Palazzo Reale

Empress Maria Theresa’s favourite architect, Giuseppe Piermarini, gave this town hall and Visconti palace a neoclassical overhaul in the late 18th century. The supremely elegant interiors were all but destroyed by WWII bombs; the Sala delle Cariatidi remains unrenovated as a reminder of war’s indiscriminate destruction. Now the once opulent palace hosts blockbuster art exhibits, attracting serious crowds to shows featuring artists as diverse as Escher, Caravaggio and Arnaldo Pomodoro.