Discover Brera, Milan’s art district, north of the city centre, by strolling through atmospheric cobbled alleyways where the cafes and shops sit side by side with showrooms and art galleries.

Pause to admire the treasure trove of exquisite masterpieces in Palazzo Brera, via Brera 26, with an all-round sensory visit!

From the central courtyard, with the colossal statue of Napoleon, take the staircase to the Pinacoteca on the first floor where some rooms offer visitors design benches or stations equipped for drawing; reproductions of some of the fabrics depicted in the paintings can be touched or even smelt, and there is also the chance to listen to live string orchestras on the occasion of the Brera/Musica event.

For a stylish break, stay on the first floor and head up to Caffè Fernanda, a delightful step back in time with its refined 1950’s interior, one of our top 5 museum bars not to be missed in Milan.

To the rear of the building visitors encounter a magical space, the Botanical Garden, a sort of open-air museum with displays of exotic species, flower beds and centuries-old trees that change with the seasons. During the Design Week it becomes a scenographic installation and a verdant oasis, perfect for unwinding from the tour de force of the Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone events.

Whilst you are in Palazzo Brera you could take the opportunity to visit the Biblioteca Braidense, one of the most beautiful historical libraries in Milan.

The majestic Main Staircase, from Via Brera 28, leads up to most beautiful rooms: the Sala Maria Teresa, the Sala di Lettura Braidense reading room and the Sala dei Cataloghi archive. Visiting an exhibition gives the perfect opportunity to admire rare portraits and manuscripts, the bookshelves by Piermarini or the grandiose eighteenth-century drop chandeliers.

Our art immersion continues within some of the most beautiful churches in the city: from the Church of San Marco, where both Mozart and Verdi resided, to that of Santa Maria del Carmine.

Last but not least, the Basilica of San Simpliciano with its large Cloister which is one of the most elegant in the city: one of the first churches built in Milan and the last of the four basilicas that Sant’Ambrogio sought to build in what were, at the time, peripheral areas of the city.

A hidden corner to be discovered, which lies at the end of Via Madonnina and Via Formentini, is the deconsecrated church of San Carpoforo, often the backdrop for design installations and used as an events venue by the Brera Academy of Fine Arts.

During the stunningly vibrant Design weeks in Milan - comprising the last Design Week in September 2021 which marked the rebirth of the sector - installations appear almost everywhere in Brera: from the Botanical Garden to the showrooms and inside the Porta Garibaldi Caselli Daziari toll gates.

One of the latest locations inaugurated in Via Brera is the restored eighteenth-century Palazzo Citterio with its wonderful garden overlooking the Botanical Garden, designated to house the modern art collections of the adjoining Pinacoteca, creating the Grande Brera museum system within 2022.

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