Best Milan Photography Locations

Milan may not be the first city you think of when someone says picturesque, but that doesn’t mean there are no places worth photographing in Italy’s second city. If you’re a keen photographer, the capital of fashion offers plenty of choices, from the classic heavy-hitters like the Duomo to the more artsy, hidden spots that guidebooks may not mention. Yes, you may say, but Milan is far too functional and workaday a city to inspire the feelings of love and romantic adoration many other cities do - and you wouldn’t exactly be wrong, but as James Joyce has taken a diamond in the rough like Dublin for himself, you too can make Milan yours, flaws and all. What you are bound to discover if you decide to give Milan a chance is that there are plenty of places worth keeping in your picture memories, whether you’ve got a serious camera setup or are a hobby Instagrammer.

The reason Milan lacks the laid-back beauty of other Italian towns is that it simply doesn’t have the time. After all, this is a fast-paced, incredibly busy city devoted to innovation and creativity that sells. However, this also means that surprises are waiting to reveal themselves to you on every corner, so keep your camera handy and eyes peeled. While there are cities more beautiful in rainy weather, for instance – Paris, Rome, London, or admittedly almost any other place you can think of – many a Milanese cobblestone street benefits from a bit of water glistening on its pavement and can, with a little framing and a creative eye, look just as ravishing as any avenue around the world. So, don’t mind the detractors and pack a few rolls of film on your next trip to Milan. Here’s a list of places to look out for if you need some inspiration for the photographer in you.

Duomo

Let’s get the classic choice out of the way first: the most famous building in Milan is, of course, the Duomo. No wonder: the largest church in Italy is also considered by many to be the most beautiful. There’s no way to take a bad picture here, try as you might, as it looks amazing from any angle and in every light. Whether you are down in the square, inside the church, or up on top looking down, there’s virtually no wrong you can do here. The observation deck particularly offers impressive views of the city. If you’re taking pictures of the Duomo from the square it is set in, try thinking in black and white, something that turns the countless pigeons surrounding the church from nuisance to moving art.

Street Style

One thing you really can say about Milan with confidence is that it is home to some of the most fashionable people in the world. The style in this town is not the je ne sais quoi of Paris or the funky punk of London, but the fine, simple elegance Italian fashion is known for. There are no clashing colors here, unless they clash beautifully on purpose, like the combination of navy blue and black. You’d be hard pressed to find someone wearing dirty sneakers or a wrinkled shirt in this town. Everything is put together just so, and the people modeling the fashions are a sight for sore eyes and lenses, too. So walk around and find some people to add some style to your photo album (just make sure to ask them first).

Via Montenapoleone

If you come to this world-famous street dedicated to fashion during special occasions such as the holidays, Valentine’s Day, or fashion week, you can see via Montenapoleone put on the Ritz even thicker than it already does on any given Tuesday. The windows vie for shoppers’ attention and offer frame after frame of creative, gorgeous interpretations of any given brand’s image, showcasing garments in their very best light. If your camera can pull it off, you may consider dropping by after sundown when the crowd thins out and the shop windows are illuminated, as that’s when no better images can be taken of the lanky plastic dolls dressed to the nines stuck forever behind glass.

Brera

For those looking to juxtapose the above with its polar opposite, come down to get some pictures of Brera and the artists roaming it. This part of town, named after the famous academy that resides within it, will show you countless gorgeous pedestrian streets and beautiful buildings untouched by the ever-raging quest to modernize the city, so you can get some shots of Milan as it used to be once upon a time, and rest assured in the knowledge that in Brera, at least, that is how it will remain.

Old Trams

These ancient, creaking trams belong to Milan like a crisp white shirt belongs to a well-cut blazer. They rumble along all day, noisily down the tracks, slow enough for a snapshot but fast enough for charming long-exposures. It may be worth getting on one of them, to get a picture from an unusual window onto Milanese street life. The old trams, of which plenty are still in operation, are of the 1500 series and can easily be spotted around the Duomo area. If they bring to your mind an American flair of times long gone, that is no accident, since these trams were modelled on the US streetcars of yore, which have gone all but extinct in the States save for the ones in San Francisco, where they form an essential part of the cityscape just as they do here in Milan.

Centrale

A central station that can hold its own when compared to any other city’s main railway hub, this one is very photogenic, you will have to admit. Designed by Ulisse Stacchini, Centrale was finished in 1931 with a then-record 200-meter wide facade that remains essentially unchanged to this day. The relatively new station, at least by Italian measure, is grandiose and unforgettable and showcases architectural standards of a regime famous for only worse things than this marvel. It does not conform to any one style, though it shows clear influences of art deco and liberty, coupled with a serious, joyless air bestowed upon it by fascism. Regardless of its history, this ravishing building is worth photographing a million times over, as anyone who has ever pointed a camera at it will tell you.

Teatro alla Scala

For another place that is gorgeous both inside and out but far less controversial, Milan has the Teatro alla Scala: a staggering tour de force, as any place with so much artful, glorious history ought to be. Wait for a show to start or end to get a picture of the fancy opera-going folk walking those famous steps or come late at night to take a photograph of the building from across the piazza, silent, still, and dignified. If you really want to go all out, you can move inside and get a few detail shots. Be warned however that there is almost too much of that for one visit, with all that ornate gold and striking red, unchanged through the decades and decades of this historic opera house.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

There’s hardly a list you can make relating to Milan that wouldn’t have to include the Galleria. No matter the subject, this place deserves to be on it – save for if you’re collecting ugly places or places no one knows about, both very possible in Milan, though that is a topic for another day. Come here to get pictures of the famous glass ceiling, the shops with unreasonably expensive things on offer to the people buying them, sitting at the cafes, or twirling on the bull set into marble. If you come at Christmas time, you can catch the cast iron grates that hold the glass on the ceiling dressed in vibrant blue lights, something that makes this mall even more beautiful, if that is even possible.

The Statues

Milan has no shortage of urban homages in the public square: whether people, animals or ideas, this city honors their favorites in style, as it does pretty much everything else, too. A good place to start is snapping the ninety-six demons and gargoyles along with the other residents of the Duomo. One of the most notable among these is St. Bartholomew, inside the church, who was famously flayed alive and now has his likeness stand eternal guard, wearing his skin draped around his body like a cloak. If you’re looking for something more down-to-earth, shall we say, you’ve got a petrified version of Leonardo da Vinci at the Scala or an enormous, funny hand with a very suggestive finger pointed at the seat of the stock exchange. You can also find the likeness of famous composer Verdi looking over piazza Buonarroti since 1913, a decade after the real one died, and of course, Victor Emanuel sitting motionless on horseback at the Duomo. One thing you may wonder is why none of the countless pigeons sit with him – this is because of the current lead through the statue to prevent the birds from keeping the emperor company. An honorable mention is the Needle, Thread and Knot in Cadorna, a transportation hub, which may not be the city’s favorite art piece but certainly looks great in pictures.

Isola

The part of town you need to be at if you are into street art, Isola is a funky, spunky playground for young artists with unbridled energy and a love for urban decoration. Graffiti and street art might be something which in other surroundings could be called vandalism, but even the most conservative agree that it looks amazing in Isola. Every facade, every courtyard, restaurant, or bar and all the walls connecting these are filled with art by famous and not-yet-famous artists. Once a somber and isolated worker’s district – hence the name – Isola has become the hippest neighborhood in town, with renowned artists fighting over commissioned spots around the area to paint, or spray, their signature.

Vespas

Here’s a fun fact: those rows of mysterious little rectangles you see embedded on every corner on the sidewalk are from the parked Vespas’ metal pegs sinking into the concrete on hot summer days. These little motorbikes still remain the favorite mode of transport of every city-dwelling Italian rain or shine, from student to professional, and the vehicles come in as many colors and shapes as the riders do. The Vespa is no exception to the Italian dedication to style, and many of them are quite cool, unique, and always kept immaculately. Try finding busy intersections with motorinos piled on side by side to take pictures of, or wait for a pretty Italian woman to speed by on one dressed in a chic office outfit, helmet strictly optional. The very recognizable sound of a Vespa approaching will give you enough time to prepare your shot.

San Bernardino alle Ossa

Or St. Bernard of the Bones in English, this sanctuary delivers on the promise given in its name. Visit the chapel of this church and see the bones and skulls of those deceased who had no space reserved for them in the cemetery adjacent and had to be put to rest here, for all to see. Yes, the sight is macabre and taking pictures may be uncouth, but the images you will take from the experience may just be worth the risk of a ghost haunting you for the rest of all eternity. If not, you can always take a photo of the church from a safe distance to remind you of the secrets it hides inside.

The Navigli at Sundown

To take pictures that look more like paintings than photographs, head to the Navigli just as evening is about to set in and, with a little luck, you can trap the golden hour or the immediately following blue hour in your camera. The water sliding forever down these man-made canals offers a great base for an endless array of shots – of the bridges or from one of them, along the banks of the water or across from the other side. What is certain is that any photo of the Navigli is bound to be just as full of life as this neighborhood is, day or night, though the evening is certainly the most flattering time to encounter it with your lens. If you can’t make it here then, the flea markets at home here are a close second in terms of frames to catch.

The Food

Whether you stop for lunch at any old trattoria or get fancy at a five-star dinner, the food in Milan, or really all of Italy, is almost too pretty to eat. Only almost, though – so before you tuck in, make sure to snap a few pictures, if only to make your friends jealous. Though it is no food, we feel it is our duty to mention the ubiquitous Aperol spritz, a glowing ruby red juice poured over an orange slice, with drops of condensation pearling down the glass. This drink, more than any other, looks so inviting you may wish you were small enough to take a dip in the tart, bitter liquid. The next best thing is to take some pictures of it, and then enjoy your cocktail while looking over the photographs you took in this surprising city.