How to spend a week in Milan, Italy

Discover the best things to do in Milan. Whether you are there a couple days or more, these 10 ideas will help you get the most of Milan.

Milan: Day 1 Travel Day

Our trip was from March 17th to 26th. Our 10 days included 2 days of travel. We chose Atlanta for our connecting flight for two reasons. One, it was March and it could be very bad weather where I live. Two, I do not like the airports in NYC. I have always had delays and cancelations there. Plus NYC is in the north and there could be bad weather too.

It’s important to have time between connecting flights. With the possibilities of delays and cancellations, you want to have enough time to make your connection!

Walk around when you have time to sit at airports. We walk to see where the best place is to sit and wait. It’s also nice to work off some energy and stretch your legs.

If you are going overseas you can purchase alcohol in the Duty Free Shop. This way you have your favorite beverage on vacation! The Duty Free worker will scan your ticket when you purchase it. You will not leave the store with it. It will be handed to you as you walk onto the plane.

Always plan on arriving to your destination in the morning. You can start sight seeing sooner!

Finally, pay for the hotel shuttle to pick you up. We have done this twice. Once in Sorrento where our driver was fantastic! He talked about the areas we were driving through. The second, we got the complete opposite. Our driver did not talk to us much.

Our first impression of Milan was not great. Lot’s of buildings and concrete with graffiti. We had been to many other areas around Italy and none of those locations looked like this.

hotel

We stayed at The Corner Duomo Hotel on Via Adaberto Catena 2 Milan 20212. This industrial design hotel was in the perfect location for everything we wanted to do. Our room was ready for us when we arrived even though check in time was at 2:00pm. We had called ahead and asked if they would be willing to store our bags. They said of course but we did not need to do that.

Antonio took us up to our upgraded room. The room was large and had a circular bed. The bathroom had a steam room, a large shower, toilet room and a sink and counter that held all of our toiletries. We had to call down to the desk to ask how to turn on the lights. “Just put the key in the slot by the door,” was Antonio’s response.

On our last day they gave us a complimentary meat and cheese tray. This hotel was perfect for us with the location and the staff.

Milan- Day 2

We unpacked and then went out to explore. We were a few blocks from the Duomo of Milan, La Scala Opera House and the Victore Emmanuel Galleria. There were so many people in the Duomo Piazza. Here we were in March on a Saturday and the Piazza was packed with people!

Lunch

I had read about Antica Pizza Fritta and decided to of there for lunch. I would not recommend it as the wait was very long and the food was okay.

our duomo first visit: organ concert

Our first scheduled event was to hear the organ played at the Duomo. Alessandro La Ciacera, played a 30 minute concert titled, “Organ Sounds the Duomo”, from 4:45-5:15.

Looking at the Duomo, enter on the front-left side doors. There are security personal you will meet up the ramp. Walk inside and towards the front. You will pass people praying.

When we walked up to the front, we spoke to the security man near the front about the organ concert. He looked at me and said, “Put your gum in the basket. You are an adult!” Then he led us us to the opening where we could go and find a seat.

The organ pipes are all up on the side walls of the Aspe of the Cathedral. The organist was to the left of the altar. The concert was fantastic. The organ sounded so beautiful. The music filled the very large, tall space.

You can also experience the sound of the organ! Check out the Duomo website. Look for the performance dates and times for these concerts.

If you go, you will be able to walk down the side of the Cathedral your paid tour does not allow. You will also be able to sit up near the altar to see everything up close. Something else your paid tour does not allow.

aperitivo 1

If you are Milan, you have to experience the Aperitivo. At least that is what I read about when I researched Milan. From my research, I thought ALL Aperitivos were the same. Buy a drink and then food is brought to you. Most of my experiences with Aperitivos was not what I had read.

We escaped the crowds and went down some less busier streets. It was at the Slowear18: Mixology Bar, where we stopped. I had a Campari spritz and my husband had the Knowledge. They were both delicious! There was a little plate of food. Nothing to fill the tummy for sure!

dinner

Our dinner didn’t leave us with any special memories. The food wasn’t bad but it wasn’t fabulous. We ate at Antica Trattoria, Via Montevideo, 4, 20144 Milano. I had the breaded veal and my husband had the Risotto di Milanese. We chose these because they were both traditional meals. We chose this place because Rick Steves had suggested it.

Milan: Day 3

BReakfast & Italy’s hot chocolate part 1

This place became our favorite over the time we stayed in Milan. Ravista 1871 was just around the corner from our hotel. My breakfast was a cappuccino and a croissant. My husband had a croissant and a hot chocolate. I had read about how different but good the hot chocolate is made in Europe. This place warms up chocolate and puts it in a mug. He used a spoon to “drink” it.

Festa di San Giuseppe Mass 

To go to Mass at the Duomo, you enter the front left-side doors. We picked up the papers for mass and found our seats. The Ambrosia Rite Mass is different from the Latin Rite Mass. Our papers didn’t seem to follow the Mass exactly. If you plan on going to a Mass at the Duomo, read up on the Ambrosia Rite’s mass. Do know that people are touring the church on your right while Mass is going on.

lunch

Our lunch was at the crowded DaZero. I ordered a tune salad but there was no lettuce. I should have had their pizza but I thought it would be too big to eat. Apparently when you order a pizza in Italy it comes as a whole pizza and you are expected to eat it on your own. My husband ordered the large calzone and ate it all.

sforza castle

We walk around the large courtyard of the Sforzesco Castle. Find the Coat of Arms of Viscount, we did. That was about it as we did not buy tickets to see anything else. Would I go back there again? No, it didn’t seem that interesting to me.

duomo tour

To pick up the tickets for this tour, look to your right of the Duomo. It’s very clear where to get them. You NEED them to get into the Duomo! We got the tickets for the church, the archeological and the roof.

We walked into the back of the Cathedral down the right side. On the left you will see the Zodiac Line. Look down the Nave to see the altar and the large stained glassed windows. A little past that on the left is the door down into the old 8 sided baptistry outline in stones. The current church is built over this spot.

When you come back up, go to the right. On the right side you will see Aribert Coffin, Visconti Coffin, the Bishops’ Plaque & Window, Life of Christ Window and the Modern Window. The wide columns on the left reach up so high! Near the top of them is a ring of statues around each one. Every place seems to have something to look at.

At the end of the right side is the famous St Bartholomew Flayed statue. This was a cool looking statue! You can see his veins.

This ended our tour for in the inside of the Duomo. We were quite disappointed because we had to pay to see it and we could not see all of it. The altar and the large stained glass windows were seen from afar.

We did walk around the outside of the Cathedral. It was fascinating to see all of the different statues! There were so many to see.

the duomo roof

This is a MUST!!!! It was fantastic! We walked up the stairs. There weren’t too many. We got to see many buttresses and statues. There were even statues in places only people on the roof can see.

The roof was created for people to walk on. The roof is a little slanted in parts but I had no problem walking. We went close to sunset and got a beautiful view of the sun peaking between 2 spires. Up here you can see the statees up close, the Swiss Alps, the city of Milan, the lantern, which was under construction and the Madonnina. The gold statue of Mary stands high above the cathedral and is the patron saint of Milan.

the duomo museum

This was a dark museum. The statues were lit up with small single lights. In this museum you can see a replica of the Madonnina that is above the Cathedral. We walked quietly through the museum as we were hushed. The stained glass windows display stood out as a pop of color amid the gray and black tones.

aperitivo 2

Granaio Caffe e Cucina, is where we decided to have our second apertivo. This place was very cute.

Our pushy waitress tried to get me to order a large drink. I had to tell her two times. When the drinks came mine was the normal drink size and everyone else had the 12oz tumbler size. On the receipt their drinks were written as maxi. We ordered our meat and cheese plate. It was huge! There was a raw beef pate in the center. That was surrounded by slices of bologna and ham. An apple was thinly sliced like a fan.

This still wasn’t the aperitivo I read about as we had to buy our drink and food.

Milan: Day 4 Lake Como

After our breakfast at the Ravista 1871, we headed around the corner to the metro. Boy, were we confused!!! I finally asked two men in safety jackets to help us get tickets and bring us to the train. It was not very clear at all! This metro took us to the Centrale train station. Once we found the entrance, we walked into a large place that had many different avenues of travel. The signs from here were pretty clear to where we got our train up to Bellano.

orride de belagio

The train ride was an hour. We saw both the Swiss and Italian Alps closer on this trip. Once we departed th train we headed to the Orride de Bellagio. This place has a deep ravine where water rushes through it down to the stream that spills out into Lake Como. It was very pretty and loud as the water rushed through the ravine. It is a great place to stop if you can do it.

verano

We got back on the train and headed to Verano. Another beautiful place along Lake Como. We ate lunch at Bar il Molo. The food was pretty good. After lunch we bought some gelato. We are in Italy!

castello di vezio

Castello di Vezio was a walk up a long hill near where we had lunch. The address is Via del Castellano, 23828 Perledo LC. If you like unique, this fits the bill!

The property had olive trees and herbs. You do have to pay to see anything further. We decide it was worth it as we just walked up hill for quite some time. As we walked we could hear music. We passed Knights of Templar things. When we got the top of the property we could see for miles. Below us was Lake Como and mountains. It was quiet and peaceful.

Do walk down the hillside a little. You will see some steps that descend to an open door that says, “Abbandonate ogni speranza, voi che entrate qui.” (“Abandon all hope, Ye who enter here,” quote from Dante.) We walked through the door and down the hallway. We saw fake skeletons and bizarre stuff that made us laugh.

There was a castle tower we walked up to the top. There was music playing as we ascended. Each floor had a different knight’s scene. This was a fun place to go. We had a great time and laughed a lot.

bergamo

La Basilica S. Maria Maggiore is the most decorated church I have ever seen and I have seen in many. Every where we looked from the ceiling to the floor had something to look at. It was amazing the amount of different things to see at every turn.If you take a trip up the Lake Como area, this church up a hill is worth your time to see.

Aperitivo 3

We had reservations at the famous Campari Bar in the Victore Emmanuel Galleria. The hostess led us up the stairs. We sat at a table next to the windows looking down into the Galleria. The bar on the second floor had a great retro vibe. On one wall were rows and rows of red Campari bottles.

I ordered the classic Campari Spritz and my husband ordered the Cask Boulevardier. He loved it so much, he had two of them. We got the recipe for this drink. It’s on their webpage, too. The recipe is 1/3 Campari, 1/3 1757 Vermouth and 1/3 Wild Turkey 101. It is served neat with a lemon peel. You can use regular Campari but they use Campari that sits in a Wild Turkey Oak barrel for 2 years. Hence the Cask name in the drink.

This aperitivo came with a small interesting plate of food with our drinks. Still not the aperitivo I had read about.

Milan: Day 5

Morning mass at 8:00

We went to daily mass before breakfast. After going through security we walked down to the front. Instead of stopping where we did for the weekend mass, we walked passed the altar. Behind the altar is another small altar, an ambo, a seat for the priest and bench seats for the congregation. We sat facing the back of the St. Ambrosia and St. Augustine Statues. Behind the seats were the very tall stain glassed windows. The small squares of the stained glass depicts different saints and scenes.

It was so COOL to be there! In the end, I did get to see everything of the Duomo.

breakfast & italy’s hot chocolate part 2

We stopped at a place north of the Duomo. I ordered an expresso and a pastry. My husband ordered a pasty and hot chocolate. This time he did not get chocolate that was warmed up. Instead he got hot milk with a spoonful of cocoa. We gave up trying to get hot chocolate after this and never found out if it was true.

st. ambrosia’s Basilica

This church had many different architectural influences as it was built during different spans of time. There is a courtyard of grass before you walk in. We had arrived when mass was going on so we waited outside. knowing the mass times before you go will help. There is a picture behind the altar called, “Mary’s Mantle.”

st. MAuriza Church/covenant

After waling into the church we walked past the altar into where the nuns there would be cloister. There was an older man there to explain things. I asked him about the large tall book holder. He said that the books were rather large and would be put on these bookholdvers so that nuns could read it. I thought where the nuns took communion looked very old and cool to see.

Pinacoteca ambrosiana (Library of St. Ambrosia and Museum)

Pinacoteca Ambriosiana is the Library of St. Ambrosia and Museum. I do think getting the audio guide is a great idea. It really helps to see the important things in the museum. If you have the money, go through the museum with an audio guide. There are 3 Dante pictures. One was a stain glass window, “Dantesque Window” and the other was of Virgil. Andrea Bianchi painted the Last Supper with better paint. This is what it is supposed to look like. (Pictured above) There is one Caravage. It is the “Basket of Fruit.” The library also holds the Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex.

wine tasting

We had a hard time figuring out how to get tickets for the bus. Once we did, we had no problem getting where we needed. Doing tickets for transportation on line is probably the best so you don’t have to place that sells the tickets for the trams.

Cantina Urbana Winery is where we had our wine tasting. The owner was super nice and talked to us a lot. The wine was great too!

Milan: Day 6

the last supper

I had purchased our tickets months before I came. We stood outside the building and waited with others. They only allow so many people in at a time. Once we were inside, we were moved into two more room before we walked into the room with the Last Supper.

The room is large with tan colored walls and high ceilings. This was the place where the monks ate. Dominican monasteries paint the last supper on one side of the refrectory room with the crucifixion on the opposite wall.

The wall is long and tall and so is the Last Supper. The painting starts halfway up and extends to the ceiling. Even though I had read that it was large, I was still surprise to see how large it was. The lighting on the side of the Last Supper was dim, yet you can still see the painting. The expressions on the disciples are FANTASTIC!! Their expressions reflect when Jesus said, “one of you will betray me.” It’s a shame Leonardo did not come back to fix his work. He used an experimental paint that started deteriorating 3 years after the painting was finished. It’s amazing that it is still there.

Pinacoteca di brera

This was a great museum. There were many and I mean many Madonna and Child art pieces to see. Some of these pieces were with Saints. It seemed as if every saint wanted to get a their photo with them.

The jewel piece of this museum was the “Supper at Emmaus” by Caravaggio. 4 surprised figures surround Jesus sitting at table with a plate of bread in front of him. It was stunning to see. The security guard stood off to the side as people sat on the bench provided for them to look at this beautiful piece of artwork placed in the center of the room.

aperitivo 4

We decided to go to our breakfast place for our aperitivo, Ravista 1871. It was busy. After a little wait, we were seated and ordered our drink. We were told we could go to the buffet. Wow! This buffet was enough for our dinner. There were so many great choices! Had we known, we would have been going there all week. I highly recommend this place for breakfast and for your aperitivo!

La scala opera house: la boheme opera

This was a highlight our trip. You can read about how to get tickets, what to wear and my experience at La Scala here.

Milan: Day 7

This day was our unstructured day. We explored the city and did shopping for those back home.

Milan: Day 8 Ferrari Day!

We rented a car and headed out of Milan to Maranello a province of Modena. My husband set up this rental and his Ferrari experience before leaving the States. You can read about his experience here.

Milan: Day 9

Another unstructured day. No deadlines or reservations to make. It was nice after day to and from Maranello. Our hotel gave us nice complimentary cheese plate in the afternoon.

Milan: Day 10

By this time we had mastered the metro and train system. We felt comfortable taking the metro to the train to the airport. I picked up my last espresso in the airport and we headed home.

My take aways of Milan, Italy

1. Milan can be done in 3 days. If you want to stay longer, use Milan as a place as a base to see area sites.
2. Milan is a busy city no matter what time of the year you go.
3. Of all the cities we have been to in Italy, this city is at the bottom of the list. I did love seeing what I saw but I do not need to return.