Things to Do and See in Monza and Brianza

Located in the heart of Brianza, on the banks of the Lambro River, the city of Monza boasts a number of interesting monuments to visit in its historic center, including the Cathedral dedicated to St. John the Baptist, built between the 14th and 17th centuries, which houses the Iron Crown, adorned with precious gems (according to tradition, it was fashioned from a nail from Christ’s cross). The cathedral’s treasure is housed in the Serpero Museum. Other notable religious buildings include the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Church of San Biagio. As for secular architecture, a must-see is the Royal Villa, one of Monza’s most important and imposing monuments, built at the behest of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who gifted it to her son, Archduke Ferdinand. Built in the Neoclassical style by Piermarini in the late 18th century, it features a sumptuous interior with a court theater, a hemispherical hall, a chapel, a hall of honor, and the Civic Art Gallery. Also worth visiting is Villa Mirabello, which was built in the 1600s and is the oldest structure in Monza Park. The symbol of the city of Monza is the Monza racetrack, Italy’s largest motorsports complex, whose road circuit has been continuously modified to equip the racetrack with the most modern infrastructure. Elsewhere in the province, notable locations include Oreno, known for its courtyards and farmhouses that alternate with splendid villas such as Villa Gallarati Scotti and Villa Borromeo, which houses a cycle of frescoes from the second half of the 15th century, and Vimercate, where visitors can admire the neoclassical Villa Sottocasa, the historic residence of the Barbarossa family and Bernabò Visconti.