Writer’s Travel Guide to Milan: Literary & Writing Spots

Milan, Italy is perhaps more synonymous with fashion, but it’s also a city fit for literary travel and for a solo writing retreat. In this Writer’s Travel Guide, you’ll find all the literary and inspiring spots in Milan. This is a guide for writers, readers and book lovers who want to travel to Milan.

[This post contains affiliate links.]

Literary Places to Visit in Milan, Italy

Ambrosian Library

This beautiful antique library is located in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, an excellent museum with an impressive art collection. You’ll have to purchase a ticket for this museum, and at the end you’ll end up in the Ambrosian Library.

Dimly lit and full of ancient books, bibliophiles will find heaven here. Soak in the magic of old books and marvel at the display of Leonardo da Vinci’s notes.

Braidense National Library

Although getting into it is difficult (you’ll need to request a reading pass online), this is probably among the prettiest libraries in the world. It consists of several reading rooms that had absolutely gorgeous architecture and tons of old books on the high bookshelves.

I got to have a peek at one of the reading rooms (see pic above) through the window at the Brera Art Gallery, which I made the mistake of thinking would include access to the library. It doesn’t, and the art collection at Pinacoteca Ambrosiana was much more impressive.

Manzoni House

Alessandro Manzoni is one of Italy’s most famous writers. This is largely due to his famous novel The Betrothed, which was the first novel written in the modern Italian language rather than in dialects. You can visit the house he lived in for most of his life as it’s now a museum. And this is a must even if you’ve never heard of Manzoni.

The house itself is stunning and his study—still full of the books he read and his writing desk, and overlooking the garden—can give you some ideas for your own writing room. Additionally, upstairs you can learn more about Manzoni and his family and see the bedroom he died in.

I also got a fantastic tour of the museum and learned a great deal about this writer’s life and works and also about Italian nationalism.

Monumental Cemetery

I love visiting old cemeteries around the world, and this one is one of the most impressive. It’s a great place to wander around and perhaps gain name ideas for characters. And this Milan cemetery is also the final resting place of aforementioned Alessandro Manzoni, so it has a literary tie.

Duomo

This beautiful cathedral was the favorite spot in Milan of one of 20^th century’s most famous writers: Ernest Hemingway. He was wounded in Milan while volunteering in World War I and was treated in an American Red Cross hospital near the Duomo.

It was this time of his life that Hemingway used as inspiration for one of his most famous books, Farewell to Arms. Try to find the plaque near the Duomo marking the exact building Hemingway was treated in.

Leonardo3 Musuem

This one isn’t really literary, since Leonardo da Vinci was more known as a painter, inventor and architect than a writer. But his notebooks are quite famous, and Milan is the place to see and learn about them.

If you’ve never seen a copy of his writing, Leonardo wrote in a very interesting way. Since he was left-handed, he wrote backwards so as not to smudge the ink. This technique requires you to use a mirror to read his writing. In the Leonardo3 Museum, you can interact with this unique writing and see real-life models of the inventions da Vinci detailed in some of his notebooks.

Writing Spots in Milan, Italy

Libreria Del Mondo Offeso

This bookstore has a café, so you can have a coffee and pastry while write. And when you get bored of writing, you can rest your brain and enjoy some book browsing inside the bookstore. It’s located just outside of the touristy area and near the Sforzesco Castle (nice place for a walk), so a great break from sightseeing.

Gogol & Company

Another bookstore, this one is located in the hip Naviglio area. It’s really outside of the touristy center of Milan and one of Milan’s remaining canals runs through it. This is a great place to take a walk along when you get tired of looking at books and your laptop screen and want fresh air.

If you like to drink while writing, this area is known for its nightlife. You’ll likely be able to find a place to grab a glass of wine and continue writing into the night.

Marchesi 1824

This fancy and famous café isn’t the type of place you’d be able to spend hours typing away on your laptop. But I didn’t get any weird looks from writing in a journal while enjoying a delicious hot chocolate here.

There are three locations of this historic family-owned patisserie that is now a luxurious café. I visited the one in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The others are likely less touristy, but I wanted to spend as much time as possible in that glorious galleria. It’s the main reason I wanted to stop and write at this famous Milan café.

Giardini Indro Montanelli

If you’re in Milan during nice, warm days and want to write outside, then this park is a nice spot for it. It’s always full of locals and lots of dogs, so it’s a good place to immerse yourself into the daily life of Milan while writing. You’ll find plenty of benches to sit on, and it’s a really big park.

Where to Stay in Milan, Italy

Most of the great writing spots I found, as usual, were in the accommodations I stayed in. I picked two different places and neither disappointed my expectations.

Budget: Grand Hostel Coconut

Not the cheapest hostel in town, but the cheapest accommodation in Milan with fantastic writing spots. Located in a historic building, you’ll find lots of nooks with books and mismatched vintage furniture to sit on while writing.

Both Budget & Mid-Range: Ostello Bello Grande

Another hostel, this is located just a street away from the train station. And it’s great for everyone, whether you want a budget-friendly dorm room or a more expensive (but reasonably-priced) private room.

I stayed in both. The private room was very modern and had desk perfect for writing. The dorm rooms also have a desk, but I found desks in dorm rooms can often be covered in other people’s stuff. So you might rather write elsewhere in the hostel.

If you’re feeling more social, this hostel also has so many communal areas. They’re cozy and perfect for writing during your trip to Milan. Whether you want to enjoy the top floor terrace or a free welcome drink at the bar downstairs, this is a hostel perfect for everyone.

It’s especially great if you come during nice weather because it has several terraces and a secret garden. Even if you are in Milan during colder days, the amazing staff provides blankets for those wanting to sit outside. Also, I highly recommend getting breakfast here!