The Brera Gallery was officially established in 1809, even though a first heterogeneous collection with educational purpose existed already from 1776 – and then increased in the following years – alongside the Accademia di Belle Arti, requested by Mary Therese of Austria to offer the students the opportunity to study lofty masterpieces of art close up. Brera become a museum to host the most important works of art from all of the areas conquered by the French armies. So unlike other important museums in Italy such as the Uffizi, Brera did not start out life as the private collection of a prince or nobleman but as the product of a deliberate policy decision. Paintings confiscated from churches and convents throughout Lombardy with the religious orders’ dissolution began to pour into the museum in the early years of the 19th century, soon to be joined by artworks of similar provenance from other areas of the Kingdom of Italy. This explains why the collection comprises chiefly religious works, many of them large altarpieces, and accounts for Brera’s special aura on which later acquisitions have had only a minor impact.

Nice atmosfere, cool staff, opened from the first time in the morning til late night... Iter is a good choice for breakfast with coffee and brioche (the way Italians call the croissant), working days lunch (the have a fixed menu) and also for drinks - the menu changes seasonally and has always interesting options. Thanks to its location in a small street between the naviglio grande and pavese, the tourists somehow don't find it.

The owners were an industrial family of the XX century. We’ve been there a couple of times and we suggest it to every friend who is coming to town. You walk through the villa in the exact way they left it. You can see their personal pictures framed in the living room, their wardrobes and drawers full of stuff, like a pair of silk scarves especially designed by Monsieur Christian Dior for the sisters Gigina and Nedda Necchi, even the big marble’s bathrooms designed, like the entire house, by the architect Piero Portaluppi are inspiring.

'Un posto a Milano' is a restaurant and cafe in Cascina Cuccagna, an ancient building which is dating back to 17th century. It was originally intended as a residential farmhouse and it is now completely surrounded by the city of Milan.

1990, SEPTEMBER: CARLA SOZZANI, FORMER FASHION EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, OPENS GALLERIA CARLA SOZZANI FOR PHOTOGRAPHY, ART AND DESIGN IN A CONVERTED GARAGE N° 10 OF CORSO COMO IN MILANO. SINCE THE OPENING,OVER 250 EXHIBITIONS HAVE OFFERED AN INTENSE VARIETY OF CULTURES AND GENRES IN THE WORLDS OF CONTEMPORARY CULTURE. THE GALLERY HAS ITS OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY ALSO DEDICATED TO ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, FASHION AND DESIGN. THE SAME YEAR THE GALLERIA CARLA SOZZANI IS GRADUALLY JOINED BY A GARDEN CAFÈ AND A BOOKSHOP. NEW AND CLASSIC PUBLICATIONS ON ART, ARCHITECTURE, LITERATURE, DESIGN, GRAPHICS AND FASHION, WITH A STRONG EMPHASIS ON PHOTOGRAPHY AND A SELECTION OF MUSIC FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD CAN BE FOUND HERE. BROWSING IS ENCOURAGED...