Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Milan by Tram
For an excellent overview of the city, hop aboard vintage 1920s tram no. 20, dis-
tinguished by
CIAOMILANO
emblazoned on its sides, for a tour with commentary in
English and five other languages. The 1
3
⁄
4
-hour tours are hop-on/hop-off for a full
day and run daily at 11am and 1pm (also 3pm in summer) from Piazza Castello
(Metro: Cairoli). The only drawback: It costs a whopping
€
20. For more details,
call
%
02-33910794.
Often overlooked are the other great treasures of the late-15th-century
Church
of Santa Maria delle Grazie
itself
(
%
02-48014248; Mon-Sat 7:30am-noon and
3-7pm, Sun 7:20am-12:15pm and 3:30-9pm, may close earlier in winter; Metro:
Cardona or Conciliazione),
foremost among them the fine dome and other
architectural innovations by one of the great architects of the High Renaissance,
Bramante (one of the architects of St. Peter's in Rome). To one side of the apse,
decorated in marble and terra cotta, is a lovely cloister.
Other Outstanding Sights
The
Brera
(Via Brera, 28;
%
02-722631; www.brera.beniculturali.it;
€
5;
Tues-Sun 8:30am-7:30pm; Metro: Lanza or Montenapoleone)
is one of Italy's top
museums of medieval, Renaissance, and 20th-century paintings, including the
world's finest collection of Northern Italian works. The concentration of so many
masterpieces in this 17th-century palace is the work of Napoleon, who used the
palazzo
as a repository for the art he confiscated from public and private holdings
throughout Northern Italy; fittingly, a bronze likeness of the emperor greets you
as you enter the courtyard.
Just to give you a sampling of what you'll encounter in these
40 or so rooms,
three of Italy's greatest masterpieces hang here: Andrea Mantegna's amazingly
foreshortened
Dead Christ
555
555
55
, Raphael's
Betrothal of the Virgin
, and
55
Piero della Francesca's
Madonna with Saints
(the Montefeltro Altarpiece).
It is an indication of this museum's ability to overwhelm visitors that the last two
absolute masterpieces hang near each other in a single room dedicated to late-
15th-century works by Tuscan and Umbrian masters.
Among the other important works are Jacopo Tintoretto's
Finding of the Body
of St. Mark
5
, in which the dead saint eerily confronts appropriately startled
grave robbers who come upon his corpse, and several by Caravaggio, including the
masterful
Supper at Emmaus
55
. Just beyond is a room devoted to works by
foreigners, among them Rembrandt's
Portrait of a Young Woman.
Given Napoleon's
fondness for the Venetian schools, it is only just that the final rooms are again filled
with works from that city, including Canaletto's
View of the Grand Canal.
Sights between the Duomo & the Brera
The stunning treasure trove of antiques and Bellinis, Botticellis, and Tiepolos in
the private
Museo Poldi Pezzoli
(Via Manzoni, 12;
%
02-794889; www.
museopoldipezzoli.it;
€
7; Tues-Sun 10am-6pm; Metro: Duomo or Montenapoleone)
leans a bit toward Venetian painters (such as Francesco Guardi's elegantly moody
55
