Palazzo dell'Arengario - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Piazza del Duomo is the main square of Milan, its real geometric center and commercial for over seven centuries. It is the vital center of the city, a meeting point for the Milanese to celebrate important events and, together with the adjacent Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, an iconic place par excellence of the metropolis and a destination for visitors and tourists from all over the world.

The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. It is the largest church in Italy, the third-largest in Europe and the fifth-largest in the world. The roof is open to tourists for a fee, which allows many a close-up view of some spectacular sculpture that would otherwise be unappreciated.

Santa Maria presso San Satiro is a church in Milan. The church is known for its false apse, an early example of trompe-l'œil, attributed to Donato Bramante.

The Palazzo della Ragione was the ancient seat of city courts and the covered market of Padua. It was built starting from 1218 and raised in 1306 by Giovanni Degli Eremitani who gave it the characteristic roof in the shape of an overturned ship hull. The upper floor is occupied by the largest hanging room in the world, called the "Salone" with a wooden ceiling in the shape of a ship's hull. It is part of the Civic Museums of Padua. The lower floor houses the historic covered market of the city.

Piazza Mercanti is a square in Milan created as the center of city life in medieval times, later transformed into via Mercanti. Piazza Mercanti means, in everyday language, the square circumscribed by the Palazzo Della Ragione, the Casa dei Panigarola, and the Loggia degli Osii. In the 13th century, there were six entry points to the square, each associated to a specific trade, from sword blacksmiths to hat makers.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is an elegant nineteenth-century shopping arcade which houses some of the most luxurious boutiques in Milan. It is located between two of the main monuments in Milan: il Duomo and the Teatro alla Scala. It also contains some of the nice restaurants, including some of the oldest establishments of Milan. The massive Galleria makes for a stunning sight, and its enormous dimensions have made it an overnight sensation ever since it was opened to the people of Milan.