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"Architecture is a Crystal": Milan and its new skyline

5.01 reviewCity tours

  • 3 hours
  • 5 languages
  • Private tour
  • Mobile ticket

Highlights

Milan is by far the most cosmopolitan of Italian cities, being since ever the financial and fashion capital. Its growth has produced a virtuous mixture of architectural forms, types and languages, allowing the visitors to see a traditional balcony building face the most modern skyscraper. This private guided tour will lead you from the Central Station, addressed by its designer as the "cathedral of movement", to the business centre of Porta Nuova, including the tallest building in Italy. Giò Ponti, a revered master of Italian design, once wrote that "Architecture is a crystal"; well, in a few hours you will discover all its shining faces. Finally, a typical lunch at a particular restaurant, to enjoy the well-known risotto "alla milanese" with saffron.

Inclusions

What's included

  • Qualified private guide
  • Full lunch, based on a respectfully revisited Milanese cuisine

What's not

  • Breakfast
  • Gratuities

Itinerary

  1. The main railway station of Milan, in its current appearance, was initially designed in 1912 by Ulisse Stacchini and completed in 1931, after a long stop due to World War I. It features a massive entrance pavilion, characterized by a blend of Liberty, neoclassicism and eclecticism; through this, the passengers can access to the platforms, covered by an impressive iron and glass structure, 341 metres long, reaching a height of 33 metres in its central span.

    Passes by

  2. This amazingly elegant skyscraper was designed by the Italian architect Giò Ponti and built between 1956 and 1961. With a rooftop height of 127 metres, it held the record for the tallest European building until 1966, while it was unsurpassed in Milan until the construction of nearby Palazzo Lombardia. The extremely tight proportion between transversal width and height involved a sophisticated calculation of structures, managed by the genius engineer Pier Luigi Nervi. With its distinguishing silhouette, the tower is still one of the symbols of Milan.

    Passes by

  3. Built between 2007 and 2010, this articulated complex includes a 161 metres tall skyscraper and, at the ground floor, the largest covers square in the world. This square features a kindergarten, an auditorium, a post office, several restaurants and coffee bars. Besides, it often hosts happenings and events

    Passes by

  4. Designed by the Italian architects of Studio Boeri and built between 2009 and 2014, this building stands as the manifesto a of a sustainable, innovative metropolitan architecture. Its elevations, on all sides, feature more than 2.000 arboreal varieties, instead of the widely used curtain walls that characterize such buildings. Between 2014 and 2015, the Vertical Forest has been awarded as "Best Skyscraper in the world" and "Best architecture worldwide 2015", also entering the top 50 ranking of the most iconic tall buildings of all times.

    Passes by

  5. This circular, 100 metres-wide elevated square is the heart of the massive redesign of the whole area of "Porta Nuova". It lays at the feet of Unicredit Tower, built between 2009 and 2012, being the tallest skyscraper in Italy with its overall height of 218 metres (including the spire).

    Passes by

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Reviews

5.0

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Ratings come from 1 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

Meeting point
At the edge of the railway station square, in front of Pirelli Tower
Pickup
Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Operated by
Book Your Italy
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

How it compares in Milan

  • Its from-price is 42% above the median of the 180 city tours we list in Milan.
  • Its length is typical for the group.
  • By number of reviews it ranks 81 of 180.

About Milan

Milan is Italy's stylish northern powerhouse of fashion and design, with a soaring Gothic cathedral, Leonardo's Last Supper and canal-side evenings.

The Duomo, a forest of white marble spires and statues that took centuries to complete, dominates the city centre, and its roof terraces put you among the pinnacles. Beside it, the glass-roofed Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II leads to La Scala opera house, and the Sforza Castle holds museums including Michelangelo's final sculpture, the Rondanini Pietà.

Top-ranked sights in Milan: Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano), Da Vinci's Last Supper (Il Cenacolo), La Scala (Teatro alla Scala).

See all 1339 experiences in Milan

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