there are more
than 30 different restaurants (Italian, South American, Chinese, fusion
and others) as well as pizzerias and takeaway places. This is why the
locals call it Via Rapizza.
High prices
3 Just Cavalli
Hollywood, Via Luigi Camoens (Metro: Cadorna station, but Lanza is also
quite close. Inside the Branca Tower in Parco Sempione), ☏ +39 02
311817. Just Cavalli Hollywood is the brainchild of the stylist Roberto
Cavalli. As an appetizer, you can find cheeses, tuna tartare, Parma ham,
and caviar, while as a main course, you can eat spaghetti dishes,
risotto, dumplings with crab, different forms of seafood, veal, steaks,
and the different salads. It also contains a few dance floors and three
bars.
4 Armando's restaurant, Via Marghera, 34, ☎ +39 02 4813482.
Modest prices
1 Hotel Panizza, Via B. Panizza, 5 (In the central
Magenta district of Milan), ☎ +39 02 4690604, fax: +39 02 43400460,
info@hotelpanizza.it. 3-star hotel that has 22 rooms at affordable
prices.
Average prices
2 Hotel Wagner, Via Michelangelo
Buonarroti, 13, ☎ +39 02 463151, fax: +39 02 48020948,
info@hotelwagnermilano.it.
3 Admiral Hotel, Via Domodossola, 16 (3km
NW of the Duomo, opposite the Fiera Milano exhibition centre), ☎ +39 02
3492151, fax: +39 02 33106660. Singles from €130, doubles from €180.
4 Hotel Roma, Via Poliziano, 2 (corner of Via Roma), ☎ +39 02 4581805,
fax: +39 02 4500473, info@hotelromamilano.it.
5 Hotel Losanna, Via
Piero della Francesca 39, ☎ +39 02 316272, fax: +39 02 3315146,
info@hotellosanna.com.
High prices
6 Hotel Capitol, Via
Cimarosa, 6 (Located near the exhibition centre, financial district,
airport shuttle terminal and metro station), ☎ +39 02 438591, fax: +39
02 43859700, info@capitolmilano.com . 4 star hotel with 66 rooms.