Palazzo Reale

The history of the Palazzo Reale is profoundly interweaved with that of the city of Milan. In the past, the building has in fact represented an important power centre, having been the seat of the government of the city since the early medieval ages.

The Palazzo Reale, which was originally called Palazzo del Broletto Vecchio, continued to be a political centre during the domination of the Torriani, Visconti, and Sforza families, at the time of the Lordships. During the course of the XVIII and IXX centuries, the building was the residence of the Royals of the time, among which one can remember Napoleon, Maria Teresa d'Austria, and the Italian Royal Family: the Savoia's. In 1920 the Palazzo Reale became property of the Italian State and was hence returned to the Italian citizens and the population of Milan who, from that year on, have had the possibility to visit the building.

Nowadays, Palazzo Reale is an important cultural and artistic centre for the city of Milan, and events and exhibitions of International tenor are continuously organised here. Over the last few years the building has undergone a series of restoration works which, once finished, will allow the visitor to admire the Palazzo Reale in its greatest splendour.

Palazzo Reale is to be found in the centre of the city, beside the Duomo di Milano. As already stated it constitutes an important cultural spot for the Lombardy Region's capital and it also involves the exhibition centres of the Palazzo della Ragione e della Rotonda situated in via Besana.

Tourists interested in visiting the building can stay in one of the many hotels in and around Milan. Many hotels are in the centre of the city, therefore only a few steps away from Palazzo Reale and from other very evocative monuments.