Milan in 4 days

The pale pink marble cathedral with its forest of spires, begun six centuries ago; inside, vast stained-glass windows colour the light.

The 19th-century glass-roofed arcade linking the Duomo to La Scala, with its mosaic floors, the original Prada shop and Camparino café.

Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga and Via Sant'Andrea, where the great Italian houses have their flagships among courtyards and aristocratic palazzi.

One of Italy's finest galleries, in a 17th-century palace: Mantegna's Dead Christ, Hayez's The Kiss and works by Caravaggio, in the cobbled Brera district.

The red-brick fortress of the Dukes of Milan, home to several museums including Michelangelo's unfinished Rondanini Pietà; the courtyards lead into Sempione Park.

The fresco in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, seen in small groups for fifteen minutes; book well ahead.

Bars along the water, artists' studios in the courtyards, vintage shops and trattorias line the Naviglio Grande canal.

The shared home of AC Milan and Inter, with spiral ramp towers and about 75,000 seats; the tour goes from dressing rooms to pitchside.