The Tamesis
With the festive season about to begin, PhotoVogue has curated a selection of Milan’s most iconic sights. During the festival, which takes place at the Braden Library in the heart of the historic Brera district, we’ve created a special guide to our favorite spots: from cultural landmarks and museums to galleries, restaurants, cafés and pastry shops, where you can stop and soak up the atmosphere. Discover it all below.
Museums and cultural landmarks
Located in the Brera district, this elegant gallery is one of Italy’s most important art museums, housing masterpieces by Raphael, Caravaggio and Mantegna. From March 1st to 4th, the PhotoVogue Festival will also be held at the historic Biblioteca Braidense.
Visitors can explore its vast interior, archaeological areas and rooftop terrace, which offers views of the city skyline.
La Scala is one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, hosting legendary composers and performers since 1778. Its museum displays costumes, musical instruments and memorabilia from its illustrious history.
This magnificent Renaissance fortress houses several museums and art collections, including Michelangelo’s final sculpture, the Rondanini Pietà.
Located in the restaurant of Santa Maria delle Grazie, this UNESCO World Heritage Site preserves the iconic work of Leonardo da Vinci last supper.
exhibition:
Robert Mapplethorpe. form of desire
Me Machiaoli
Anselm Kiefer. Alchemist
The museum overlooks Piazza del Duomo and traces Italian 20th-century art movements, including Futurism and Arte Povera.
Leading contemporary art institution and former brewery.
Exhibition: “Above, Below and Between” – Mona Hatoum (January 29-November 9, 2026)
Fondazione Prada presents a site-specific project for Mona Hatoum in the Cisterna building. The three-part installation revolves around themes of instability and fragility that are typical elements of her work: a suspended glass mesh resembling constellations, a map of the world using Gall-Peters projections composed of more than 30,000 red glass spheres, and Trembling all overa towering kinetic grid structure that oscillates between collapse and reconstruction. The exhibition reflects on the instability and interconnectedness of today’s world.
Exhibition: Islands, Hito Steyerl
MUDEC is dedicated to world culture, organizing major international exhibitions and interdisciplinary projects.
The moment the snow melts Chiharu Shiota
A global reference point for design, architecture and visual arts located within Parco Sempione.
exhibition: olympic design
Built in 1618, it houses works by Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio and Botticelli, as well as an extraordinary library with a rich history.
An intimate 19th-century house museum displaying Renaissance paintings, decorative arts and armour.
It is a masterpiece of rationalist architecture of the 1930s, surrounded by private gardens.
A vast industrial space dedicated to monumental contemporary installations.
Intesa Sanpaolo’s museum center displays Italian art from the 19th century to contemporary photography.
A neo-Renaissance house museum that offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of Milan’s aristocracy.
A museum dedicated to the history of opera and theater associated with La Scala.
Dedicated to Italian industrial design, it is also the birthplace of the prestigious Compasso d’Oro award.
One of the oldest churches in Milan and a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture.
Often referred to as the “Sistine Chapel of Milan”, its walls are completely covered with Renaissance frescoes.
A powerful monument at the city’s central station commemorating the Holocaust deportees.
An exquisite museum housed in an elegant 19th-century palace that combines Etruscan art with contemporary works.
Exhibition: “Giorgio Armani Privé 2005-2025”
Curated by the designer himself, the exhibition celebrates twenty years of Giorgio Armani haute couture. The show traced the evolution of Armani Privé since its debut in Paris in 2005, emphasizing pure lines, precious fabrics and jewel-like embroideries. The Silo’s immersive presentation includes a custom soundtrack and Bois d’Encens fragrance, leading visitors on a sensory journey centered around light, which symbolizes creativity and timeless elegance.
