Sightseeing: Cultural Highlights in Milan

PINACOTECA DI BRERA — The lovely Palazzo di Brera holds this major collection of Italian paintings. Highlights include Andrea Mantegna’s “Lamentation of Christ,” with its extraordinary mastery of perspective; the “Brera Madonna,” a serene altarpiece by Piero della Francesca; and the dramatic “Supper at Emmaus,” by Caravaggio. Via Brera 28. Tel. (39) 02-722-631.

BIBLIOTECA AMBROSIANA — Milan is famous for Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (in the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie), but this historic library houses the “Portrait of a Musician,” which many scholars believe to be a Leonardo and some consider a self-portrait. The library also contains the “Codex Atlanticus,” a 12-volume set of Leonardo’s drawings and writings on subjects as diverse as flying machines, weaponry and musical instruments. Piazzo Pio Xi 2. Tel. (39) 02-806-921.

SANTA MARIA PRESSO SAN SATIRO — This 15th-century church replaced an ancient ninth-century place of worship. The site itself is small, but the interior seems much larger as a result of the extraordinary architectural perspective created by Bramante in the choir behind the main altar. This optical illusion is regarded as one of the first, and most remarkable, uses of trompe l’oeil in the history of art. Via Torino 17-19.