Milano!

Next stop: Milano!

After spending a wonderful four days in Venezia, the next stop on this Italian journey is Milano. My first observation upon being in Milano is how much cheaper the hotel rates are than in Venezia! It's great that you can find a quality place to stay even on a budget. I checked out three different options:

El Paso Bed and Breakfast

This little Bed and Breakfast sits in a location that's just a short walk from the Piazza Loreto, where the Red and Green underground lines interesect. This proximity makes it easy to hop on and jet off to more central areas of Milan. Rates run at 35 euros a night for a single room. This price includes a shared bathroom, included breakfast, and a friendly family-run atmosphere. Reviewers gave this hotel an 89% overall satisfaction rating, one of the highest I saw online!

Hotel Trentina

Another hotel I found with excellent satisfaction ratings 88% was Hotel Trentina, located only 800 metres from Milan's central station, with excellent access to bus, underground and tram transportation. The hotel promises a quiet, relaxing atmosphere while still being within walking distance of many of Milan's main attractions. The breakfast looks great (a huge buffet!) and there is also a bar and cafe within the hotel itself. All of this for only 55 euros a night for a single room!

Hotel Demo

The last hotel I found was Hotel Demo, which looked like a really fun place for backpackers and young travelers. This hotel also received great reviews from past travelers, with the only real complaint being some noise coming from the nearby road. However, the upside to this problem is the proximity of the hotel to Milan hot spots! The hotel is only 100 m from the Central train station, making it incredibly easy to naviage the city from this area. A cool point of this hotel is that the lobby is an art gallery! If you happen to be an artist, you can arrange with the staff to have your artwork shown! Pretty cool. This hotel costs 50 euros a night for a single room, and I think I'll choose to stay here because of it's unique atmosphere and close proximity to the train station.

Day One:

My first stop in Milan will be a visit to the Duomo. It is only five minutes by subway from my hotel, so I'll hop on at the Central station and head over. I want to walk around it, go inside, and take the elevator all the way to the top! From what I've read, despite Milan's notoroiously smoggy reputation, the view is still worth the climb.

After checking out the Duomo, I will spend the rest of the afternoon wandering through Milan's parks. A popular tourist park is Parco Sempione, which lies around and behind the Castello Sforzesco. I would also like to explore the Giardini Pubblici (public gardens). Giardini Pubblici is free admission but provides snacks, refreshments, and even bumper cars! Sounds like a fun way to spend the afternoon.

I think I'll end my first night in Milan at the Just Cavalli Cafe, owned by fashion designer Roberto Cavalli. That kind of flashiness usually isn't my style, but it looks pretty funky and it would be fun to experience the high fashion side of Italy while I'm here! The dishes are very fancy and the prices aren't even listed on the website ...so I may have to resort to nothing more than a drink and appetizer ...but still get to enjoy the environment!

Day Two:

Today I think I'll do a little shopping at the Milan markets. Through my research, I've found a few different markets to choose from. One of which being the Marcatone dell'Antiquario del Naviglio Grande which is an antique market selling everything from books to furniture. Also, the Mercato di Vivale Papiniano is a bargain market known for its fashion, and especially its shoes.

Day Three:

Today I'm going to see Santa Maria delle Grazie church to see DaVinci's "Last Supper" masterpiece. Luckily, I purchased my ticket ahead of time, because they sell out early. Thankfully it isn't peak season or they would've been sold out months ago! I chose to do splurge on this adventure and sign up for a three and a half hour walking tour of Milan that included my ticket into to see the Last Supper. I figured I've been here for two days of wandering on my own, and it might be nice to get an insider's take on the city and make sure I get to see it all before my last day here. The tour was about $75.00, and I booked the tour using Viator.com.

Day Four:

For my last day in Milan, I'm going to hit all the important destinations I've missed. Depending on what looked interesting on my walking tour from Day Three, I'll go back and explore certain destinations more closely. Hopefully wander and find some yummy gelatarias or pizzarias for a snack.

I wanted to see a show at the Teatro alla Scala tonight, but from what I could tell on the website tickets were all booked up until July! Guess that goes to show how important the theatre really is ...guess I'll have to see it from the outside, and hopefully get a glimpse inside before the show starts!

For my last meal in Milan, I found a great restaurant called La Topaia; a traditional Italian restaurant with live music! Locals are said to bring in their guitars and join in on the singing and playing. La Topaia opens at 8:00 pm and stays open late into the night until everyone is all sung out. The price of a dinner ranges from about 25-40 euros, which isn't too bad at all!

Ciao, Milano!