Best way to reliably get a taxi in Milan?

Milan taxi stands
https://milanoradiotaxi.it/en/posteggi-taxi-milano/

There will be taxis waiting and look for the taxi stand sign

You can also use one of the taxi apps like FreeNow

Milan is also very walkable

No need to ever tip a taxi driver -please!

Taxi apps
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/preferred-taxi-app-in-milan

Your hotel is only a 15 minute walk to the Last Supper and about the same in another direction to the Duomo. Unless you have some issues with walking, I would skip using a taxi and spend your money on some extra gelato. 😊

Taxi stands are fairly frequent. Second when we have gone to more remote areas we ask the driver to point out a taxi stand for the return.

The hotel is few minutes walking from the Cairoli metro stop. Castello Sforzesco will be five minutes walking.

The hotel reception will call a taxi to pick you up at the entrance.

Map of all taxi stands https://lombardo-geosystems.it/mappa/taxi/Milano/

Does FreeNow pick you up anywhere? Should I wait until I'm in Italy to download this app?

Do taxis accept credit cards?

All taxis are required by law to accept credit cards
Always confirm with the driver that the “machine is working”

Download the app whenever you like, ahead of your trip to see how it works

"Download the app whenever you like, ahead of your trip to see how it works"

You want me to request a taxi in the United States? I wouldn't do that because it would be too expensive. Second, I already know that a cab will pick me up wherever I'm at here.

I need to know if the cabs in Milan will come to my precise location, more or less.

That is not what I meant
Familiarize yourself with the app, set up account, etc

Good grief
Getting a taxi in Milan any other large city in Italy is very simple
Go to a taxi stand-which are near all major tourist venues, airports, train stations, etc
2 links posted above with locations
Get in line, wait your turn

Your hotel will call a taxi for you if you leave from the hotel

As noted above your hotel is within very easy walking distance to the sites-about a 15 min walk to the 4 places you mentioned in your first post ( or a 3 min drive which will not be popular with most taxi drivers)

I need to know if the cabs in Milan will come to my precise location, more or less.

Why shouldn't they do so? Why are you worried about something so ordinary?

The idea of taking a cab, instead of walking for 15 minutes, makes me think you could have mobility problems. Rest assured that The any hotel reception clearly warns cabbies when they call a taxi for customers with such problems.

This post by the OP makes me think there are no mobility issues

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/austria/what-do-you-think-about-this-two-week-italy-austria-germany-itineary

No, I don't have any mobility problems. But say it's a hot summer day and I don't want to walk 15 to 25 minutes to the next attraction?

A remark was made about a cab not wanting to accept a ride because it's too short. I would think that cab drivers wouldn't be allowed to refuse rides under Italian law.

If you order a cab with Uber or Lyft in the United States, the cab drives to your precise location. If I order a cab using Freenow, whill the driver do the same?

Also, this discussion is making me think that cab drivers use meters. What's the best way to ensure that your cab driver uses a direct route and doesn't try to take you for a ride? I don't speak Italian; just English and Spanish.

A remark was made about a cab not wanting to accept a ride because
it's too short. I would think that cab drivers wouldn't be allowed to
refuse rides under Italian law.

Taxis are public transportation service licensed by the City, and as such, drivers are required to serve passengers within the municipal area for which they are licensed. There are no minimum distance limits, and the meter must be turned on at the start of the ride. Just know that there is a minimum fare that the City fare schedule provides, and that is pretty stiff in my opinion. For example in Florence I think it is 5.50€ during weekdays (more at night or Sundays), so you will have to pay at least that even if the ride is only 300 feet.

If you order a cab with Uber or Lyft in the United States, the cab
drives to your precise location. If I order a cab using Freenow, whill
the driver do the same?

I've never used FreeNow, but it works that way with other Apps, like AppTaxi or ItTaxi, which are two major apps used in Milan. Also if you board a taxi at a stand or after the hotel calls it for you, the taxi driver will take you exactly where you ask them to take you. There might be restrictions on totally pedestrianized streets where even taxicabs cannot drive, for example taxicabs are not allowed inside the Galleria, on pedestrianized zones of Piazza Duomo or on the pedestrianized portion of Corso Vittorio Emanuele. There aren't too many places like that in Milan, but in those cases they will drop you off to the closest available spots and then you walk the last few meters.

Also, this discussion is making me think that cab drivers use meters.
What's the best way to ensure that your cab driver uses a direct route
and doesn't try to take you for a ride? I don't speak Italian; just
English and Spanish.

Speaking the language doesn't help much. I speak Italian but if I am in a city I'm not familiar with, the taxi driver might take you through the longer route. It happened to me in Washington DC and in NYC. I wrote a complaint to the company in Arlington and got reimbursed), in the latter case it was just a few extra miles, but I know Manhattan so I just left zero tip. In your case you could follow the route on GoogleMaps and see if it makes sense. Just be aware that sometimes the taxicabs try to take advantage of a longer route traveling on bus lanes to avoid traffic snarls. Taxicabs can do so, but not regular traffic. But generally it is in the interest of taxi cabs to take you to destination as fast as possible, because they make more money with more runs they make.

Is it true that you cannot hail a taxi on the street in Milano?

It's against the regulations in most cities, including Milan. The only exception is if the taxi is dropping someone and you happen to be there, then you can ask if the taxi is available. I've done so in Rome, but in some cases the taxi has already a call he must go to, so he will tell you that is not available.

The regulation requires that a taxi is not a regularly scheduled public transport, therefore the proper way to get one is by calling (telephone, computer, or app) but they can be boarded without calling at a regularly designated taxi stand. Be aware that it is not possible to call a taxi from the airport to pick you up at Linate or Malpensa. The regulation requires that you go to the taxi stand and pick up the taxi from the taxi stand at the airport. I think the same is true also for the Milano Centrale station.

The NCC (Noleggio con Conducente), basically the limo service, is different from a taxi service because the NCC cannot be waiting for customers at a parking stand in the streets. The NCC must be always reserved in advance, it must be for a predetermined price (no meters allowed) and the NCC must always start from a base (a garage or limo headquarters) from where they depart to pick you up, they cannot stay in the streets waiting for clients.

Okay, that about answers all my questions. My only remaining question is whether FreeNow, AppTaxi, or ItTax works better in Milan.

For everyone's information, FreeNow is now owned by Lyft, I believe...

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/preferred-taxi-app-in-milan

In the thread above I listed the 3 main taxi companies in Milan, with their respective websites from where you can download the apps. The main ones are AppTaxi, ItTaxi.
You can use Freenow, and you can also use Uber app to summon a regular taxi since they have an agreement with ItTaxi, however when you use FreeNow or Uber, they will add a commission which I believe is 3€ per ride now. If you use the app listed in the websites (AppTaxi or ItTaxi) no commission is added to the ride, since those apps are owned by a consortium of radiotaxi operators. So if you use a third party app, like Uber or FreeNow (which was acquired by Lyft last summer) they will charge you the extra commission.