Milan Travelers Recommend

Milan is like an espresso for the soul. From the Gothic Duomo to the serene canals of the Navigli District to the San Siro football stadium, it’s like stepping back into a beautiful era where buildings have ornate augmentations, where pizza shops sell pizza made by real Italians, where sports cars suddenly make sense because they are driven at appropriately sporty speeds. Spend an afternoon exploring Bergamo, or ride the Bernina Express railway line through the Swiss Alps to luxurious St. Moritz.

Leonardo da Vinci embodied the Renaissance man. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, writer, engineer, inventor… the list goes on. Some of his images remain our most iconic even today: Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, Vitruvian Man. Although born just outside Florence in the town of Vinci and trained in a studio in Florence, he spent his early working life in Milan, under the patronage of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, from 1482-1499. It was during this time that he painted The Last Supper in the dining hall of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, at that time intended to be the Sforza family mausoleum. This huge painting is reason enough to visit Milan. Leonardo completed only fifteen paintings because his active mind tended to jump from project to project. He also had a tendency for experimentation that meant many of his paintings did not last well.

While many people use Milan as a gateway to Italy, most don’t spend much time in the city. That’s a shame, because although Milan doesn’t look as quaint or charming as those hilltop villages in Tuscany you’ve been dreaming of, this center of banking and fashion has plenty to offer the visitor - especially if you love art. Milan was ruled for many years by families such as the Visconti and the Sforza, both of which did what ruling families often did - they patronized fashionable artists of their eras. This meant Milan became a major Italian center for art starting in the 14th century. Leonardo da Vinci (who is usually more closely associated with his native Tuscany) lived and worked in Milan for nearly 20 years - during which time he painted one of the most famous frescoes in all of Italy.

The northern part of Italy is well-known for its picturesque lakes, but what might not be as well-known is that you can visit most of the lakes from a base in Milan. You’ll either have to make multiple day trips or plan to spend a few days exploring the lakes in a loop from Milan, but either way taking lake day trips from Milan is a great way to see the area. Lake Como Arguably Italy’s most famous lake, Lake Como is where you’ll find the beautiful town of Bellagio. Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore isn’t Italy’s largest lake (despite its name), although it is quite big. ake Garda Lake Garda is Italy’s largest lake, and it sits between Venice and Milan. It’s a popular day trip, therefore, from either city. Lake Lugano The small lake between Lake Maggiore and Lake Como is Lake Lugano, which is almost entirely in Switzerland. Lake Iseo Lake Iseo is another small lake in northern Italy, sitting roughly between Lake Como and Lake Garda and entirely in the Lombardy region.

Take a ride on the Bernina Express, Switzerland's newest Alpine delight. This magnificent 3-hour train journey takes you along one of the most beautiful railway routes in the world. This north-south Alpine crossing offers breathtaking views as you travel over boldly curved viaducts and through winding tunnels. Rather than using cog wheel tracks to climb the steep alpine slopes, the track circles back on itself. The route travels amid the palms and oleanders of northern Italy in Tirano, taking you over the spiralling viaduct at Brusio and through the Bernina Pass into Engadine. Along the way you'll pass wild gorges and icy glaciers, cross soaring bridges and pass through looping tunnels and picturesque meadows. The train stops in the midst of ski runs and the original stone built Ospizio Bernina rail station, transporting you to the past with its hand signal desk and authentically stamped cardboard tickets.

Milan has always been a city of great designers – from Leonardo da Vinci who was the court artist for the Duke of Milan, to Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Miuccia Prada, and Dolce and Gabbana. It’s not surprising then that this is a city which has defined how we shop as much as what we buy (it’s the only city I know where the policewomen wear high-heeled shoes.) If you want to get the best out of your Milan shopping experience consider booking a shopping tour in Milan.