Sforza Castle Museum: Worth It?

The Sforza Castle sits right in the middle of Milan with a huge courtyard that's free to wander. The museums inside are ticketed and cover everything from Renaissance sculpture and paintings to ancient weapons, furniture, and the eerie underground rooms. Expect a solid 60-90 minutes if you move at a normal pace. The Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà is the undisputed highlight – raw and powerful. The rest is pleasant but not life-changing; some rooms feel like standard Italian museum fare with decent armor and tapestries. It's never overwhelmingly crowded compared to the Duomo, which makes it feel more relaxed.

Best time to go is spring or fall on a weekday morning. Summer gets hot and sticky inside the old stone walls, and weekends pull in more local families. Expect to pay around €5-8 for a full museums ticket, or less if you're a student or EU resident under 26. Skip the battlements unless you're really into rooftops; the views aren't dramatically better than from the park nearby. Buy tickets online the day before if you can – it saves 10-15 minutes of queuing and guarantees you won't be turned away during rare peak hours.