The Best of Milan: Historical Gem, Modern Marvel

After checking in to the hotel and getting your room, take some time to freshen up and relax before our Orientation session. Orientation: 6:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Educational content will be provided by a local expert and our knowledgeable Group Leader. Program-related travel will be primarily via motorcoach — requiring ascending and descending a few steps — unless specified otherwise. Meals will feature local cuisine and will include wine, coffee, and water with other beverages available for purchase. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We’ll then enjoy a welcome drink together before dinner.

At the hotel.

At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

At the hotel.

We will be joined at the hotel by a local expert who will give us a lecture on Milan as an economic capital and the “driving engine” of Italy. Then, with our Group Leader, we will explore the city center on foot and get familiar with the public transportation system. We will then take public transportation to the Museo Teatrale alla Scala — La Scala Theater Museum — celebrating the history and heritage of one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, inaugurated in 1778. Here once, composers, singers, other musicians, and dancers entered with hope and not a little anxiety. If the public approved, they came out as renowned.

At a local restaurant.

Next, we will take public transportation to the Duomo, the symbol of Milan and the sixth-largest cathedral in the world. Construction began in the 14th century, but the project, including its amazing façade, was completed only in the 19th century. The expert will lead our exploration. We will have free time to explore the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the elegant, covered arcade linking La Scala and the Duomo that is a masterpiece of architecture in itself. Surmounted by an exceptional iron and glass dome, it was built from 1865-1877 and is named in honor of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of united Italy. Filled with boutiques, cafés, and restaurants, the Milanese consider it their “salon.” Free time. This period of time has been set aside for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests each of us most. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration. The Group Leader will accompany those who wish to return to the hotel.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will set out with our expert for a field trip to visit the Villa Reale di Milano. Built between 1790 and 1796 as the residence of Count Lodovico Barbiano di Belgioioso, Villa Reale is one of the masterpieces of Milanese Neoclassicism. In 1920 it was purchased by the Municipality of Milan which in 1921 established the Civic Gallery of Modern Art of Milan.

At a local restaurant.

Next, we will take public transportation to the Porta Nuova — New Gate — District. It was named for a gate built here during the Napoleonic era (1810-1813). The Porta Nuova covers more than 300,000 square feet and connects three different sections of Milan. Amid what were once abandoned railway yards, it was one of the largest urban regeneration projects in Europe and has become a contemporary focal point featuring skyscrapers and futuristic designs. The Piazza Gae Aulenti, named for the notable Italian architect who designed the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, is a centerpiece of this vibrant area. We will have excellent views of the district and skyline of the “new” city. We will also see the Bosco Verticale — Vertical Wood — consisting of two residential towers with “sustainable” credentials. The façades are covered by 800 trees, 4,500 shrubs and 15,000 plants that produce oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, and provide a home for bird life. We will have time to explore independently.

On your own to enjoy what you like.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will board a motorcoach with our Group Leader for a field trip to the Villa Reale di Monza, the Royal Palace with its gardens, a priceless heritage of landscape, history, and architecture as well as the museum. It was commissioned by the Archduke Ferdinand of Habsburg, Governor-General of Lombardy during the period of Austrian domination. With funds from his mother, the Empress of Austria, the palace was constructed from 1777 to 1780 and was enjoyed by subsequent royal families until 1900, when it was abandoned after the assassination of King Umberto I. Renovations began in 2012. The surrounding gardens comprise nearly 100 acres designed in “the Engish style” that now boasts centuries-old oaks and other impressive trees as well as a lovely rose garden. Led by an expert, we will learn about the Neoclassical architecture that was later renovated during the reign of the Habsburgs.

At a restaurant in Monza.

On our way back to Milan, we will stop for an expert-led exploration of the Duomo of Monza, built on the site of an earlier basilica. Construction began in the year 1300 and it was finally completed in 1681. Its treasury includes the historic Iron Crown of Lombardy that tradition says incorporated one of the nails from the crucifixion of Jesus. Returning to Milan, the remainder of the afternoon and evening will be free.

On your own to enjoy what you like.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will be joined by a local expert who will give us a presentation on the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), an anatomist, architect, botanist, engineer, inventor, mathematician, musician, polymath, scientist, and writer who is regarded as one of the greatest artists in history. We will then take public transportation to the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. This gallery was established in 1618, when Cardinal Federico Borromeo donated his collection of paintings, drawings, and statues to the adjacent Biblioteca Ambrosiana he had founded. Led by an expert, we will admire works by Botticelli, Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian, da Vinci, and more.

At a local restaurant.

Free time.

On your own to have what you like.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will set out with a local expert for a field trip on foot and by public transportation to visit Poldi Pezzoli Museum; open to the public in 1881, the Poldi Pezzoli Museum enchants not only for the charm of the rooms, which evoke the eras of the past from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century up to the Armory reinterpreted by the contemporary artist Arnaldo Pomodoro, but also for the variety and richness of the collections. Masterpieces of painting, sculptures, carpets, lace and embroidery, weapons and armour, jewellery, porcelain, glass, furniture: over 5,000 extraordinary objects, from antiquity to the 19th century, immersed in a magical atmosphere. We will then continue with our expert for a field trip to see the Quadrilatero della moda, also known as Quadrilatero d’oro, the golden quadrangle. This center of the fashion world is formed by four of the most famous and expensive streets in Italy: via Monte Napoleone, via Manzoni, via della Spiga, and Corso Venezia — comparable to Fifth Avenue in New York and the Champs Élysées in Paris. We will visit Palazzo Morando, a 16th century noble residence that was donated to Milan at the beginning of the 19th century and now holds a collection documenting the history, noble architecture, and culture of Milan including the renowned sculpture “Preghiera del Mattino,” by Vincenzo Vela. This is also the home of the collection of Fashion and Costume of the City of Milan.

At a local restaurant.

Free Time. In the late afternoon we will walk from the hotel to the Teatro del Verme to attend a concert of classical music. Our program was planned far in advance when details of performances were not available. The detailed information about the concert will be presented during the orientation session.

On your own to enjoy the local cuisine of your choice.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will start the day with a local expert and take public transportation to the Pinacoteca Brera, the national gallery for antique and modern art in Milan. The gallery specializes in Venetian and Lombard painting, including artists such as Caravaggio, Piero della Francesca, Mantegna, and Raphael. We will walk to Sforza Castle. Over the centuries the castle and its defenses have involved and impassioned various designers and architects, including Leonardo da Vinci, called to Milan by Ludovico il Moro in 1482. From an architectural point of view, the most interesting parts of the building are the castle defenses, the towers and the battlements, the courtyards and the environments of Sforzesca origin.

At a local restaurant.

We will take public transportation to Santa Maria delle Grazie, the church with Leonardo’s masterpiece, “The Last Supper” in the Cenacolo Vinciano museum. Leonardo painted it around 1495-1498 to decorate the dining room of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. This is without a doubt the most famous representation of the Last Supper in art history, in spite of its poor condition due to da Vinci’s experimental technique. The painting was under restoration from 1978 to 1999 but it was not possible to bring it back to its splendor, lost soon after it was completed. Note: Due to preservation concerns, groups are limited to 35 for 15 minutes of viewing. We will then return to the hotel.

At a local restaurant. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

At the hotel depending on departure times. This concludes our program.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!