From former prisons to the sundials of the Navigli, from monumental cemeteries to Second World War bunkers: Milan hides extraordinary corners far from the tourist trails.
Unusual Milan: hidden secrets and wonders
Milan is a city that reveals itself slowly. Beneath the surface of the modern, frantic metropolis hide extraordinary places that even many Milanese do not know.
Leonardo's Vineyard
In Via Marenco 15, hidden in a private garden, is the vineyard that Ludovico il Moro gave to Leonardo da Vinci in 1498. Abandoned for centuries, it has been restored and today produces wine from a grape variety identical to the original, identified through DNA analysis.
The vineyard can be visited by booking: the experience includes a tasting of the wine produced from Leonardo's grapes.
The Monumental Cemetery
Milan's Monumental Cemetery (1866) is one of the most beautiful in Europe: an open-air museum with sculptures by Medardo Rosso, Giacomo Manzu and dozens of other artists. The Famedio, the temple of great Milanese figures, holds the tombs of Alessandro Manzoni and Carlo Cattaneo.
Free entry. Unfortunately very few tourists visit it - which makes it all the more precious.
The Porticoes of Via Ripamonti
In the outer districts, stretches of medieval porticoes survive almost ignored. Via Ripamonti preserves some of the original arches of the canal filled in during the 1930s, an urban layering that tells the story of the city built on water.