Private Milan Street Photography Tour with an Artist Guide

A few steps away, we reach Piazza degli Affari, Milan's financial square, dominated by Palazzo Mezzanotte, home of the Milan Stock Exchange. In the middle of the square stands Maurizio Cattelan's L.O.V.E., a giant marble hand with one finger raised, facing the Stock Exchange. It's one of the most talked about pieces of public art in the city, and a great place to explore how a photograph can carry a message. You'll experiment with angles that frame the sculpture against the building behind it.

We then visit the TASCHEN Store, the publisher's first shop in Italy, spread across two floors and furnished with Italian design pieces from the 1950s. I'll take you through the photography section and show you the books and photographers that shaped how I see the street. You'll leave with new names to follow and a clearer sense of the style you want to work toward.

Just down the street on Corso Magenta, we pass the original Pasticceria Marchesi, one of Milan's oldest pastry shops, serving the city since 1824. Its elegant windows, filled with pastries, chocolates, and panettone, make a beautiful subject for practicing reflections and layered compositions. If you'd like something sweet, this is the moment to step inside.

Leaving the busy center behind, we reach the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio, one of Milan's oldest churches, founded in the 4th century. Its Romanesque courtyard, lined with brick arches, is quiet and full of texture. You'll use the arches as natural frames and work with light and shadow to create calm, timeless images.

Our next stop is the Ticinese neighborhood, where Milan's everyday life happens. Around the Roman columns of San Lorenzo, you'll find students, trams, vintage shops, street art, and small cafés, all within a few blocks. This is where we focus on candid street photography, and I'll show you how to photograph people naturally without interrupting the moment.