Palazzo Reale

The Royal Palace of Milan (Italian: Palazzo Reale di Milano) was the seat of government for the city of Milan for many centuries, but today it is an important cultural centre, home to expositions and exhibitions. Originally designed with a system of two yards, then partially demolished to make room for the Duomo, the palace is located to the right of the cathedral’s facade in the opposite position in respect to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The facade of the building, following the line of the ancient courtyard, forms a recess in respect to Piazza del Duomo, known as the Piazzetta Reale, the ‘Small Royal Square’.On the first floor of the building you’ll find the magnificent Hall of Caryatids , which occupies the site of the old theatre, which burned down in 1776 and is the only part that survived the heavy bombings in 1943, when the Palace lost most of the neoclassical interiors.