A day for the highlights of Milan
Summary
Milan felt like the definition of style – not only the perfect buildings and the art, but everyone walking around looks like they’re just about to hit the catwalk. Maybe this was just a summer thing, but either way it seemed to ooze style!
That being said, I didn’t find it a particularly deep city for things to do / see, so I’d say a full day is enough, with some obvious sites to draw your attention
highlights
#1 Climbing to the roof of Milan’s Duomo cathedral to see the intricate gargoyles and views over the city
#2 After doing some basic background reading, seeing Leonardo’s Last Supper painted to the wall of the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie’s refectory and realising the techniques he used
#3 Having a coffee in the stunningly gorgeous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade with its magnificent glass rooftop and exquisite marble floor
#4 Sitting and starring at the dramatic and giant marble Duomo cathedral. Justifiably the Milan crown attraction
#5 Looking at the huge front of the Duomo from the nearby Piazza del Duomo
Travel Tips
- Base your time on the 3 highlights of the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and Last Supper, but be sure to wander into the adjoining streets around these places to stumble upon spots which are less touristy and still gorgeous
- The Duomo Cathedral – you’ll naturally wander into the cathedral itself and look around at how magnificent it is, but it’s most impressive from the outside, so I’d really recommend taking the walk to the rooftop where you can see views of Milan and the intricacy of the various gargoyles, and also to grab a coffee in one of the many places in nearby Piazza del Duomo where you can look at the cathedral (€10 including the rooftop)
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – this is right next to the Duomo and I’m a little surprised it isn’t shouted about more. It is gorgeous! Yes the food and drinks in the restaurants are overpriced, but you’re paying for the chance to sit and appreciate the wonderful settings
- Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper – Milan is jam packed with world famous Renaissance art, but the stand out is of course the Last Supper. 2 main tips: 1. You need to book ahead to guarantee a spot – you only get 15 mins in the refectory where the painting is located (€12). 2. Do some basic reading on the techniques Leonardo used before seeing the painting. Like many others, I often take a glance at an artwork, think it’s nice and move on without really appreciating why it is famous / genius. Whereas here I’d read the biography of Leonardo (by Walter Isacson) and so understand the context of the painting and the various techniques he used. Whilst I recommend the book (if indeed you may choose to skip a few chapters!), you can get by by just reading a basic art background to the painting – it will really add to the experience. For example, see how he added the windows, complete with sun coming through the right side, to match the actual room and subtle techniques to draw the viewer’s full attention to Christ in the centre
- I wish I’d . . . to add to the overall Milan experience, I wish I’d rented a bike or Segway to add a different dimension to the day
Experiences nearby
The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences
Other City Breaks
Score Detail
Background - how many times have you asked someone what a travel experience was like and the response was "amazing" or "awesome"? That response is nice to know, but it makes it hard to differentiate that experience compared to others. That is exactly what these scores are trying to do - differentiate the experience by giving a score out of 10 based on 6 categories and then giving an overall experience score
This overall experience score is calculated by: take the highest of the "Culture" or "Nature" score (1-10) + "Fun factor" (1-10) + "Avoiding the crowds" (1-10) + highest of the "Unique" or "World Famous score" (1-10). Then convert into a score out of 100
Extra detail - the logic being that I find all of the 6 individual scores important, but I don't want to mark an experience down just because it doesn't cover both "Culture" and "Nature", or because it isn't both "World Famous" and "Unique". Take the examples of Safari in The Serengeti and walking through Rome - they both appeal at opposite ends of the nature / culture spectrum, and you can have a fantastic time without needing to appeal to both sides. So, their overall scores aren't penalized for their lack of one or the other, and I've done the same for "World Famous" vs "Unique". But . . . I do think that the "Fun factor" of an experience is important, irrelevant of other factors, and so is "Avoiding the Crowds" (or where there are crowds that add to the experience). So, both of these scores are standalone