Stazione Centrale

Milan’s Stazione Centrale (Piazza Duca d’Aosta, 1) is the city’s main railway station. It was inaugurated in 1931 and is an architectural masterpiece that mixes neoclassicism, liberty and art deco, with a strong imprint from the fascist regime that had been ruling Italy for several years at the time.

The façade is monumental and two huge winged horses stand out on a terrace. All the rooms, including the interior (which is very crowded) are inspired by the monuments of the Roman Empire. The interior rooms are decorated with various motifs and statues, some in plaster, others in concrete.

On rare occasions, it is possible to visit the Royal Pavilion, an area of the station that was reserved for the Italian royal family and its court, with rich marble decoration. Unfortunately, it is only open to the public when hosting exhibitions or on special occasions.

Inside the station is the Holocaust Memorial, near an old platform, number 21, from which trains departed to take Jewish deportees to the Nazi death camps.

The Pirellone

In front of the Central Station stands the Pirelli Skyscraper, nicknamed the Pirellone. Designed by a team of architects, including Gio Ponti, it was completed in 1961 and for decades was the seat of the Lombardy Region, as well as being the highest point in Milan. In 2022 it was hit by a small tourist plane, an event that is still vivid in the memory of many Milanese.

Palazzo Lombardia

Palazzo Lombardia (Piazza Città di Lombardia), also called Palazzo della Regione, was built by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners of New York, Caputo Partnership and Sistema Duemila and was inaugurated 21 March 2011, on the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.

At 161 metres high, the Palazzo Lombardia is the city’s tallest skyscraper. After 50 years of undisputed supremacy, the Pirellone had to yield the sceptre to Milan’s new skyline.

The palace can be visited exceptionally on a few Sundays a year, free of charge. The ‘Belvedere Experience’ allows you to go up to the 39th floor. Animals are not allowed. Reservations are compulsory from this page https://eventi.regione.lombardia.it/esplora-eventi, which also presents other events taking place in the palace, usually for a fee.

On the ground floor of the building is IsolaSET, a space dedicated to temporary art exhibitions.

Hangar Bicocca

Via Chiese, 2. Open Thursday to Sunday, 10am-10pm. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Last admission to the exhibitions is at 9.15 pm. Free admission.

Hangar Bicocca is an exhibition space dedicated to the promotion of contemporary art. It covers an area of 15,000 square metres and is located in the Bicocca industrial district, north of the city. You can get there with the MM1 (Sesto Marelli) or MM5 (Ponale) metro lines and then take a bus (51 or 87) or bike share, or opt for a walk.

The name comes from the Bicocca degli Arcimboldi, a historic country villa from the 15th century that can still be visited today.

Hangar Bicocca is a classic example of industrial archaeology, these spaces were obtained from the conversion of the former Breda factory, a company founded in 1886 where steam and electric locomotives were built.

It hosts temporary exhibitions and some permanent exhibitions, including:

• Fausto Melotti’s ‘La Sequenza’ sculptures
• Anselm Kiefer’s installation ‘The Seven Heavenly Palaces’.