Entrance to Palazzo Clerici

©Stephanie Ong/Lonely Planet


The blank façade of this 18th-century palace disguises the most extravagant interiors in Milan, including a golden hall frescoed by Tiepolo. It was owned by a family of silk merchants who bankrupted themselves keeping up with the Austrian royal family who rented the palace while Palazzo Reale was renovated. So notorious were the Clerici's that ambassador to the Holy See, Giorgio Clerici, is best remembered for parading around Rome on silver shod horses. Guided tours are offered once a month.

Check the website for the schedule of tours.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Museo Teatrale alla Scala

0.11 MILES

Giuseppe Piermarini's 2800-seat theatre was inaugurated in 1778, replacing the previous theatre, which burnt down in a fire after a carnival gala. Costs…

2. Palazzo della Ragione

0.14 MILES

Erected between 1228 and 1251, Milan's 'Palace of Reason' is one of the few remaining medieval constructions to survive. Its Romanesque arcade served as a…

3. Gallerie d'Italia

0.15 MILES

This fabulously decorated palazzo (mansion) is home to part of the enormous collection of Fondazione Cariplo and Intesa Sanpaolo bank, which pays homage…

4. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

0.16 MILES

So much more than a shopping arcade, the neoclassical Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a soaring structure of iron and glass. Nicknamed 'il salotto di…

5. Biblioteca e Pinacoteca Ambrosiana

0.23 MILES

One of Europe’s earliest public libraries (built 1609), the Biblioteca Ambrosiana was more a symbol of intellectual ferment than of quiet scholarship. It…

6. Piazza degli Affari

0.24 MILES

Home to the Italian stock exchange (Palazzo della Borsa), this square is a famous hub of financial activity. But that’s not all it’s known for. In the…

7. Museo Poldi Pezzoli

0.24 MILES

At the age of 24 Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli had inherited not only his family fortune, but also his mother’s love of art. After extensive travels in which…

8. Duomo

0.26 MILES

A vision in pink Candoglia marble, Milan's extravagant Gothic cathedral, 600 years in the making, aptly reflects the city's creativity and ambition. Its…