The Royal Palace of Milan, or Palazzo Reale, stands on Piazza del Duomo just beside the cathedral. Once a seat of government and royal residence, it is now one of Milan’s major exhibition venues, hosting temporary shows devoted to art, photography and cultural history.
The site has been associated with Milanese power since the Middle Ages, when it served as the city’s town hall. It later housed the Visconti and Sforza rulers, Spanish and Austrian governors, Napoleon and the Savoy royal family. Architect Giuseppe Piermarini gave the palace much of its restrained neoclassical appearance in the late 18th century; he also designed nearby La Scala.
The palace’s history gives its exhibition spaces particular resonance. Bombing in 1943 badly damaged the building, including the grand Sala delle Cariatidi. A decade later, Picasso’s Guernica was displayed in the war-scarred hall. Today, restored rooms and monumental staircases provide a setting for exhibitions that change throughout the year.
Check the Palazzo Reale exhibition schedule before visiting, as what you can see depends on the shows running and tickets are generally sold separately for each one. Opening hours also vary by exhibition. Duomo metro station, on lines M1 and M3, is a short walk away, making the palace easy to pair with the cathedral and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.