GIACOMO ZAVATTERI TOUR GUIDE/TRANSLATOR

The guided tour starts from the Castello Sforzesco, the imposing fortress built by the noble families of the Visconti and the Sforza, seat of one of the most magnificent courts during Italian Renaissance.
Next stop is the Scala Opera House, worldwide famous shrine of classic music.
If it is your first time in Milan you cannot miss a walk along the Vittorio Emanuele Gallery, the beautiful arcade nicknamed by the “milanesi” the city’s “living room”.
At the end of this guided tour we enter the Duomo, the cathedral of the city, built by the Lords of Milan in medieval gothic style and the third largest church in the world.

This guided tour is around 3 hours. Accessible by means of public transport, private buses and by foot.

 

 

Milan guided tour n.2

Do you know that up to the 1930’s Milan was a city with so many channels to resemble Venice or Amsterdam? This was the beautiful world of Navigli, a system of channels that boosted the city economy for centuries.
This itinerary would like to remember the history of Milan as a city that used water to built up his welfare.
The itinerary starts in front of the ancient Basilica di San Lorenzo, then through the medieval Ticinese gate we pop into the old area of the foundries and workshops of the gunsmiths and armourers.

Then we will visit the old city's harbour, the Naviglio Pavese and the Naviglio Grande, the pulsing heart of today’s channel system, the itinerary will finish into the picturesque Vicolo delle Lavandaie, where the Milanese women used to wash their clothes into the waters of the channel. 

This guided tour is around 3 hours. Accessible by means of public transport, private buses and by foot.

 

Milan guided tour n.3

Milan is proud to hold one of the greatest masterpieces of art of every time, so important to be listed as part of UNESCO's Worldwide Heritage in 1980: Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper.
The genius of the Tuscan painter reached here one of its highest peaks. Thanks to the incredible painting technique and the complex translation in painting of the Gospels message. We are in front of a work of art that really changed the history of world art.
This itinerary include historical and artistic explanation of the painting and the nearby church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, with the famous presbytery designed by Bramante, the first architect of San Peter in Rome.

This guided tour is around 1 hour. Accessible by means of public transport, private buses and by foot.

Reservation for the visit to the Cenacolo Vinciano is mandatory even for small/single person groups. Because of the high request of tickets I suggest to contact me at least one month before the scheduled visit (from April to September I suggest even two months before due to the extraordinary request of tickets in this period).

 

 

Milan guided tour n. 4

Maybe you do not know that Milan had been the capital of the Roman Empire from 286 AC to 402 AC. This itinerary will show you the city from an unusual perspective, and we’ll understand why the Emperor choose Milan as his residence.
We start from the City’s Archaeological Museum where are located the imposing ruins of the city walls and Circus. Then we’ll move through the narrow streets of the historical centre to discover what remains of the Roman city. We will find the foundations of the Imperial Palace, ruins of the Circus, remains of one of the city gates and visit the church of San Lorenzo, one of the oldest preserved church in the world.
Close to the ancient San Lorenzo it is possible to make a short but very fascinating detour to visit the underground foundations of the church, built using the massive blocks of the old Roman monuments.

The itinerary ends with the view of the foundations of the amphitheatre, our “Colosseo”.

This guided tour is around 3 hours. Accessible by means of public transport, private buses and by foot.

The Antiquarium park, where the fundations of the amphitheatre are located, is closed on sunday.

 

Milan guided tour n. 5

Milan is famous all over the world for some of the greatest masterpieces of art, like Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, but most of the people do not know there are hidden treasures of works of art hidden a few steps away from the main monuments and shopping streets.

This itinerary would like to show you a city the tourists rarely visit. If you are curious I would like to invite you to follow me into the lanes of a secret Milan, to find the old city admired in XVIII century during the Gran Tour, a city that survived destructions of the war and modern times.

We will walk ancient streets, entering into old palaces courtyards, churches a thousand of years old covered by renaissance frescos, through the names of the streets we will unveil the history of the city. Many misteries and curiosities are waiting for you: the largest church in the city after the Duomo, a chapel entirely covered by human bones and even a bulding provided with ears!

The itinerary will be customized upon your personal preferences and tastes, I suggest you to contact me in advance. Many of the monuments, being out of the main turistic itineraries, have limited opening hours, it's better to plan in advance to avoid annoyning surprises.

This guided tour is around 3 hours. Accessible by means of public transport, private buses and by foot.