Milan, the Second City of Italy was our next stop. We took a Finnair flight from Dubrovnik to a stopover in Helsinki with a quick visit to the Finnair Lounge. The lounge had some nice champagne to sample. Next, on to Milan.
Milan: Introduction
Milan, the Second City of Italy with a population of 1.4 million is a fascinating urban landscape. While not the capital, Milan is the dominant area for business, communications, finance, culture, and fashion. Milan will be one of the host cities for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Milan proved to be unbelievably crowded. Maybe with a lot of the world homebound with the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunity to have restrictions lifted proved the catalyst for all this tourism. I wanted to start with a free city tour and found that they were sold out for the next several days. My alternative was to take a Hop On/ Hop Off Bus Tour. The way that this works is that the tour operator arranges for a “double-decker” bus that would travel several routes at 60 to 90-minute intervals. They make designated stops. If you see a sight that appeals to you. Hop Off. Explore the area. Next, Wait for the next bus to appear 60 or 90 minutes later. Hop On. The pass is good for 24 hours and you could also get a multi-day pass as well.
Milan: Hop on Hop off Bus Trip
Our first bus went to the Navigli area which is not as well known as the other attractions of Milan. Many restaurants line the banks of a canal that dates back to the Middle Ages. This area attracts crowds in the evening.
The second bus that we took was a route covering modern Milan which contained some very imaginative buildings. Milano Centrale Railway Station (1931) is one of the more interesting buildings in this district. as well as being the largest railway station in Europe. This is quite the over-the-top creation of the Mussolini era. If you are a devotee of outlandish architecture, you will really love this one.
Next, we went on our own to the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel II (1877). This is a large shopping gallery with a glass dome in the center and a cast iron and glass roof. It is an early forerunner of the shopping mall. The Galleria has all the major names of high-end retailing as well as some very nice restaurants and gelaterias that we returned to sample. Check out their website: https://www.yesmilano.it/esplora/luoghi/galleria-vittorio-emanuele-ii
To finish the day, we visited the church Santa Maria Delle Grazie which possesses the “Last Supper” by Leonardo DaVinci. This work was done between 1495 and 1498 and the mural is world-famous and not to be missed. We obtained hard-to-get tickets from Viator. Click on the below banner for information on other great Viator travel adventures.
Now it was time for dinner. We visited Pizzium – Via Buonarroti. This is a neighborhood place near the Wagner Metro Stop and our hotel. with great pizzas and a homey atmosphere.
Milan on our own
Milan’s Top Attractions
We were on our own today and started off with Castello Sforzesco, This is a large medieval fortress that was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan. It was renovated and enlarged in the 16th and 17th centuries. Today, it houses several museums.
Next, we went through the Parco Sempione which a long time ago was the hunting grounds for the Sforza family. It is about 95 acres which makes it a nice shady place to relax. Among the features of the park is the Arch of Peace. Next, we took in the Triennale which is a design and art museum which opened in 2007. I always favored modern furniture. It was neat to see the lamp (Tizio) that sits on my desk in the exhibits.
We finished up the evening with a nice dinner in the Navigli area. We saw the area during one of our bus tours and made up our minds to go there one evening for dinner. It was a nice treat and not too expensive since you could drink good Prosecco for only 5 Euros per glass. Not bad.
MILAN: Free City Walking Tour
We finally got our Free City Walking Tour and started off on Duoma Square. Next, over to Galleria Vittorio Emanuel II where I had a nice gelato . We went through the Castello Sforzesco once again and next through Sempione Park. We came upon some interesting Roman ruins. Our tour finished up at the stock exchange where there was an interesting sculpture outside the stock exchange building showing the exchange getting the middle finger. The sculptor must have been a disappointed investor.
It was still early afternoon and we went on our own to see the interior of the Duomo which is the third-largest cathedral in the world. It was started in 1386 and finished in 1965. I am glad that the workers took their time in order to get everything right.
While I am not an expert on opera. we could not pass up a chance to see the Museum of the La Scala Opera. There were costumes, instruments, and many mementos on exhibit as well as busts of many famous composers, singers, and conductors. We enjoyed seeing videos of many famous operatic performances from several monitors that were on hand to view.
For our last dinner in Milan, we decided to return to the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel II and picked Ristorante Galleria which was an excellent choice. It is an expensive restaurant however the rising dollar took some of the sting off the price.
The next day, we took a taxi to Central Station for a 45-minute train ride to Como and bid farewell to Milan the Second City of Italy.
