A day in Milan

When the hubs and I began planning our trip to Milan, we were worried a day would not be sufficient. We were not sure if we needed a few more days to see all that the city had offered. However, I can confidently tell you that a day is more than enough! We were able to check off everything on our list except for a couple of things but that was more of a choice rather than a lack of time. I will share some of the most important places you will need to check out if you are ever in Milano. I do not have a long exhaustive list but I do believe the following serves Milan well.

Places you have to see in Milan:

1. The Duomo Milano: Duh, this should be a given. If you ever see postcards from Milan, it usually has the Duomo Cathedral on them. The massive cathedral is undoubtedly the most famous symbol of the city. You simply cannot visit Milan and not see the marvelous Duomo. It is a sight to behold, and we literally just sat there in awe under the statue of Vittorio Emmanuelle for a good hour, just embracing the impressive beauty of the cathedral. The intricate facade was lovely and the cathedral was just jaw-dropping. There were lots of people but I did manage to get a couple of decent pictures without too many people photobombing me. Also, you will notice a bunch of pigeons scurrying around the square and if you have some crumbs on you, it can make a great picture! You can enter the inside of the cathedral for only 3 euros, which you should definitely not pass on. However, because we are impatient and had no desire to wait under the scorching heat, we decided to Pass. But if you can, I would strongly advise you to wait the line and climb up to the terrace because the view is pretty spectacular (or, so I’ve heard). I believe it was about 7- 10 euros to go up to the terrace.

   

2. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II: One of the grandest shopping centers I have ever been to. It is definitely a shopper's heaven. If you have the money to shop luxury brands like Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. you get the idea, or if you just enjoy window shopping then this galleria is definitely up your alley. Aside from the world of high-end shopping, you can also find cafes and restaurants. We did not stay here for too long. We lingered around for a bit and appreciated the architecture and the beautiful high dome, which was quite impressive, and then headed on out to explore the rest of Milan.

   

3. The Sforza Castle: The castle has been around for centuries. It belonged to the Sforza dynasty in the 15th century. I will not sit here and bore you to death with an essay on the history of the castle, which you can easily Google for yourself, but I will say this, there is lots of history behind it and if you enjoy learning about history, then you should definitely check it out!

   

   A cool thing about the castle is that it was decorated by some of the most prominent Italian artists including Leonardo DaVinci. Today, the castle houses several galleries and museums. One of the most important artworks the Sforza Castle houses is the Rondanini Pieta by Michelangelo. This is a very significant piece because it was the last piece Michelangelo was working on before he passed away. The sculpture represents Mary carrying the crucified body of Jesus. Here is a photo:

   

   Tip: Free entrance on Wednesdays - Sundays from 16:30- 17:00. Tickets originally cost 10 euros.

   

4. San Siro stadium: this is for my football fans out there! The stadium is the home to the Milan and Inter Milan football team. My hubs is a huge football fan so of course, we had to make a quick stop there. Unfortunately, the stadium was not accepting any visitors when we were visiting so we could not see the inside. To be honest, I didn't find the stadium to be anything special.
5. Piazza della Scala and the monument of Leonardo da Vinci: a small green area where you can take a break from the busy city. There are a bunch of benches to sit on and it is only about 5 minutes walking distance from the Galleria and the Duomo.

   

   Visiting Milan was definitely a wonderful experience. It is not exactly the most scenic city in Italy but there are some pretty spectacular sites worth checking out!