Milan

Most famously of all (in recent years at least) there is the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie - a magnet for thousands of visitors a year who come to see an oil painting unwisely daubed on its wall by Leonardo da Vinci. Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' achieved the seemingly impossible by relegating 'The Mona Lisa' to only second-most-famous Leonardo painting. 'The Last Supper' - L'Ultima Cena - is now the one, as visitors stand, marvel and try to work out if that really is Mary Magdalene. Leonardo was unwise of course because, eschewing genuine fresco, he painted in unstable oil paint directly onto a dry wall.

Within years the work was peeling and only concerted and continual restorations (some less brutal than others) have allowed his work to reach the 21st century intact. And it is a remarkable work, dramatically occupying a whole wall of the church, almost overpowering you with its lifesize figures. Eyes are irresistibly drawn to Christ at the centre. Being a wall painting, 'The Last Supper' will never move of course, and that seriously limits numbers (until they dismantle the church and build a larger one around the wall). Booking then is essential for you to grab your few minutes with genius.

We have a wide range of ticket combinations and tours - see booking for the Last Supper.

Before Dan Brown it was Milan's gloriously Gothic cathedral (Duomo) that topped the must-see list, not Da Vinci's Last Supper, but it's perhaps not widely known just how fascinating the rooftops of the cathedral are, and what an unequalled view of Milan can be had from up on high.

The entire roof of the cathedral is 'paved' in slabs of marble, covering a total of 8000 metres. There are 135 stone pinnacles framing the views, and you can roam the full length of the rooftop, with corridors, wide open spaces, and panoramic views of Milan's rooftops all around.

The stonework is exemplary, and you'll have fine views of flying buttresses, ornate steeples and incredibly detailed statuary - not for nothing is the rooftop often described as a second, airborne, cathedral. And don't worry about safety, you're ringed by stone perimiter 'screens'.

The rooftops are not wheelchair accessible - if your tour includes them you may have to ascend using the stairs and will always have to come down the stairs.

We have a wide range of ticket combinations and tours - see booking for Milan Cathedral for a tour of either the duomo, the rooftops, or both!

Having decided on a visit to view Leonardo's Last Supper, be sure also to visit the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan's largest art gallery and one of the most important in Italy. The gallery is housed in the Palazzo Brera, once a Jesuit college; the Brera district itself is one of the most chic and fashionable in this most fashion-driven city.

The collection grew out of that of Milan’s Academy of Fine Arts (housed in the same building and founded in 1776), and it's most famous works were acquired successively, with fine collections of Venetian and Lombard paintings from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Latterly two important collections of modern art have been added to the already impressive catalogue.

Click here for tickets to visit the Brera Gallery, Milan.

Milan's La Scala - or, to give it its full name, Teatro alla Scala - is undoubtedly one of the world's most famous and noted opera houses, a must-visit for opera lovers and a must-play for all of Italy's greatest opera singers and finest performers the world over.

La Scala houses a small museum, home to costumes, paintings, documents and various pieces that tell the rich history of both the theatre and opera itself. The building is home to the Accademia d'Arti e Mestieri dello Spettacolo - Academy for the Performing Arts - that aims to produce the next generations of musicians, dancers, performers and technical staff.

Click here for tours visit the La Scala Opera House, Milan.