TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN MILAN FOR EXPO 2015

By: Christian Stan | 19 May, 2015

Over 20 million visitors are expected to visit the Italian city between until October 31 for Expo 2015.Over this six-month period, Milan will become a global showcase where more than 140 participating countries will show the best of their technology that offers a concrete answer to a vital need: being able to guarantee healthy, safe and sufficient food for everyone, while respecting the Planet and its equilibrium.

Fom May  to October 31st, Milan hosts Expo Milano 2015, the Universal Exhibition that is to bring to the city over 140 Countries and a number of international organizations. With its 1.1 million square meter exhibition area, Expo Milano 2015 turns Milan into a huge global showcase where the exhibitor nations will display the best of their technologies involved in the central theme of the event, “Feeding the planet. Energy for life”. Here are the best things to do in the city in this period.

1.HIGHLINE GALLERIA WALKWAYS

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one the symbols celebrating this year its 150th anniversary. For the Expo opening, Milan’s local government has launched guided tours along the Galleria’s rooftop walkaways as part of an impressive restoration programme.
Milanese people and tourists could now enjoy the city skyline as never before as they could be able to walk along two iron-and-glass covered walkaways and around a huge 36-metre-high glass central octagonal dome.

The 250-metre elevated path will allow visitors to walk from Piazza Duomo to Piazza della Scala, where the famed Teatro della Scala lies. Moreover, the tour of the highline Galleria includes an outdoor exhibition of photographs telling the story of the Galleria’a illustrious 150-year history. Terraces of Vittorio Emanuele Gallery will open their doors every day, from 7am until 11pm.

2. BULGARI JEWELRY EXHIBITIONS AT THE BOUTIQUE IN MILAN

The Bulgari boutique in Milano opens its door to a series of exhibitions of the most iconic Bulgari creations, hosted during the six months of Expo Milano 2015. The show has been conceived as a journey inside the world of Bulgari high jewelry marked by six appointments.

Guests are invited to visit the exhibitions that will be held from May 1st to October 31st at the Bulgari Boutique located in Via Montenapoleone, Milan, just a few minute on foot from the Bulgari Hotel.

High Jewellery creations with coloured stones
From May 1st to May 30th

Serpenti Heritage Gallery
From June 1st to June 29th

Elizabeth Taylor’s Bulgari Collection
From July 1st to July 30th

Monete Heritage Gallery
From August 1st to August 30th

High Complication Watches
From September 1st to September 29th

High Jewellery creations with diamonds
From October 1st to October 31st

3. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL IN “ALLA VITA!”

Cirque du Soleil, the world’s most famous circus arts company, arrives to Milan for a series of special performances held for the occasion of Expo Milano 2015. Their show, titled Alla Vita! (“To Life!”) will be on stage until  August 30th in the Expo area as a celebration made of dance and music of Food that espouses Life.

Over 50 Italian and international artists will be involved in the show that will impress the audience with its amazing combination of art, colours, food, dance and cultural traditions. The awe-inspiring “Alla vita!” show will be performed in the Open Air Theatre, designed to accommodate 11,000 spectators.

4. LA SCALA FOR EXPO EVENTS

For the special occasion of Expo Milano 2015, La Scala Theatre opens its doors to a series of extraordinary appointments with some of the greatest ballets and operas. Over 130 musical shows will take place at Teatro La Scala during the six-month event allowing guests to experience a wide range of performances of opera, ballet and symphonic music, not forgetting families and children.

For the first time in its history, La Scala will be opened continuously from May 1st to October 31st staging about one performance per day. Tickets are available to be purchased online on www.teatroallascala.org.

5. FONDAZIONE PRADA OPENED IN MILANO

A brand new place dedicated to arts and culture has recently enriched Milano. On May 9th, Fondazione Prada opened its doors unveiling itself as a new permanent venue conceived to blend together a number of cultural disciplines such as art, architecture, philosophy as well as cinema.

Fondazione Prada has made inspiration its unmistakable mark as it boasts a bar designed by filmmaker Wes Anderson, who has modelled the location on typical historic Milanese cafés. The architectural project behind this new cultural hub is by famous Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, who has transformed a century-old distillery located in Southern Milano into a giant complex that is expected to become of the most iconic places of Milano.

The inaugural program stands out for its richness as it will see Roman Polanski as guest of a series of film screenings paying homage to his own cinematographic inspirations, that will take place from May 22nd to July 25th.  To discover more details about the exhibitions, please visit www.fondazioneprada.org.

6. THE “LEONARDO DA VINCI. 1452-1519” EXHIBITION AT THE MILAN ROYAL PALACE

On the occasion of Expo 2015, the city of Milan pays homage to one of the most famed talents of all the times, Leonardo da Vinci. During his stay in Milan from 1482 to 1499, Leonardo realized some of his most famous works, like the Cenacolo (the Refectory in Santa Maria delle Grazie church).

Hosted at the Royal Palace, the exhibition shows some of the masterpieces of the Milanese period like the Portrait of a Musician, St. Jerome, Madonna Dreyfuss and the Vitruvian Man. Moreover, the exhibit displays also over one hundred drawing by Leonardo and some prototypes of his inventions.
The exhibition, held at the Royal Palace until July 19th, represents one of the richest ones devoted to the undisputed genius of Leonardo, whose skills included also engineering, science and scenography. He was an exceptionally talented artist who still inspires artists of all ages. Palazzo Reale- Piazza del Duomo, 12.

7. ITALIA INSIDE OUT: SOME OF THE WORLD’ BEST PHOTOGRAPHERS TELL ITALY THROUGH THEIR IMAGES

Palazzo della Ragione in Milano has opened its doors to an exhibition that has been conceived both as tribute to the excellence in photography and homage to Italy. The Italia Inside Out exhibition gathers a number of masters of photography and takes visitors to discover Italy, its beauties and its changes through the eyes of the world’s greatest photographers.

The show is divided into two parts. Until June 21st the “Inside” part will take place displaying 250 works by 42 of the most renowned Italian photographers, while the “Out” part will be held from July 1st to September 27th and will show 250 works by 42 international photographers.

Among the names, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Mimmo and Francesco Jodice, Letizia Battaglia and Gabriele Basilico as well as Henri Cartier-Bresson, David Seymour, Alexey Titarenko, Bernard Plossu and Isabel Muñoz.

8. DAVID BAILEY’S STARDUST

The Contemporary Art Pavilion (PAC – Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea) in Milan hosts the Bailey’s Stardust exhibition, celebrating the famed British photographer. The exhibition pays tribute to the 50-year career of the legendary David Bailey – considered one of the founder fathers of the contemporary photography – who has been fashion photographer for British Vogue magazine for many years.

 

The retrospective displays over 300 shots of celebrities, such as Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Kate Moss, Jack Nicholson, yet also the nudes of unknown volunteers who participated his “Democracy” project between 2001 and 2005. On show, also portraits of some of the greatest names of the world of art, like Salvador Dalì, Andy Wahrol and Francis Bacon.

9. FOOD. SCIENCE FROM SEEDS TO SUPPER

Headed by the growing attention on the theme of food that the upcoming Expo2015 event is driven, Milan welcomes to “Food. Scienza dai semi al piatto” exhibition (Food. Science from seeds to supper) at Natural History Museum. The exhibit explores the theme of food in a scientific way, where every single element that comes to our dishes every day is analysed in its own identity, going deeply inside details.

Through the show of a wide variety of seeds, visitors will discover the very true meaning of the word “biodiversity” and everything that human beings are doing in order to protect it. The exhibition aims to prepare visitors to Expo, the event that will make the awareness of feeding the planet growing up, through a journey from a seed to a final course.

“Food. Science from seeds to supper” exhibition will be held at Natural History Museum, Milan, until June 28th 2015. Tickets can be purchased on www.ticket.it/food.

10. MEDARDO ROSSO. THE LIGHT AND THE MATERIAL

The new major exhibition that the city of Milan hosts at the Modern Art Gallery (GAM – Galleria d’Arte Moderna) is named “The light and the material” and is dedicated to that artist that Apollinaire defined as the greatest artist of his era, Medardo Rosso.

He lived between the 19th and 20th century and is considered a pioneer of art trends anticipating modernity by changing in a revolutionary way the language spoken by sculpture. On display, a collection of sculptures including also the famous “Madame X” that, despite dating back to 1896, represents a fascinatingly innovative artwork. All the works on show reflect his personal vision of the concept of light as he used to say “There is nothing material, we ourselves are only jokes of light”.

HERE ARE THE BEST PLACES TO STAY IN MILAN DURING EXPO 2015.