This tour startswith a visit to the cathedral, in the heart of Milan, the fourth largest in theworld and undoubtedly one of the finest examples of gothic architecture. Youwill get to climb up to the roof, where you can see the incredibly intricatepinnacles at close quarters, not to mention fantastic views across the city andon a really clear day, you will be able to see the Alps, in the distance. Just acrossthe Piazza Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, a nineteenth centurystate-of-the-art shopping centre, today filled with designer boutiques andtrendy cafes. Built just after Italian unification, under the centre of thedome are some brilliant mosaics, depicting all the major cities of Italy. Turinis represented by a bull and to ensure good luck, you need to spin round threetimes on his testicles! Testament to how many people have done this is borneout by the indentations on the floor. A short walk will bring you to the famousLa Scala Theatre, Milan’s iconic opera house. There is a small museum with anexcellent collection of costumes and theatre sets and a splendid statue ofPuccini in a capacious overcoat. Not far away, at the end of the Via Dante, youwill come to the majestic Castello Sforzesco. The Sforza family ruled Milan inthe 15th century and the castle has a fine art collection, includinga Pieta by Michelangelo. Backing ontothe castle is the Parco Sempione, Milan’s most important open space. Highlightof this tour will be a visit to Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper but it isimportant to note that tickets must be booked a long time in advance, asnumbers of visitors are severely restricted in order to preserve thisincredible fresco. You will end the day at Milan’s most prestigious artgallery, the Pinacoteca Brera with works by Raphael, Piero della Francesca,Bellini and Caravaggio, to name but a few. As you would expect, the whole Breradistrict is the main ‘arty’ quarter of Milan, with many fine galleries aroundthe museum.
