Milan Car Hire discover the city

Universally known as the capital of fashion, “Made in Italy” design and creativity, Milan is also the capital of Lombardy, and has the ability to be a cosmopolitan and modern city without renouncing its identity and its millennial history, which is well represented by an exceptional artistic heritage.

Until a few years ago, Milan was considered only as the economic engine of Italy or as the destination for luxury shopping, but now it has also made a name for itself as a tourist destination, managing to compete with more popular cities such as Rome and Venice.

This conquest is certainly well deserved, given that there are so many things to see in Milan that a stay of several days is necessary.

What to see in Milan: the most beautiful places to visit in the city

Visiting Milan requires time and a bit of effort, which is why it is best to explore it by car, a means of transport that allows you to move easily from one area to another, even to the areas surrounding the city.

Your contact for renting a car in Milan is Maggiore, a leader in the sector that has several offices in the Lombard capital, located in strategic points of the city, such as the Central Train Station and Linate Airport, and also in the most important towns of the metropolitan area, such as Assago and Pero.

Once you have rented the perfect car, start your tour of Milan from its icon, the Duomo of Santa Maria Nascente, a stunning Lombard-Gothic cathedral adorned with over 3000 statues and 135 spires that took five centuries to build, and then head to the nearby Galleria Emanuele II, one of the most famous examples of iron architecture built in the neo-Renaissance style, and home to important boutiques.

From the Galleria, head to Piazza della Scala, but remember to first stop at the magnificent Museo del Novecento, and visit La Scala Theatre, one of the most famous and prestigious in the world, the 16th-century Palazzo Marino and the unusual Palazzo Beltrami.

In about 10 minutes by car you can reach the Sforzesco Castle, a magnificent fortified complex built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza and today home to several museums, such as the Museum of Ancient Art and the Museum of Musical Instruments, and the nearby Sempione Park, an oasis of peace and tranquillity where you can relax surrounded by greenery or enjoy a few hours in its beautiful library, housed in a pavilion designed by architect Ico Parisi for the 1954 Milan Triennale.

Among the places to visit in Milan, it is impossible not to include the stupendous Pinacoteca di Brera, founded in 1776 by the State and not by private collectors and which houses works of enormous value such as the “Sposalizio della Vergine” by Raffaello, the “Pietà” by Giovanni Bellini and the “Cristo Morto” by Mantegna as well as numerous paintings by 20th century artists such as Picasso, Modigliani and De Chirico.

Of course, you can’t miss Leonardo’s Last Supper, painted on the wall of the refectory of the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio, a stupendous example of Lombard-Romanesque architecture, where you should also see the Sacello of San Vittore in Ciel d’Oro and the Altare d’Oro created by Vuolvinio, and the Monumental Cemetery where illustrious people such as Alessandro Manzoni and Arturo Toscanini are buried.

Your tour of Milan is not over yet, as there are still many more beautiful places to visit!

A must-see in the Lombard capital are its Navigli, the Naviglio Grande and the Naviglio Pavese (to which is added the Naviglio della Martesana), an important engineering work built to compensate for the absence of a large waterway in the city, the 13th-century San Bernardino Ossuary with its extraordinary collection of human bones, and the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore dating back to the 16th century, while if you want to visit some of the city’s characteristic areas, don’t miss the Maggiolina, a residential district characterised by its typical igloo-shaped houses, Villa Invernizzi in Corso Venezia, with its courtyard housing magnificent specimens of pink flamingos, and the Albergo diurno Venezia, an underground structure located in Piazza Oberdan built between 1923 and 1925.

Finally, if you want to immerse yourself in modern Milan, don’t miss a trip to the fashionable City Life district, home to buildings designed by world-famous architects such as Arata Isozaki and Zaha Hadid, the Bosco Verticale, a residential building designed by Stefano Boeri, and the nearby Biblioteca degli Alberi (Library of Trees), with its 90,000 plants. Instead, if you feel like doing a bit of shopping, you’ll be spoilt for choice between the luxurious boutiques of the Quadrilatero della Moda (Fashion District) and the characteristic vintage shops of Porta Ticinese.

Discovering the area around Milan

Milan is an exciting city, but its surrounding areas also have many interesting places to visit.

In about 30 minutes by car you can reach Monza, known not only for its racetrack, which hosts the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix, but also for its historical beauties, first of all the Villa Reale with its beautiful park, while in an hour’s drive you can reach Bergamo, where you can immerse yourself in the beauty of the Upper and Lower Towns.

If you’re looking for a bit of relaxation then head to the magnificent Lake Como and take a boat tour of Menaggio, Bellagio and Varenna.

Other places to visit near Milan include Lake Iseo and Franciacorta, the latter renowned for its wine production, Vigevano, the most famous town in Lomellina, known for the beautiful Piazza Ducale, Torre Bramante and Sforzesco Castle, and the Ticino Park, the oldest regional park in Italy.

There are also lots of picturesque villages around the provincial capital which are really worth seeing.
We recommend a visit to Castellaro Lagusello, a medieval town overlooking a lake, Morimondo, known above all for its Abbey, Monte Isola, the pearl of Lake Iseo and also one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy”, Montalto Pavese, where you can visit the castle and the characteristic territory of Oltrepò Pavese, and Angera, a fortified town on Lake Maggiore where we recommend a visit to the Doll and Toy Museum, one of the largest in Europe.

From the lakes to the mountains and valleys, the places to see near Milan include the beautiful town of Chiavenna and the entire area of Valchiavenna, famous for its views and natural beauty, the National Park of Naquane Rock Carvings in Valcamonica, and Brunate or “Balcony on the Alps”, a town in the Lombard Pre-Alps where you can visit the Fogliano Lighthouse built in 1927 to celebrate the centenary of the death of Alessandro Volta.

Milan and its surrounding areas hold many treasures, many known and others to be discovered.