Royal Palace of Milan

About this place

The Royal Palace of Milan was the seat of government in the Italian city of Milan for many centuries. Today, it serves as a cultural centre and it is home to international art exhibitions. It spans through an area of 7,000 square meters and it regularly hosts modern and contemporary art works and famous collections in cooperation with notable museums and cultural institutions from across the world. More than 1,500 masterpieces are on display annually. It was originally designed to include two courtyards but these were later dismantled to make room for the Duomo. The palazzo is located to the right of the Duomo's façade, opposite to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Notice how the building presents itself to the surrounding streets or landscape, then compare its public and more intimate spaces. This helps explain how architecture expressed the position, resources and ambitions of the people who commissioned it.