As the Festival is about to begin, PhotoVogue has selected a curated range of Milan’s most iconic places to visit. For the days of the Festival, which will take place at the Biblioteca Braidense in the heart of the historic Brera district, we have created a special guide to our favorite spots: from cultural landmarks and museums to galleries, restaurants, cafés, and pastry shops where you can pause and soak in the atmosphere. Discover everything below.
Museums & Cultural Landmarks
Home to masterpieces by Raphael, Caravaggio and Mantegna, this elegant gallery is one of Italy’s most important art museums, located in the Brera district. From March 1st to 4th it will be home also to the PhotoVogue Festival, at the historical Biblioteca Braidense.
Visitors can explore its vast interior, archaeological area, and rooftop terraces, which offer views over the city skyline.
One of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, La Scala has hosted legendary composers and performers since 1778. Its museum displays costumes, instruments, and memorabilia from its illustrious history.
This imposing Renaissance fortress houses several museums and art collections, including Michelangelo’s final sculpture, the Rondanini Pietà.
Located in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, this UNESCO World Heritage site preserves Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Last Supper.
Exhibitions:
Robert Mapplethorpe. Le Forme del Desiderio
Overlooking Piazza del Duomo, this museum traces Italian 20th-century art movements, including Futurism and Arte Povera.
A leading institution for contemporary art housed in a former distillery.
Exhibition: “Over, Under and In Between” – Mona Hatoum (29 January – 9 November 2026)
Fondazione Prada presents a site-specific project by Mona Hatoum inside the Cisterna building. The three-part installation revolves around the themes of instability and fragility through archetypal elements of her work: a suspended glass web resembling a constellation, a world map composed of over 30,000 red glass spheres using the Gall-Peters projection, and all of a quiver, a towering kinetic grid structure that oscillates between collapse and reconstruction. The exhibition reflects on precariousness and interconnectedness in today’s world.
Exhibition: The Island, Hito Steyerl
Dedicated to world cultures, MUDEC hosts major international exhibitions and interdisciplinary projects.
The Moment the Snow Melts, Chiharu Shiota
A global reference point for design, architecture and visual arts, located inside Parco Sempione.
Exhibition: Design Olimpico
Founded in 1618, it houses works by Leonardo, Caravaggio and Botticelli alongside an extraordinary historic library.
An intimate 19th-century house museum displaying Renaissance paintings, decorative arts and armor.
A masterpiece of Rationalist architecture from the 1930s, surrounded by a private garden.
A vast industrial space devoted to monumental contemporary installations.
Intesa Sanpaolo’s museum hub featuring Italian art from the 19th century to contemporary photography.
A neo-Renaissance house museum offering a fascinating glimpse into aristocratic Milanese life.
A museum focusing on the history of opera and theatre connected to La Scala.
Dedicated to Italian industrial design and home of the prestigious Compasso d’Oro award.
One of Milan’s oldest churches and a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture.
Often called the “Sistine Chapel of Milan,” its walls are entirely covered in Renaissance frescoes.
A powerful memorial located at the city’s Central Station, commemorating Holocaust deportations.
A refined museum combining Etruscan art and contemporary works within an elegant 19th-century palace.
Exhibition: “Giorgio Armani Privé 2005–2025”
This exhibition celebrates twenty years of Haute Couture by Giorgio Armani, curated by the designer himself. The show traces the evolution of Armani Privé since its Paris debut in 2005, highlighting pure lines, precious fabrics and jewel-like embroidery. The immersive display at the Silos includes a bespoke soundtrack and the fragrance Bois d’Encens, guiding visitors through a sensory journey centered on light as a metaphor for creativity and timeless elegance.