If you are looking for a buen retiro just outside Milano, which brings the clock back in time, Monza is the city for you.

The establishment of the Park of Monza dates back to 1805, when Napoleon decided to create a hunting reserve and a model agricultural estate. This green area is one of the largest in Europe and is full of neoclassical elements, giving it an orthogonal and elegant structure that brings to mind the gardens of Versailles and those of the Royal Palace of Caserta.

The park is located north of the Villa Reale di Monza, also known as the Reggia di Monza, a neoclassical masterpiece made by the Habsburgs in the eighteenth century, during the Austrian domination. The court became Royal Palace with Napoleon and Summer Residence with the Savoia Royals. The building is one of the clearest examples of neoclassical architecture, imposing and aristocratic, but at the same time extremely linear and ethereal.

CAN'T MISS

- The Monza Cathedral: worth a visit for the beautiful Chapel of Queen Theodolinda, unmissable masterpiece of Gothic architecture, inside is the legendary iron crown with which the Kings of Italy were crowned.

- Ponte dei Leoni (Lions' Bridge) on the Lambro River: one of the historical bridges of the town, so called because adorned by four marble statues representing big lions, which bring to mind the emblem of the City of Venice. 

- Autodromo di Monza (Monza racetrack): one of the most famous and historic circuits (it was inaugurated in 1922!) of F1.

ANECDOTES AND CURIOSITIES

Few know that the history of Milano Triennale began at the Villa Reale in Monza. Its rooms hosted the first exhibitions, moved to Milano in 1933. With the reopening of the Villa, it was decided to allocate the third floor to a separate section of the Triennale. This area, called "Belvedere", contains hundreds of design works that have made the "Made in Italy" aesthetics famous in the world.