Deep stargazing has found its place in Italy’s biggest planetarium. Not only will it open your eyes to the wonders of the universe, it does so in very elegant settings. Designed by iconic Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi, the seemingly austere exterior of stone and marble is balanced with art deco touches and a playful trail of constellations as decoration. While almost all sessions are in Italian, for astronomy fans it’s still well worth it.
Civico Planetario Ulrico Hoepli
Milan
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.68 MILES
Milan's most famous mural, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, is hidden away on a wall of the refectory adjoining the Basilica di Santa Maria delle…
0.9 MILES
A vision in pink Candoglia marble, Milan's extravagant Gothic cathedral, 600 years in the making, aptly reflects the city's creativity and ambition. Its…
1.45 MILES
Behind striking Renaissance-revival black-and-white walls, Milan’s wealthy have kept their dynastic ambitions alive long after death with grand sculptural…
0.75 MILES
Located upstairs from one of Italy’s most prestigious art schools, this gallery houses Milan’s collection of Old Masters, much of it ‘lifted’ from Venice…
0.55 MILES
A stroll around the Quadrilatero d'Oro, the world's most famous shopping district, is a must even for those not sartorially inclined. The quaintly cobbled…
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15.29 MILES
One of the Italian Renaissance's most notable buildings is the splendid Certosa di Pavia. Giangaleazzo Visconti of Milan founded the monastery, 10km north…
1.17 MILES
Originally a Visconti fortress, this iconic red-brick castle was later home to the mighty Sforza dynasty, who ruled Renaissance Milan. The castle's…
0.96 MILES
Overlooking Piazza del Duomo, with fabulous views of the cathedral, is Mussolini's Arengario, from where he would harangue huge crowds in his heyday. Now…
Nearby Milan attractions
1. Museo Civico di Storia Naturale
0.09 MILES
This grand neo-Romanesque building houses Milan's natural history museum, complete with dinosaurs, fossils and the largest geology collection in Europe…
0.18 MILES
Casa Galimberti, with its ceramic tiles depicting bourgeois beauties, is one of the finest pieces of fin-de-siècle Liberty architecture in Italy.
3. Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli
0.19 MILES
A life story unfolds as you follow pebble paths past bumper cars and a carousel, onwards past games of football, kissing teens, a beer kiosk, babies in…
0.22 MILES
One of Milan's fin-de-siècle Liberty treasures, with intricate wrought-iron balconies.
5. Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea
0.22 MILES
Art and design intertwine at the city’s ground-breaking contemporary galleries. Leading the pack is PAC, which mounts experimental exhibitions in…
0.22 MILES
Napoleon’s temporary Milanese home, the 18th-century Villa Reale, now houses Milan's modern art collection. Made up of bequests from leading Milanese…
0.24 MILES
The former Cinema Dumont, with its concrete garlands of flowers, is a fine example of fin-de-siècle Liberty architecture.
0.34 MILES
Designed by homegrown talent Piero Portaluppi, this exquisitely restored 1930s villa was commissioned by Pavian heiresses Nedda and Gigina Necchi (of the…