These Are the Buildings You Need to See in Milan (2025)

Milan is among Italy’s largest and most influential cities: Founded in 590 B.C., it eventually became the capital of the Lombardy region. Yet for centuries, it was somewhat overlooked as a cultural hub; while Rome, Florence and Venice were widely viewed as Italy’s seats of intellectual and artistic production, Milan was seen mainly as a gray, unromantic city of industry and finance. However, during the so-called Italian economic miracle, the boom that followed World War II, Milan emerged as a design center. Large companies like Pirelli, Olivetti and Fiat — manufacturers of tires, office equipment and automobiles, respectively — began to provide patronage to designers such as Gio Ponti and Ettore Sottsass, resulting in enduring examples of Italian design such as the former’s 1958 Pirelli Tower skyscraper and the latter’s 1969 Valentine typewriter. Milan’s rise to a fashion capital in the 1980s added to its prestige, and many of the architecturally significant buildings constructed since then were created for and financed by its leading brands in manufacturing, publishing and, especially, fashion. Below are 10 sights, listed in the order in which they were built, that showcase the diversity of Milan’s centuries of architecture.