The Mysteries of Milan: From the Duomo to the Royal Palace

(196 reviews)

Milan audio tour: The Mysteries of Milan: From the Duomo to the Royal Palace

This is a 1.4mi walking tour.

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Milan

Italy

$7.99

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About the Tour

Milan's polished fashion districts and glass office towers conceal a history of plague pits, dynastic murders, and a slain dragon. On this walking tour, you'll hear how legends of dragons, plague, and witchcraft shaped Milan's hidden corners. You'll also learn how the Visconti and Sforza dynasties wielded fear as political power.

The tour starts at the Duomo di Milano, the fourth largest cathedral in the world, where you'll spot a statue eerily similar to New York's Statue of Liberty, carved decades earlier. Walking along the cathedral's flank, you'll pass medieval gargoyles designed to drain rainwater and ward off the devil, then reach the Archbishop's Palace, still marked by the Visconti Viper, a snake devouring a human figure tied to a local dragon legend.

Along the way, you'll step into the macabre Bone Chapel at San Bernardino alle Ossa, where skulls and thighbones form intricate patterns on the walls. You'll pass the faded Madonna dei Tencitt, painted in thanksgiving after the plague of 1630 killed half the city's population, and follow the vanished canal route that once carried marble to the Duomo. The tour ends on Via Palazzo Reale, steps from the Royal Palace built by architect Giuseppe Piermarini.

On this 90-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:

Visit Piazza Fontana, home to Milan's first fountain and once the site of a feared executioner's house
Stand where Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza was assassinated inside the Church of Santo Stefano on Boxing Day 1476
Wander through Guastalla Gardens, Milan's oldest park, established in 1555 to educate impoverished noble girls
See the unfinished brick facade of the Trivulzio Mausoleum, built by a general who betrayed his own duke
Explore the Cà Granda courtyard, once Milan's grand hospital and now part of the city's university
Spot the piglet-carrying saint on the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, a nod to a medieval cure for shingles
Check out the Velasca Tower, a striking 1950s symbol of Milan's postwar rebirth

By the time you reach the Royal Palace, you'll understand why Milan's elegant surface hides so many centuries of superstition and intrigue.

Tour Producer

Deborah Robinson

1 tour

I was born in England and raised in Scotland and came to Milan in 1986 upon gaining my degree in Italian and French. After working in a company for many years I obtained the two licences to be a tour leader and local tourist guide. This has allowed me to share my passion for history, art not to mention Milanese style. I'm also very fond of sampling local food and the potent wines of Valtellina. When I'm not guiding you can find me cycling round the city in search of great new places to take my visitors.

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Preview Location

Location 1

Duomo Di Milano

Hello and welcome to Milan. My name’s Deborah Robinson and when I moved from Glasgow to live in Milan back in 1986 it was already renowned for being one of the coolest cities in Europe, as well as Italy’s fashion and design capital. But what many people often don’t know is tha... Hello and welcome to Milan. My name’s Deborah Robinson and when I moved from Glasgow to live in Milan back in 1986 it was already renowned for being one of the coolest cities in Europe, as well as Italy’s fashion and design capital. But what many people often don’t know is that this land-locked city once had the country’s most thriving river port. Much of its wealth was made possible by the abundance of water from minor rivers that trickled down from the northern lakes. Water was a sacred element for the Celts and that’s probably one of the reasons why a tribe known as the Celtic Insubres, decided to settle here in the 6th century BC. They called it Medhelan. In their ancient language that meant land in the middle but it also meant sanctuary. Perhaps they even dedicated it to their goddess Belisama. There’s no trace of water in the city nowadays but there are many lesser known corners that still tell interesting stories of the people who’ve lived here. I became a tourist guide in 2010 so that I could share them with our visitors, who, like you, take some time out to go and explore.

Time is something that many of the locals, or the Milanesi, often say they don’t have because they are too busy working hard and making money. That’s why, on first appearances, they often seem too preoccupied for anyone but when you get to know them a bit better nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, it’s a city that welcomes everyone and that’s what makes it so eclectic and entertaining.

You should be facing the majestic Duomo of Milan, the fourth largest cathedral in the world. It was started in 1386 but it would take close on 6 centuries to complete. So that makes it one of the longest construction works of all times. But no single person can take the merit for its building. The entire population took part, both rich and poor alike. Those who worked on it knew they would never see it completed but they joined in nevertheless. It would be an enterprise that would unite everybody because it was going to be their cathedral, a symbol of civic pride.

Look up at the statues on the façade but try not to get a sore neck.

There are more than 3,400 both outside and inside plus 135 spires on the rooftops. But there’s one statue in particular that I always like to point out. Can you see the lady on the left of the balcony halfway up? She’s wearing a crown and in her right hand she’s holding a torch aloft. Doesn’t she remind you of the Statue of Liberty? Well the truth is she was created in 1810 so that’s a long time before the more famous version made its appearance to welcome immigrants to New York. Our Lady Liberty has a different message. She’s an allegory of the New Testament and the statue on the right-hand side of the balcony symbolizes the Old Testament.

Much of the ornamentation on the façade was only put in place in the late 1800s and it gives the Cathedral its gothic appearance. This new architectural style was late in coming to Italy so in the early stages of building stone masons were brought in from Cologne, Prague and Paris to lend their expertise. Well, the local architects didn’t appreciate any criticism of their centuries-old traditions. And because they were very powerful they forced the Duke to bow to their wishes. So he fired his favourite Parisian engineer, who said the whole building risked collapsing. Well this didn’t happen and the result is a truly unique hybrid of Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

If you'd like to pop inside to have a look, you're welcome to do so now. Just pause the tour, and when you're done, come back to this spot and press play.

[3 SECONDS PAUSE]

Otherwise, let's begin!

Facing the Duomo, turn to your right and walk towards the street.

While you’re walking let me tell you briefly how VoiceMap works.

It uses your location to play automatically at the right time and place. You’ve also got a map if you want to check out where you are or take a break. If you think I’ve gone silent don’t worry, I’ll always be back at the right time. And if you do wander off track, the app will let you know.

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How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

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Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

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Major Landmarks

The Duomo House by House In Naples
Church of Saint Stephen
Giardini della Guastalla
Via Antonio Tolomeo Trivulzio
Basilica of San Nazariua in Brolo
University
St. Gotthard Church in Corte

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
P.za del Duomo, 20122 Milano MI, Italy
Total distance

2km
Final location
Via Palazzo Reale, 20122 Milano MI, Italy
Distance back to start location

191.2m

Directions to Starting Point

Milan Cathedral, P.za del Duomo, 20122 Milano MI

The tour starts right in front of the central door of the Cathedral. You’ll probably not be able to get very close to it right now so position yourself just behind the barrier rail so that you are looking at the door.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Bone Chapel of San Bernardino alle Ossa, bar Il Panino in via Laghetto, Guastalla Gardens, Panarello pastry shop and coffee shop in Corso di Porta Romana, Abside natural fibres clothes and accessories, Il Piccolo Bistrò in Piazza San Nazaro in Brolo, the University front and courtyard entrance.

Best time of day

You can take this tour any time of day, any day of the week, but your best chance of finding all the venues open is from 9 am to 6 pm.

Precautions

The area is very safe, but use normal precautions against pickpockets because you never know!

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”