Milan: La Scala Opera Museum, Galleria & Duomo Cathedral with Rooftop

Milan’s Duomo & La Scala Museum are certainly one of the best ideas of what to do in Milan, if you are willing to know more about country’s rich history. Milan is also extremely well-located for convenient day trips from Florence or Venice (by the way check our article about 17 best day trips from Milan).

So, let’s discover together on a private tailor-made tour the best things to do in Milan.

During the visit of Duomo, you will admire the unique and beautiful gothic architecture of the biggest church in Italy that took 6 centuries to be completed.

With pre-booked & guaranteed skip-the-line tickets, you will enter immediately the Duomo rooftop terrace by elevator to have a panoramic 360-degree view of Milan. After that, you will enter the Duomo Cathedral and your private guide will help you to explore the underground archeological area beneath Duomo & the museum of Duomo.

The Duomo of Milan is the largest church in Italy and the fourth largest in the world, with a capacity of up to 40,000 people. In the 1930s a special law was introduced in Milan (as you will discover during the tour, it wasn’t respected later on…) for which no buildings could have been higher than the highest point of Duomo.

Duomo Rooftops host about 3400 statues and they are not all are saints or angels. For example, you can admire the statue of the boxer Primo Carnera (world heavyweight boxing champion in 1930s – he was the first Italian ever to gain this title), the statue of the pigeon, one of a tennis racquet, and the Statue of Liberty (the myth says it inspired New York’s one!).

Between the visit of Duomo and L Scala Museum, your private expert guide will accompany you to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, named after the first King of Italy.

Constructed in 19th century, the Galleria was built on the initiative of the king with the purpose to represent the modernization of Milan and connect La Scala Opera House & Piazza Duomo, the most important landmarks of that time.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a grand display of many beautiful of high-end fashion boutiques & famous restaurants, all inside an enormous decorated glass roof. Together with Montenapoleone fashion district, it is one of the best places to visit in Italy for the most luxurious shopping experience.

After Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, your private guide will introduce to you the foyer & the museum of La Scala Theater, which displays an excessive collection of theatrical costumes, set designs, autograph scores, and musical instruments, together with paintings of musicians and actors, precious ceramic figures portraying characters from the “commedia dell’arte” – the first opera played on the inauguration of La Scala.

Besides the collection of the museum, your guide will also provide to you some important information about the biggest artists who have performed on this important stage, such as Verdi, Toscanini, Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti or Carla Fracci.

Most of Italy’s greatest operatic artists, and many of the finest singers from around the world, have appeared at La Scala. If we count the seats on the balconies, La Scala can hold up to 3,000 attendees. Moreover, the stage of La Scala is made fully of wood to allow exceptional audio quality from the instruments played on stage. La Scala’s season opens on 7 December every year on Saint Ambrose’s Day, the feast day of Milan’s patron saint.

We can also check the availability for a free pickup in your hotel, please contact us for this option.