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This kitschy Art Nouveau villa was created by poet and adventurer Gabriele d’Annunzio, a flamboyant man who once flew a biplane over Vienna in 1918 to prove an invasion was possible, and in 1919 used private troops to take over a border town ceded to Yugoslavia, earning himself acclaim as a national hero and the enmity of those in power. The villa represents his life, loves and philosophy, which are cheerfully explained by guides. The famous plane is preserved in an outbuilding (see Il Vittoriale, Gardone Riviera).

The arcade that takes up the ground level of this Lombard Romanesque palace, built in 1228–33 (the top floor dates from 1771), once hosted the city’s main market. The relief on the façade depicts the 13th-century mayor Oldrado da Tresseno on horseback. Inside, the Salone dei Giudici has its original frescoes.

The Salone d’Onore in this early 17th-century palazzo is a vast chamber with a cast-iron balcony. The 1731 ceiling was frescoed by Gian Battista Tiepolo with allegorical scenes glorifying the Dugnani family. A modest Museo del Cinema, which traces the early history of cinema, is housed in the building.

This 1648 palazzo got a Rococo makeover in 1763. Today it houses the state railway offices (though they have long planned a move), a theatre and a Louis XV-style apartment open during special events and exhibitions.

Milan’s municipio (city hall) has two distinct façades: a 1553 Mannerist one on Piazza S Fedele, and an 1886–92 Neo-Classical one facing La Scala theatre. The former was built by Galeazzo Alessi (who also designed the lovely main courtyard) in 1558; the latter dates to 1860.

Milan once had a rule about structures rising no higher than the golden Madonnina atop the Duomo (see La Madonnina). The 127.1-m (417-ft) Pirelli Tower – designed in 1955–60 by a team headed by Gio Ponti and including Pier Luigi Nervi – broke that tradition, but placed a replica of the Madonnina on its own roof so she would still have the highest vantage point in Milan. It now houses Lombardy’s regional government and in 2002 survived being struck by a small plane.

Dating from the 4th century, this church is still pretty much Roman in its rotund design, although it was rebuilt several times in the Middle Ages. Inside the church are some of the oldest and best-preserved examples of post-Roman art in Northern Italy: 1,600-year-old Paleochristian mosaics.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people visit Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper fresco in the adjacent refectory (see Leonardo’s Last Supper), but only a few bother with the lovely church itself. Make the effort, though, if you can: its architecture shows the stylistic changeover, from austere Gothic to Classical Renaissance, that marked the end of the 15th century. The art here is among Milan’s best in sculpture, fresco and the rare sgraffito (etched designs) recently restored in the tribune.

Though the main entrance is on Via Torino, walk around and up Via Speronari to see an 11th-century bell tower and the pretty exterior of a tiny Renaissance chapel. Turn right again on Via Falcone for the Renaissance-meets-Baroque rear façade finished in 1871. Here a secondary entrance is usually open, so you can nip inside to admire the 15th-century decorations.