If you’re looking for a great city for a short break, follow the Telegraph’s advice: pick Milan!

In a recently published article, the British newspaper strongly recommends Milan not just for its shopping and food, but for its cultural sights.

What you can’t miss is the Pinacoteca di Brera, “one of the great museums in Italy, chock-a-block with paintings of the very highest quality”. Highlights include masterpieces such as The Marriage of the Virgin by Raffaello and seminal works by Mantegna, Piero della Francesca and Caravaggio just to mention a few of them.

Brera’s new director, British-Canadian James Bradburne, has injected further energy into the museum “organising new exhibitions and, adding much more detailed and prominent labelling”. Rooms are even painted in the distinctive colors of specific artistic periods, and paintings appear to jump off the wall due to the contrast and the enhanced lighting.

With a 10-minutes walk from Brera you may visit the Sforza Castle, which houses 8 collections including no less a masterpiece than the last sculpture by Michelangelo.

Did we mentioned also the Ambrosiana Library with Leonardo’s notebooks?

Book a walking tour with a local guide such as we are and you’ll fall in love with this city.