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Duomo Cathedral – Milan has its own gingerbread
cathedral, the world's largest Gothic cathedral. Take the elevator, or climb
up the stairs to the top and wander around amidst these amazing spires.
Views of the city (if air isn't too smoggy). Like Notre Dame, the Milan
Duomo is festooned with plenty of gargoyles. The Museo del Duomo has
copies of these gargoyles, so you can see them up close. |
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Castello Sforzesco – This castle is a centrepiece of Italian history, with old gates and dried up moat from the medieval city, inner and outer walls, circular towers, courtyards and ramparts to explore. In the Renaissance, the castle was the home of the Sforza family, rooms were decorated by Leonardo da Vinci. At the end of the century, the castle was taken over by Napoleon and his troops, but has been beautifully restored and today it's a "must see." |
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Santa Maria delle Grazie – Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper in the church refectory is undoubtedly one of
the world's great paintings, although it hasn't held up well, partly because
Leonardo was experimenting with his paints, and they tended to flake away
over the years. When the painting was completed in 1497, it was famous then,
and still is today. You will need to book a ticket reservation to see the Last Supper, but kids under six are free. |
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National Museum of Science and Technology (Museo Nazionale
della Scienza e della Tecnica, just a few blocks from Santa Maria delle
Grazie) – Leonard da Vinci was not just a great artist, but
a great technologist too. In the Leonardo Gallery, check out the models,
made from his drawings of the cannons, war machine, glider, parachute, self-propelled
car, revolving crane, drilling machine etc. The museum also has a reproduction
of the Last Supper painting (easier to see than the original in Santa Maria
delle Grazzi). |
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Transport Building – Also as part of the National Museum of Science
and Technology is a recreation of a huge railway station, and a large collection
of steam locomotives and trams. |
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Air
and Sea Transport Building – This building houses a full size 19th
century two masted sailing ship (they took it apart and reassembled it in
the museum), an ocean liner and lots of ships models and naval weapons. |
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Hands-on-Playground – Outside there is an area where kids can play with hands-on exhibits,
such as a water scale, levers, and a weighing machine. |
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Theater Museum of La Scala (Museo Teatrale alla Scala) –
Don't feel like getting a second mortgage to buy tickets for a performance
at La Scala, Italy's most famous opera house? Visiting this museum is
like a backstage tour. The museum has costumes and costume sketches, souvenirs
of the conductors, composers and singers of La Scala, and a collection
of marionettes and puppet theaters. From the museum, you can get a glimpse
of the inside of the theater. |
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Giardini Pubblici – This is oldest
park in Milan, and although it's not huge, it's a green spot to run around,
have a sandwich, and relax. While you're there, stop in to the Municipal
Museum of Natural History (Museo Civico di Storia Naturale). The museum
has dinosaur skeletons (not from Italy), but most interesting is the large
number of dioramas representing animals and plants in different natural
environments. |
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Azzurro Park – If you happen to be close to the Linate Airport
and it's a hot day, Azzurro Park has an artificial lake, the Idroscalo,
where you can go swimming. The Park Forlanini also is the largest
green area in Milan – there's plenty of room to run around. Luna
Park Idroscalo is an amusement park with roller coasters and rides. |
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In Milan, delicious panettone, a sweet bread, is a speciality – here's a
sweet story about how panettone came about. There was a baker
named Tony, who had a daughter, who fell in love with a clever nobleman
... (Picture book)
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Engaging
bio of Leonardo da Vinci – his fascination with nature as a
child, busy years working for the Duke of Milan, in which Leonardo
painted, organized pageants, designed costumes and heating systems,
and constructed "the Great Horse," an equestrian monument
of the Duke's father. Rich, detailed illustrations. (Picture book)
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Leonardo da
Vinci is painting the Last Supper, but it's going very slowly,
and the Duke wants it finished before the Pope arrives in Milan.
Seen through the eyes of Giacomo, da Vinci's youthful servant, this
is a suspenseful story of Leonardo, the man, the artist, the inventor,
amidst the turbulent life and times of 15th century Milan.
(Chapter
book)
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A
captivating novel of Leonardo da Vinci, his sneaky apprentice,
two very different sisters (both duchesses), and the mysterious
subject of the Mona Lisa painting, set in Milan. (Chapter book)
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(More children's
books on other Italy pages) |
