Palazzo Reale: Milan's Exhibition Palace Next Door to the Duomo
For six centuries this was the seat of government in Milan – ducal court, Austrian viceregal palace, royal residence. Today Palazzo Reale is the city's principal exhibition venue, hosting the big international shows. From Taylor's Love Solferino B&B it is a walk straight down through Brera.
Palazzo Reale, Milan. Photo: Giovanni Dall'Orto, Wikimedia Commons.
Getting There from Our B&B
On foot: approximately 1.7 km, about 21 minutes from Via Solferino 56, through Brera past La Scala and the Galleria.
By metro: from Moscova (M2), 300 metres away, to Cadorna, then M1 to Duomo. The palace is on the south side of the cathedral square.
Six Centuries of Power, Then a Bomb
The site has held the seat of Milanese government since the Middle Ages. The Visconti and Sforza ruled from here; the Austrians rebuilt it in the eighteenth century, when Giuseppe Piermarini – the architect of La Scala – gave it the neoclassical form it has today.
On the night of 15 August 1943 the same Allied raid that gutted La Scala and Santa Maria delle Grazie struck Palazzo Reale. The Sala delle Cariatidi, the great ballroom, lost its roof and its decoration.
It was deliberately never fully restored. The room is still used for exhibitions with its scarred walls and blackened caryatids left exposed – a decision that makes it one of the most affecting interiors in Milan. Picasso's Guernica was shown here in 1953, in that ruined hall.
What to See
- Sala delle Cariatidi – the bombed ballroom, left as the war made it.
- The temporary exhibitions – the main reason to come. Palazzo Reale hosts several large shows at once, typically major retrospectives.
- The royal apartments – partly restored eighteenth-century rooms.
- Museo del Duomo – inside the same building, with original statues and stained glass from the cathedral, plus the wooden model of the Duomo.
- The courtyard – free to walk through, and a useful shortcut off the crowded square.
Practical Information
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 10:00 to 19:30, with late opening on Thursdays. Closed Mondays.
- Admission: depends entirely on the exhibition, usually 12 to 17 euro. Combined tickets are often available.
- Booking ahead: strongly advised for the headline shows, which sell out at weekends.
- Best time to visit: Thursday evening, when it stays open late and the crowds thin out.
- Check what is on before going – the programme changes several times a year.
Everything Else Is Within a Hundred Metres
The Duomo, its rooftop terraces, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the Museo del Novecento are all on the same square. Palazzo Reale is the one that changes constantly, so it is worth checking even if you have been to Milan before.
Why Staying in Brera Makes the Difference
Taylor's Love Solferino B&B is at Via Solferino 56 in Zone 1, the historic centre, between Brera, Moscova and Corso Garibaldi. Twenty minutes on foot to Piazza del Duomo means you can go for one exhibition, come back, and return in the evening without thinking about transport.
For travellers who prefer a short stay apartment in Milan centre to a hotel, the B&B offers free self check-in with a smart lock. Porta Garibaldi FS, 700 metres away, connects directly to Malpensa Airport with the Malpensa Express.