Milan Travel Guide
Milan is the city that never sleeps and Italy' s creative capital. The most international of all Italian cities, it offers the possibility to meet people from all around the world who are here studying, working and having fun together. The fashion addicted will feel right at home here. Milan is also the main destination and a necessary stop for all of those that would like to get to know and taste the real Italian Style. In Milan, what counts is a lifestyle and each detail can make a difference.
Duomo
This one is kind of a no-brainer, because the famous Duomo in Milan is the center of tourist activity in the city. But while a visit to the interior is easy and free, not everyone knows that you can take an elevator up and walk around on the cathedral’s roof. Now, Milan is notoriously smoggy, so even on a clear day you’re not guaranteed a good view of the nearby mountains, but in my opinion there’s almost no better way to spend an hour in Milan (especially if you’re really limited for time) than by wandering around on top of the Duomo. If you think all those spires look impressive from the ground, you’ll be thrilled to walk around with them within reach. And it’s only by walking up the last couple flights of stairs to the tippy-top that you can get an up-close (well, up-closer) look at the city’s symbol – the golden Madoninna, or little Madonna, who sits atop the Duomo’s tallest spire.
Last Supper
Another entry that’s perhaps obvious to anyone who’s making a special trip to Milan just to see Leonardo’s masterpiece, a visit to the Santa Maria delle Grazie church to see “The Last Supper” is definitely a must as far as I’m concerned. The problem is that getting tickets to see the famous fresco can be incredibly difficult – they strictly limit the number of people in the room at any one time, which limits the number of tickets they can sell each day… You can see where this is going. During the high season, tickets to “The Last Supper” can be sold out months in advance, and that’s also not unheard of during the low season, either. If this is on your must-see list, you’ll want to plan well ahead. Luckily, you can book tickets online – and, in some cases, you can also join a walking tour of the city, many of which include this as a stop.
La Scala
The unequivocal pinnacle of opera house majesty, the Teatro alla Scala was built in 1778. For ballet, opera or orchestral music, this is where you want to be.
Quadrilatero d’Oro
Milan is the fashion capital of Italy, so it shouldn’t be surprising that there is some great shopping to be done in this city. The problem for mere mortals is that the best shopping is the kind we can’t afford to do. Watching the beautiful people parade up and down the streets of the Quadrilatero d’Oro carrying their purchases in pretty bags overflowing with tissue paper can be an interesting enough pastime. And even if you’d feel out of place walking into the fashion boutiques in your travel duds, you’ll be perfectly comfortable strolling down the sidewalk and checking out the elaborate window displays at places like Prada, Armani, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo, and Valentino. And if you just can’t stand the idea of visiting Milan and coming home empty-handed, then consider seeking out one of the city’s many fashion outlets. They’re harder to find, but there are incredible deals to be had.
San Siro
Milan is blessed with two soccer teams based in the city – AC Milan and Inter. Simply seeing an Italian soccer game in one of the world’s most well-known stadiums is an amazing experience. And because there are two teams based in Milan, that means that during the soccer season you stand an even better chance that one of them will be playing a home game, making this must-do item easier to check off your list. San Siro, the stadium AC Milan and Inter share, is the largest in Italy and is a fantastic place to do some people-watching in addition to sport-watching. You can figure out who’s got a home game by learning to read the Italian soccer schedules, and find out some travel information for San Siro as well – and if there isn’t a game going on when you’re in Milan, you can always tour the San Siro Museum instead!
Pinacoteca di Brera
The lovely Pinacoteca di Brera isn’t huge, but it’s got a truly impressive collection of primarily Italian paintings. You’ll find masterpieces by Caravaggio, Raphael, Mantegna, Hayez, Rembrandt, and Tintoretto. And after you’ve taken your tour of the artwork, you can enjoy what is perhaps my favorite neighborhood in the city right outside the doors. The Pinacoteca di Brera has the good fortune of being in the Brera neighborhood, which is full of picturesque streets lined with cute shops and corner restaurants. You’ll have every reason to slow your pace to a stroll here as you do a little more window shopping (though in this part of the city you might actually be able to afford a trinket or two) and stop for a leisurely coffee or lunch in one of the streetside cafes. When you’ve spent an afternoon gazing at famous art and soaking in the Brera atmosphere, you just might fall in love with Milan.
Parco Sempione
There’s no getting around the fact that Milan is a busy place, not at all the charming medieval Italian city that you pictured when you were reading “Under the Tuscan Sun.” But even if you like Milan from the start, chances are good you’re going to want a break from all the traffic and noise at some point – heck, the Milanese do, why should you be any different? Luckily, there are a couple of good-sized parks in the city center where you can surround yourself with something other than concrete for a bit. The easiest park for most tourists to take advantage of is Parco Sempione, which sprawls around and behind the imposing Castello Sforzesco (there are lots of museums inside the castle now, so it’s a popular stop anyway), but there’s also the Giardini Pubblici to the northeast of the historic city center beyond the Quadrilatero d’Oro.
Navigli
Not only are there canals in Milan, one of them was designed by none other than Leonardo da Vinci himself. The Navigli district of Milan has two – count ‘em, two – canals, and you can walk around much of the district without even seeing them. But in the summer months you can take boat tours on the canals, and they’re certainly an unexpected thing to come upon in the middle of such a concrete-filled city. The Navigli has long been one of the areas of Milan that’s less-than-beautiful, but in the last few years it’s become much more of a haven for artists (low rents tend to draw the artists and writers) so these days you can expect to find cute shops, small art galleries, and charming restaurants. This is also one neighborhood that’s well-known for its nightlife, so if it seems too quiet during daylight hours just come back after dark.
Cimitero Monumentale
A rare, exceptional cemetery if ever there was one, Milan’s Cimitero Monumentale has a phenomenal array of notable burials, from concert pianist Vladimir Horowitz to poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni.
Sant’Ambrogio
One of the most ancient churches in Milan, it was built by St. Ambrose in 379-386, in an area where numerous martyrs of the Roman persecutions had been buried. The first name of the church was in fact Basilica Martyrum.
Rho – Pero Fair
A masterpiece of contemporary architecture designed by Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas, Fieramilano is the largest exposition space in Europe. Rho – Pero, with its 345,000 square meters, excellent services, the metro that goes directly inside the area, innovative design, avant-garde materials and technology, is one of the most important fairgrounds in the world. It will be the exposition space for Expo 2015.
Via Tortona
It is one of the must-see streets in Milan, and the whole area around Via Tortona, which goes from Naviglio Grande to Via Solari and Porta Genova, is not to be missed.
Piazza Mercanti
This characteristic square near the Duomo is surrounded by very interesting historical buildings that represent Milanese culture from the middle ages to the seventeenth century. These include Palazzo della Ragione that dates back to 1200, the Loggia degli Osii, the seventeeth century Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine and Palazzo dei Giureconsulti that stands at the top of Via Mercanti.
Brera
This is one of the most exclusive and fashionable places in Milan, that has an atmosphere vaguely reminiscent of Paris, with its artists, open-air coffee shops and sophisticated boutiques.