Map of Leonardo Milan Tour - English

1. BRERA PAINTING COLLECTION AND BOTANIC GARDEN
In the Botanic Garden of Brera Painting Collection there are several different plants coming from various parts
of Europe and some even from China!
All these wonderful flowers, trees and herbs have a correspondence with the different paintings we can find in
the Collection, works by quite famous artists at their time, such as Bellini. In fact, in their paintings the man is
in perfect harmony with the surrounding natural environment, a typical Renaissance topic; therefore plants
such as olive, pear, orange tree or roses, laurel, pines are present in the horchard as well, to celebrate these
artists.
SFORZA CASTLE
Started by Graziano II Visconti in 1360, it became
the residence of Francesco Sforza in 1450 and
reached its splendour under the rule of Ludovico il
Moro, regent of the Duke of Milan from 1480 to
1494. Inside we can find two artistic and engenee-
ring masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci: the large
fresco on the vault of the Sala dell’Asse and the
Trivulzian Code, dedicated to military and religious
architecture.
THE SCALA OPERA HOUSE
The Scala Opera House, oftern informally mentioned as " The
Scala", is the mail opera house in Milano. Considered as one of
the most prestigious theatres in the world, it has welcomed the
main artists in the international field of opera singing and
classical music for over 238 years, often presenting masterpie-
ces still presented in the most important theatres in the world.
The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 with L'Europa
riconosciuta composed by Antonio Salieri and was named after
the church of Santa Maria alla Scala, demolished to allow the
construction of the new theatre Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla
Scala. Since its foundation it has been the seat of the Scala
choir, the Scala orchestra, the Scala Ballet Group and since
1982 also of the Philarmonic orchestra.
The theatre is located in Piazza della Scala, close to Casino
Ricordi, the current seat of the Theatre Museum of the Scala.
BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA DELLE
GRAZIE: THE LAST SUPPER
In the refectory of the basilica we find a master-
piece by Leonardo da Vinci: the Last Supper. The
presence of this work in the refectory, in the
middle of the daily action of dining showed how
the life of the religious community was an exten-
sion of the life of Christ and the Apostles.
The Last Supper was commissioned to Leonardo by
Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, with the aim to
make the church more precious. The painting,
made with tempera on the wall, opened up a new
kind of perspective.
Leonardo renewed the iconography and studied
the “moods” of the Apostles, who look surprised
by the announcement of the betrayal of Christ.
In the centre we find Gesù while the Apostles are
in four groups of three, individually studied in their
psychology with accuracy.
DUOMO
The Duomo is the church monument symbol of the main town
in Lombardy, dedicated to the Infant Holy Virgin and located in
the centre of the city. The cathedral is an exemple of late
Gothic style. On November 4th San Carlo Borromeo is celebra-
ted and the so called “Quadroni di San Carlo” are exhibited, a
cycle of 56 large canvases celebrating the life and the myracles
of the saint of Milan. Inaugurated on 30 December 1774, the
Madonnina of the Duomo di Milano is the highest point of the
church. The statue was designed by the sculptor Giuseppe
Perego and moulded by the goldsmith Giuseppe Bini, at the
height of 4,16 mt. Inside the statue there is still a metal structu-
re, which got damaged in the 60s and was therefore transferred
to the museum and replaced with a steel frame.
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND TECH-
NOLOGY “LEONARDO DA VINCI “
Located in the heart of Milan, a few steps far from
the Basilica of Sant’ Ambrogio, it is the largest
technical-scientific museum in Italy and preserves an
heritage of unique examples of models and drawings
of machines by Leonardo da Vinci. In fact, inside
there is a gallery entirely dedicated to the Florenti-
ne genius. In the aeronaval pavillon we can find the
history of flight, from the observation of the birds to
the first machines by Leonardo. The complex is a
Benedictine cloister, turned into a monastery in the
16th cenruty. At the beginning of the 19th century,
with the Napoleonic occupation, the monastery
became a military hospital, then headquarters of
the army. It became a museum only on 15 Febbraio
1953 under the initiative of the Italian Prime Mini-
ster Alcide de Gasperi. Between 1953 and 1956 the
museum of flight was created. In 1970 there was the
first guided tour of the museum.
VITTORIO EMANUELE GALLERY
The Gallery Vittorio Emanuele II is a shopping gallery of Milan
under the form of a roofed pedestrian street which connects
Duomo Square with Piazza della Scala. Due to its elegant shops
and cafés, since it was inaugurated it was the meeting point of
the bourgeois of Milan so that it got known as the "lounge of
Milan": built in neo-renaissance style, it is one of the most
relevant examples of iron architecture in Europe and represents
the archetype of the shopping gallery of the 19th century.
Simply called "la Galleria" by the citizens of Milan, it is oftern
considered as one of the first examples of shopping malls in the
world.
DIRE FARE SCOPRIRE s.r.l.
Servizi Tour e Guide
V. Cantoni, 89
21053 Castellanza VA