The glass and iron dome of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan
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Luxury in Italy

Milan

Italy’s capital of fashion and money: the Quadrilatero della Moda, the Duomo and the Galleria, a night at La Scala, The Last Supper, and Lake Como an hour away.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, MilanPhotograph: Travel with Lenses

Benvenuti

Fashion, finance and opera

Milan is the capital of Italian business and of fashion. The great houses show their collections here every season, and the Quadrilatero della Moda, the streets around Via Montenapoleone, holds one of the finest concentrations of luxury shops in the world.

The city’s cathedral, the Duomo, took nearly six centuries to finish and is crowned by more than three thousand statues. Beside it, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, opened in 1867, is a glass-roofed arcade of cafés and boutiques, and at its end stands La Scala, opened in 1778, the most famous opera house in the world.

Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper on the wall of a convent refectory here in the 1490s, and it can be seen only by appointment, in small groups. Every April the city fills for design week, and Lake Como is about an hour to the north.

A few words of Italian
EnglishItalianSay it
HelloBuongiornobwohn-JOR-noh
PleasePer favorepehr fah-VOH-reh
Thank youGrazieGRAHT-see-eh
Good eveningBuonaserabwoh-nah-SEH-rah
The bill, pleaseIl conto, per favoreeel KOHN-toh, pehr fah-VOH-reh

Stay

Luxury hotels in Milan

The finest hotels in and around Milan: each rated Forbes Five-Star, holding two or three MICHELIN Keys, or among the 25 Finest Resorts of the Mediterranean.

The finest hotels

Each rated Forbes Five-Star or holding two or three MICHELIN Keys.

Dine

The best restaurants in Milan

The finest tables of Milan and around, the private chefs and caterers and the cooking schools.

Three MICHELIN stars

Private chefs and catering

For a villa, a yacht or a wedding.

  • Da VittorioBrusaporto (Bergamo), serving Milan and northern Italy

    The Cerea family's restaurant holds three MICHELIN stars, and outside catering makes up a large share of the business. Visit website ↗

Cooking schools

Sail

Yachting in Milan

Yachting at our standard in and around Milan.

Shipyards

  • SanlorenzoAmeglia (La Spezia)

    Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Ameglia, a builder listed on the Milan stock exchange and led by Massimo Perotti, and one of Italy's leading names in yachts and superyachts. Visit website ↗

Travel

First-class travel in Milan

First-class rail and the chauffeurs at our standard.

First-class rail

The top class on the scheduled high-speed trains, from city to city.

  • Trenitalia Frecciarossa, Executive

    The top class on Italy's high-speed Frecciarossa, in one carriage at the end of the train with only eight to ten leather seats that recline and swivel, a dedicated steward and a meeting room. Visit website ↗

  • Italo, Club Executive

    The top class of Italo, Italy's private high-speed operator, with leather armchairs in interiors by Giugiaro and a choice of seat. Visit website ↗

Chauffeurs and self-drive

  • Elite Rent-a-CarMilan and Rome

    The Geneva-based firm's Italian agencies, in Milan and Rome, with delivery and collection across Italy, including Porto Cervo and Lake Como. The fleet includes Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Porsche. Visit website ↗

  • FTO RentMilan

    Supercar and luxury car hire from Piazza Indro Montanelli in Milan, with delivery in Italy and cars cleared to travel across Europe. The fleet includes Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and Range Rover. Visit website ↗

Shop

Luxury shopping in Milan

The shopping streets, jewellers, auction houses, galleries and car showrooms of Milan.

The great shopping streets

Jewellers and watchmakers

  • BuccellatiVia Montenapoleone 23, Milan

    A Milanese goldsmith house founded in 1919 by Mario Buccellati, known for engraved, textured gold; now part of Richemont, with its flagship on Via Montenapoleone. Visit website ↗

  • PomellatoMilan

    Founded in Milan in 1967 by Pino Rabolini, the house that introduced "prêt-à-porter" fine jewellery; part of Kering since 2013. Visit website ↗

Design galleries

  • NilufarVia della Spiga, Milan

    The design gallery founded in 1979 by Nina Yashar, showing rare vintage and contemporary collectible design, with its gallery on Via della Spiga and the larger Nilufar Depot. Visit website ↗

  • Rossana OrlandiVia Matteo Bandello, Milan

    A contemporary design gallery showing furniture, lighting and unique pieces by more than 60 international designers, with a summer space in Porto Cervo. Visit website ↗

Auction houses

  • Sotheby's MilanMilan

    Sotheby's Italian base holds its modern and contemporary art auctions in Milan at Palazzo Serbelloni, alongside previews of works bound for its international sales. Visit website ↗

  • Phillips MilanMilan

    Office and gallery space opened in 2023 on Via Lanzone, near Piazza Sant'Ambrogio, showing art, design, photographs, editions, jewels and watches ahead of Phillips sales in London, New York, Hong Kong and Geneva. Visit website ↗

  • Bonhams MilanMilan

    Bonhams' Italian office at Via Boccaccio 22 handles valuations and consignments for the house's international sales. Visit website ↗

  • Pandolfini Casa d'AsteFlorence

    Founded in 1924 and based in Palazzo Ramirez-Montalvo on Borgo degli Albizi, Pandolfini is one of Italy's leading auction houses, with sales of old masters, furniture, silver, fine wine and Asian art in Florence and modern and contemporary art and books in Milan. Visit website ↗

  • Il Ponte Casa d'AsteMilan

    Founded in 1974 and based in the historic Palazzo Crivelli on Via Pontaccio, Il Ponte holds sales of important jewels, old master paintings and furniture, silver, modern and contemporary art, and Asian and Islamic art. Visit website ↗

Art galleries

  • Massimo De CarloMilan

    Blue-chip contemporary gallery founded in Milan in 1987, with its Milan space on Viale Lombardia and further galleries in London, Hong Kong and Paris. Visit website ↗

  • Galleria Lia RummaNaples and Milan

    Leading Italian contemporary gallery with spaces in Naples (Via Vannella Gaetani) and Milan (Via Stilicone), working with artists including Anselm Kiefer, William Kentridge, Marina Abramović and Joseph Kosuth. Visit website ↗

  • Tornabuoni ArteFlorence

    Florentine gallery dealing in modern and contemporary Italian art and in old masters, with further spaces in Milan, Rome and Paris. Visit website ↗

The great marques

Official showrooms, most by appointment.

The Great Marques: showrooms, factories and cars to hire ›

Experience

Events and things to do in Milan

The Milan year: the great events, month by month; each event's own website gives this year's dates.

Opera houses, concert halls and festivals

Weddings and celebrations

Live

Luxury real estate in Milan

A home in Milan: the agencies and advisers at our standard, for the purchase and for life after it.

Prime real estate

  • Lionard Luxury Real EstateFlorence

    Italian luxury specialist with offices in Florence, Milan, Rome, Naples, Venice, Porto Cervo and Forte dei Marmi, handling villas, castles and estates in Tuscany, Liguria, Sardinia and Capri. Visit website ↗

  • Italy Sotheby's International RealtyMilan

    The Sotheby's affiliate for Italy, with 15 offices including Porto Cervo, Genoa, Palermo and Noto, covering Portofino, the Amalfi Coast and Sardinia. Visit website ↗

All the leading agencies in Italy ›

Looking for a home in Milan? Write to [email protected] and we will introduce you, in confidence, to the right agency.

Architects and designers

  • Antonio Citterio Patricia VielMilan, Italy

    The Milan practice behind the Bulgari hotels, including the Bulgari Hotel Roma, works on hotels and high-end residential projects. Visit website ↗

  • Studio PeregalliMilan, Italy

    Roberto Peregalli and Laura Sartori Rimini, both trained under Renzo Mongiardino, have designed historically informed interiors for collectors since 1992, including a residence in Sotogrande and houses in Tangier.

Private banks and advisers

See all 9
  • Rothschild & Co Wealth ManagementMonaco, France, Italy and Spain

    The family-controlled group's wealth management arm has Mediterranean offices in Monaco, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Milan and Madrid, the last opened in 2021. Visit website ↗

  • J.P. Morgan Private BankMadrid, Milan and Athens

    Named Europe's best international private bank for 2026 by Euromoney. Visit website ↗

  • Mediobanca Private BankingMilan

    Named best private bank in Italy for 2026 by Euromoney for its work with ultra-wealthy and entrepreneurial families. Visit website ↗

  • WithersMilan and Padua

    The international private-client law firm's Italian private client and tax team, about 25 professionals across Milan and Padua, was named European Private Client Team of the Year at the Chambers High Net Worth Awards 2026. Visit website ↗

  • Maisto e AssociatiMilan and Rome

    An independent Italian tax firm founded in 1991, with five lawyers ranked by Chambers High Net Worth 2026 for private wealth law in Italy, focused on succession, relocation and cross-border family wealth. Visit website ↗

Private healthcare

  • Humanitas Research HospitalMilan

    A private research and teaching hospital at Rozzano, on the edge of Milan; ranked third in Italy in the 2026 Newsweek ranking.

  • Ospedale San RaffaeleMilan

    A private research and university hospital in the Gruppo San Donato; ranked fourth in Italy in the 2026 Newsweek ranking.

Plan your trip

Luxury travel in Milan and the Mediterranean: your questions answered

Plan your journey to Milan

Where is Milan?

In Lombardy in northern Italy. Linate airport, close to the centre, takes private jets, as does Malpensa, about 50 minutes away; Lake Como is about an hour by road.

What is Milan famous for?

Fashion and the shops of Via Montenapoleone, the Duomo, La Scala, Leonardo’s The Last Supper, design week, and its place as the gateway to Lake Como.

Which are the best restaurants in Milan?

The three-MICHELIN-star table on our list for Milan: Enrico Bartolini al Mudec.

Do you tip in Milan?

Not obligatory; a service charge (servizio) may already be on the bill. Leaving a few euros, or up to about 10% for excellent service, is appreciated. Taxis: rounding up is enough. Luxury hotels: porters €2–5 a bag, housekeeping €5–10 a day, €10–20 for a helpful concierge.

What should you wear in Milan?

Shoulders and knees covered in churches; carry a light scarf or layer. Elegant, well-cut dress for fine dining.

Beyond Milan

More in Italy

The rest of Italy, and the Mediterranean beyond.

ItalyLuxury Italy Holidays: Amalfi Coast & CapriExplore ItalyThe MediterraneanTwenty-two countries and Gibraltar, first class onlyExplore the MediterraneanPlan your journeyFrom your home to Milan, with the costsOpen the trip planner

Customs and etiquette

Customs and etiquette in Milan

How Italy does things.

Language
Italian. English is widely spoken in luxury hotels and leading restaurants in Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and the main coastal resorts; less so in the countryside.
Greetings
A handshake on first meeting; cheek kisses among friends and family. Titles matter: dottore / dottoressa for anyone with a university degree, signore / signora otherwise.
Dress
Shoulders and knees covered in churches; carry a light scarf or layer. Elegant, well-cut dress for fine dining.
Dining
Lunch about 1–3 pm; dinner from about 8 pm, often 9.30 pm or later in the big cities and in summer. Book ahead for good restaurants. A per-person cover charge (coperto) for bread and table setting is normal and is not a tip. Ask for the bill; it will not arrive until you do.
Tipping
Not obligatory; a service charge (servizio) may already be on the bill. Leaving a few euros, or up to about 10% for excellent service, is appreciated. Taxis: rounding up is enough. Luxury hotels: porters €2–5 a bag, housekeeping €5–10 a day, €10–20 for a helpful concierge.
Good to know
Smaller shops often close for a midday break and on Sunday. Many towns fine people for sitting on monument steps or eating and drinking beside major churches and monuments; entering or bathing in public fountains is an offence in many cities, including Rome and Florence, and swimming in Venice's canals is banned. Taking sand, shells or pebbles from the coast is illegal.
Tourist tax
Venice charges day visitors an access fee on set days from April to July, from €5 booked in advance; guests staying overnight in the city are exempt but must register online.

Every list on this page is checked by hand and dated: last checked October 2026. Hotels, restaurants and events link only to their own official websites, where confirmed.

The Mediterranean Season Letter

Where to be, every season

Four letters a year, one for each season: the Mediterranean from spring to autumn, and Beyond the Mediterranean, into the Alps, in winter. The one best hotel to book, and the events worth crossing a sea for.