Milan Trip and Dining

They say the largest and prettiest Duomo is in Milan, Italy. On this particular night, a rock concert was in the planning in the piazza so there were many structures around the cathedral. It's still a fantastic experience regardless of the events being held in the square.

This was my third time to Milan and its a great place to stay while visiting the northern part of Italy. You can easily venture out to many smaller historical villages. Milano has something for everyone...history, the Duomo, art and music events and quality culinary experiences.

We skipped the Expo that was in town but most people said it was fabulous. Instead, we made short trips outside the city every day. For day trips, my three friends and I traveled to Bellagio, Lake Como, Varenna, Bergamo and Lugano, Switzerland, while staying in Milan. The trains run from Milano Centrale frequently to these locations and the journey is one hour or less to reach these towns. All have beautiful old town charm worth seeing while in Milan.

Leonardo's Last Supper is located in the Santa Maria Church but make sure to purchase in advance. The Castle Sforza is easy to reach along the main street in Milan. The Last Supper and the Castle are accessible via the metro. These two photos are from my older post here.

The Milano Centrale, the main train station, has been greatly upgraded since I first visited in the past. Thank goodness they've made it into a fun shopping and dining experience. Ticket kiosks makes your trip planning so easy. But not all excursions can be purchased from the kiosks so check at the ticket counter if you don't see your destination. Some tickets must be purchased at the ticket (biglietti) windows. The staff was very helpful ( a huge change since years ago). Ask in advance if you must "validate" the ticket at a validation box before you get on the train.

Always check the train schedules (above rt.) to find the accurate departure time and platform (binaro) for your train. This often changes quickly and may not be posted until about 15-30 minutes before it leaves. Don't forget to "punch" your ticket at the validation boxes in front of the tracks.

The rock concert was only a minor distraction in the piazza but the metro won't stop at the Duomo station when hosting large events. Just go to the next station.

The famous Opera House, La Scala, is located directly behind the Emanuele II mall.

The oldest shopping mall, Galleria Emanuele II, is known for its architecture and designer boutiques located in the Piazza Duomo.

Inside the Galleria Emanuele II

Beautiful architecture

The Emanuele II fashion designers take great pride in maintaining the building

and especially the murals.

The distance from our Hotel, Milano to the Duomo

Our boutique hotel couldn't have been closer to the Duomo without being right on the square. This was the only hotel that we stayed in that wasn't near the main train station. There are plenty of metro stations near the Duomo and around the city to get around. The UNA Maison Hotel Milano had the friendliest staff I've ever encountered in Europe. Their suggestions for dinner and activities were perfect.

Milan is full of fabulous coffee bars on every street. As for the food experiences, there are way so many excellent trattoria's to choose. We were staying very near the Princi Cafe where they serve fresh pastries, breakfast and lunch items. Princi became a favorite of ours to visit every morning before we set out for the day. The staff immediately greeted us when we entered and offered a taste of any of the baked items. The men bake the breads in the brick oven just as they did when they first opened the bakeries.

Princi Cafes

The fabulous Princi has several locations in Milan.

The staff couldn't be friendlier and the quick foods couldn't be better!

Princi's website

On to our other delightful spot, Al Peck's...

Meet the prettiest cappuccinos in Milano!

Al Peck's is a very old establishment that appears very contemporary. They make the freshest meals upstairs and have the most beautiful store and deli on the first floor (actually in Italy the ground floor is "0" and the 1st floor is on the second level). The extensive wine cellar is on the -1 level (basement level). Princi's has several locations near the Duomo but we much preferred the cafe with the store.