An art and design museum founded in the 1930s, the thing I loved most about it was a lot of it was…read morefree though I regret not paying for the special exhibit on Italian design on the first floor. The layout is interesting with a linear entryway that gets broken up by stairs on one side that leads you up to the free exhibits. There were furniture designs and modern art pieces displayed here. The most interesting parts during my visit were the "free" playground pieces outside by Naoto Fukasawa. My friends kid loved playing on these and nice to see such humble objects displayed right outside the museum. Upstairs they had a special section dedicated to Emeco, an American furniture maker, which was interesting to find in Italy. They are most known for the all aluminum "naval chair" in continuous production since 1940s. It's pure utilitarian and interesting to see it respected as museum-worthy.

The main (paid) exhibition of the Triennale tells the story of modern design (pre-dominantely…read moreItalian). They have many interesting and famous pieces of furniture. What is fun and unique about this exhibit is that you can try almost all the chairs! Some are more comfortable than others and they aren't always the ones that you expect. They offer a special program/game for kids who are going through the exhibit to help make it more entertaining. They also almost always have an exhibition or two that is free for you to explore as well. In addition to the bookstore, there is a design library downstairs and a section for workshops/study near the entrance. I've enjoyed the cafe here more than once and although I've not attended, they also offer an apertivo in the evening. Once you are done, it's great to stroll through Parco Sempione.

A must day trip outside Milan! It's just one hour driving…read morefrom the city, and sort of near Malpensa airport. The villa-museum is a 700' mansion with baroque decoration and furniture. The owners are rich collectors that in the 1960s-1980s buy an impressive collections of conceptual and minimal american art. What it's impressive is that this contemporary art collection perfectly fit the environment, between baroque gold couches, chairs, mirrors, and african vases and sculptures. You can admire unique pieces (some made it for the villa as site-specific installations!) of Dan Flavin, Robert Irwin, and many more. Great videos explain the history of the collectors, and the artists involvement in the development of the collections. The park is lovely, with a great overview on Varese city. Few sculptures here and there made the walkthrough lovely and interesting.

This is a decent sized museum with a few separate buildings in the same campus. From the street you…read morewalk thru the gate running thru what looks to be an administrative building street-side. This opens up to a smallish courtyard area facing the main museum building with a minimalist front facade. To the right are a couple adjacent buildings with separate entrances to temporary exhibits. Walking into the main building there's a museum cafe immediately to the left of the entrance, which looked to be cafeteria style, with seating for about 50. Past this is a spacious lobby with ticket counters and help desk to the right. Tickets are free to the main collection but each special exhibit requires a different ticket. I found this a little confusing as there are 4-5 special exhibits ongoing which compose the majority of what there is to view, so having not done any research prior and not being familiar with these artists and their work, I just stuck with the main collection. There's not much to see here and I was a little put off by the staff bc they insisted I coat check my back pack before entering even the main collection though the museum was pretty empty and I literally saw them allow someone with a slightly smaller back pack in right in front of me. They are also sticklers for going in the order if the exhibit, goodness forbid if you want to back track a few rooms they tell you that's not the right way and that you should be going the other direction. It just didn't make the experience enjoyable.

My impression of this "salvage operation" of an industrial archeological site remains unchanged…read more It's very minimalistic. Way too much. Raw cement, glass and steel make up this uncomfortable concept, unpleasant to the eye and uncomfortable for the visitor. As you might have noticed, I changed my profile picture to one of Frida's self-portraits because I went to see her exhibition last Saturday. Almost all pictures and photos of this magnificent Artist were there. This made my day. Regretfully, the lack of benches or resting stops made it very uncomfortable for my 5 hernias. By the time I got out, I had to gulp down a couple of painkillers to keep going. Shalom (but not so much to the architects) :))

I was so happy to find contemporary art alive and thriving on my visit to Milano. HangerBicocca is…read morea great exhibition space in one building and a second building which houses a permanent installation, "The Seven Heavenly Palaces" by Anselm Kiefer - incredible stacked towers of concrete. HangerBicocca is a bit out of the city (~20 minute train from the Duomo + 10 minutes walking), and the area feels deserted, but the art inside was incredible. Currently, there is an exhibition by Céline Condorelli "bau bau" which I quite enjoyed. Recommended if you want an adventure on the metro that brings you to an oasis of art!

Not to miss contemporary art venue in Milan. You can't get wrong. The trip is worthier. Free…read moreentrance. No ticket required. Huge industrial building restored as a container of big installations and art pieces.

Not a bad small aquarium. Some interesting exhibits. Infrastructure is a little in disrepair but…read moreanimals seem well cared for. Admission reasonable. You can get through entire facility in under an hour. Not a destination but if into aquariums, worth checking out.

This is a small aquarium on the edge of Parco Sempione. Being a 'land locked' city, I was surprised…read moreto find an aquarium here. The main level has a series of tanks containing different species and are great for very young children as the tanks sit on floor level. Outside, in the back, are a number of pools containing a variety of aquatic life including several turtles. There is a children's arts room on the upper level and a conference room where they were offering a slide show presentation in Italian. On the lower level was an art exhibit, based on sea life. Of course. It's a great day out with the kids and/or a good rainy day activity.

#314-2016:…read more Inaugurated on May 20th 1930, the Milan Planetarium is the largest on Italian soil and it is sponsored by the Milan City Hall. It was originally commissioned by Ulrico Hoepli and designed by the architect Portaluppi, later on it was donated to the City of Milano. Octagonal in shape, it can host up to 300 people on extremely uncomfortable revolving wooden chairs (I believe they haven't been changed since). Little less than 20 meters in diameter, the dome has an octagonal base and features the Milano skyline as it was originally in the 1930s. The Planetarium is equipped with a Zeiss projector that was installed in 1968 and has been in service since. I have been to this Planetarium several times but it was only recently that I have discovered how far things have evolved. I guess, the place needs to lure new viewers (namely of the teenage format). The show (5€ per per person) gives you pointers on how to spot stars, constellations and recites the stories behind said constellations delivered in a contemporary way (WhatsApp, Facebook, InstaGram are mentioned in the stories). I guess things have changed quite a bit since I first came to spot the stars. Worth mentioning that the Planetarium also houses the oldest and most important Amateur Astronomy Club in the city. There are many cultural events held here and in the outskirts of Milan (namely to watch real stars in the field) that make this place a MUST-GO for geeks, nerds and stargazers. If you are interested in knowing a little bit more about the events and the structure, here is the direct web link to consult: https://www.comune.milano.it/dseserver/webcity/Documenti.nsf/webHomePage?OpenForm&settore=SVIY-5HNGA3_HP