Discover the artistic side of Milan!

While it might seem like a modern city, Milan is steeped in history dating back hundreds of years. Take a tour of the city’s hidden gems, like the San Maurizio and San Satiro churches, as well as the red-bricked Sforza Castle. Listen to tales of Milan’s famous families—Visconti and Sforza—and see works by Michelangelo and the ancient Romans.

Ever herd of Lombardy.of Milan? Is the San Maurizio church and it hosted the works of famous renaissance artists like Michelangelo.

The tour begins at the main entrance to the Sforza Castle where you will meet with your Blue Badge Guide. Your guide will tell you a little about the tour and then you go to visit this magnificent castle that was once home to two of Milan’s most famous families, the Visconti and Sforza.

The castle is famous for its wonderful courtyards and in its time welcomed many great artists such as Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo Da Vinci, whose story was so linked to the city that sometimes the citizens organized special events to celebrate him. Inside the Castle, you will see one of the masterpieces of Michelangelo: the Pietà Rondanini. This statue is an excellent example of the extraordinary skills of the artist, and it’s only a taste of what it could have been. In fact, Buonarroti was eighty years while he was making this sculpture and, unfortunately, he died before completing it.

Then, you will visit the Sala Delle Asse, frescoed by Leonardo Da Vinci and recently reopened, to celebrate the 500 years of Leonardo's death, after years of restoration. You will be fascinated by the mastery and accuracy of the painted ceiling.

For the last stops of your tour, you can see the Roman ruins of the Imperial palace of Maurizio. The facade is very simple and a little bit austere as the taste of the early renaissance want to be. But the inside is totally different, you cannot imagine the treasure hiding there. The frescoes on the walls will leave you breathless! You will realize why it’s called Sistine Chapel of Milan!

It’s now time to reach the very last stop of our tour: The San Satiro church. The beautiful Neo-Renaissance facade it’s just a prelude of the rich decoration of the inside. Once step inside you will come across a wonderful dome, with rosettes, which are actually blind. However, the most spectacular thing is given by an optical illusion .... but you will discover this wonder up close! At the end of this tour, you will have discovered many anecdotes and curiosities about the period of maximum Italian grandeur: the Renaissance!