I live in Milan – these are its most underrated spots

Milan’s answer to Père Lachaise (give or take), the Cimitero Monumentale is an open-air museum where art, history and memory intertwine. Designed by architect Carlo Maciachini and inaugurated in 1866, it was conceived as a burial ground for all social classes, though it’s best known for housing the city’s most illustrious figures. What makes it interesting is its striking neo-Gothic and Renaissance architecture anchored by the Famedio, its monumental entrance hall. A stroll along the tree-lined avenues reveals dramatic tombs and mausoleums spanning Liberty, Neoclassicism, Art Deco and Modernism, crafted by some of Italy’s greatest sculptors and architects, from Giannino Castiglioni and Luca Beltrami to Adolfo Wildt. 

In Porta Venezia, Fondazione Luigi Rovati is one of Milan’s most quietly impressive museums. Opened in 2022, it brings ancient Etruscan art into dialogue with modern and contemporary masterpieces, from Lucio Fontana and Arturo Martini to Picasso and Warhol. The visit begins underground, in atmospheric, tomb-like galleries designed by Mario Cucinella, before moving upstairs to the lavishly restored piano nobile of a 19th-century palace. Don’t miss the striking Sala Ontani – fuchsia walls and all – and the peaceful, free-entry garden out back.

Turro, Nolo and Pasteur aren’t exactly central areas of Milan, but their scene – from food and drinks to community spaces and cultural projects – is well worth the detour. While you’re here, take a stroll through Parco Trotter, a sleepy neighbourhood park that feels almost like a small green city. It takes its name from the trotting racetrack that once stood here, later moved to San Siro in 1924, and you can still trace the old course in the park’s main avenue. Leafy and local, it’s a favourite with residents year-round.

In-the-know Milanese wouldn’t call Tipografia Alimentare underrated, but sitting well outside the city’s main sights (yet just a 20-minute walk from Parco Trotter), it still flies under many visitors’ radars. This bright, welcoming spot in Gorla is wonderfully versatile, working just as well for lunch, dinner or a long, lazy stop in between, helped by the calming presence of the nearby Naviglio Martesana. The menu champions seasonal, vegetable-forward cooking made with produce from small Italian suppliers the team knows personally, balancing creativity with substance. Natural wines line the walls, baked goods tempt from the counter, and the overall vibe is pretty excellent. Get a loaf of bread to take home. 

Milan has no shortage of case museo – former residential homes turned into museums that preserve the original atmosphere, furniture, and art collections of their inhabitants. If Villa Necchi Campiglio is the star among them, Casa Museo Boschi di Stefano is the quietly brilliant supporting act. Tucked away in Porta Venezia, this free-entry museum occupies the former apartment of collectors Antonio Boschi and Marieda Di Stefano, designed by Piero Portaluppi between 1929 and 1931. Inside, around 300 works trace Italian 20th-century art from Futurism to postwar modernism, all displayed exactly as they once were. It’s intimate, personal and very unpretentious – all traits we appreciate. 

One of Milan’s most rewarding under-the-radar eats, Street Food Betlemme is both a beloved neighbourhood spot and a cultural reference point for the city’s Palestinian community. It sits somewhere between a classic street food joint and a no-frills restaurant, with simple furnishings lifted by striking tiled walls that immediately set a warm, relaxed tone. The menu moves confidently between staples like shawarma, falafel and hummus and more substantial, home-style dishes such as sarma – grape leaves stuffed with a spiced mixture of ground lamb or beef, rice, and tomatoes. It’s in Porta Venezia, so stop by after the Casa Museo. 

In Porta Romana, Rotonda della Besana is one of Milan’s most unexpected urban escapes. Originally built in the 18th century as a cemetery for the Ospedale Maggiore, this late-Baroque complex centres on a former church – now deconsecrated and used as venue for MUBA, Milan’s Children’s Museum, surrounded by a graceful circular portico. Step through the wrought-iron gates on Via Besana and the city seems to vanish, replaced by a neatly kept English-style lawn, shady arcades and a calm, almost village-like atmosphere. Today, it’s a favourite spot for reading or lingering over a classic Milanese aperitivo at the Rotonda Bistro.

Inspired by themes from the Epic of Gilgamesh and the late artist Arnaldo Pomodoro’ own lifelong exploration of myth, memory and form, the Labirinto di Arnaldo Pomodoro is a sculptural experience unlike anything else in Milan. Part of the Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro (another underrated gem, home to the artist’s archive) it is a subterranean, otherworldly maze made of bronze, metal and fibreglass, hidden beneath the Fendi headquarters on Via Solari. Over the course of a 45-minute visit, you move through a visionary network of rooms etched with incisions, archaic symbols and enigmatic surfaces that feel at once ancient and futuristic – a seriously trippy, immersive journey. Booking ahead is essential.