Milano
High Fashion in the Quadrilateral
Between La Scala and Sforza Castle
Map: Hotels & Restaurants in Milan
Eating near Via Brera and Via Dante
In Naviglio Grande (Canal District)
Map: Train Connections from Milan
For every church in Rome, there’s a bank in Milan. Italy’s second city and the capital of Lombardy, Milan is a hardworking, fashion-conscious, time-is-money city of 1.3 million. It’s a melting pot of people and history. Milan’s industriousness may come from the Teutonic blood of its original inhabitants, the Lombards, or from the region’s Austrian heritage. Milan is Italy’s fashion, industrial, banking, TV, publishing, and convention capital. The economic success of postwar Italy can be attributed, in part, to this city of publicists and pasta power lunches.
As if to make up for its rough, noisy big-city-ness, the Milanesi people are works of art. Milan is an international fashion capital with a refined taste. Window displays are gorgeous, cigarettes are chic, and even the cheese comes gift-wrapped. Yet thankfully, Milan is no more expensive for tourists than other Italian cities.
Three hundred years before Christ, the Romans called this place Mediolanum, or “the central place.” By the fourth century A.D., it was the capital of the western half of the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan from here, legalizing Christianity. After some barbarian darkness, medieval Milan became a successful mercantile city, eventually rising to regional prominence under the Visconti and Sforza families. By the time of the Renaissance, it was nicknamed “the New Athens,” and was enough of a cultural center for Leonardo da Vinci to call it home. Then came 400 years of foreign domination (Spain, Austria, France, more Austria). Milan was a center of the 1848 revolution against Austria, and helped lead Italy to unification in 1870.
Mussolini left a heavy fascist touch on the architecture here (such as the central train station). His excesses also led to the WWII bombing of Milan. But the city rose again. The 1959 Pirelli Tower (the skinny skyscraper in front of the station) was a trendsetter in its day. Today, Milan is people-friendly, with a great transit system and inviting pedestrian zones. And the city is busy with construction projects in an effort to beef up both its infrastructure and cultural offerings as it prepares to host Expo Milano 2015 in the Rho-Pero district. The area is revamping its layout with new parks, museums, and American-style skyscrapers to welcome the expected 20 million visitors. From May through October, as many as 150 countries will display exhibits about their contributions to sustainable development (for more information, see www.expo2015.org).
Many tourists come to Italy for the past. Milan is today’s Italy. While it’s not big on the tourist circuit, the city has plenty to see. And seeing Milan—so manageable and well-organized—is not difficult.
For pleasant excursions from the city, consider visiting Lake Como or Lake Maggiore—both are about an hour from Milan by train (see The Lakes chapter).
OK, it’s a big, intense city, so you may not want to linger. Milan can’t compare with Rome and Florence when it comes to art, but the city does have several unique and noteworthy sights: the Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, La Scala Opera House, Brera Art Gallery, Michelangelo’s last Pietà in Sforza Castle, and Leonardo’s Last Supper (which is hard to see without making a reservation long in advance—see here).
With two nights and a full day, you can gain an appreciation for the town and see the major sights. On a short visit, I’d focus on the center. Tour the Duomo, hit any art you like, browse elegant shops and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and try to see an opera. Technology buffs like the Leonardo da Vinci National Science and Technology Museum, while history and art buffs dig the city’s early Christian churches, Brera Gallery, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, and Museo del Novecento. People-watchers and pigeon-feeders could spend their entire visit never losing sight of the Duomo. And if you dig burial grounds, rattle through Milan’s evocative Monumental Cemetery. To maximize your time in Milan, use the Metro and note which places stay open through the siesta.
For those with a round-trip flight into Milan: The city is a cold plunge into the Italian deep end, so save it for the end of your trip and start your journey softly by going directly by train from the airport to Lake Como (one-hour ride to Varenna) or the Cinque Terre (3-4 hours to Monterosso). Then spend the last night or two of your trip in Milan before flying home—most flights to the US leave Milan early in the morning.
Monday is a terrible sightseeing day, since many museums are closed (including the church that houses Leonardo’s Last Supper). August is oppressively hot and muggy, and locals who can vacate at this time do, leaving the city quiet. Those visiting in August find that the nightlife is sleepy and many shops and restaurants are closed. Some hotels are closed; other hotel rooms are on the discounted push list.
In Italy, the North and South bicker about each other, hurling barbs, quips, and generalizations. All the classic North/South traits can be applied to Milan (the business capital) and Rome (the government and religious capital). People like to say that people come to Milan to sin and go to Rome to ask for forgiveness. Although the differences have become less pronounced lately, the sniping continues.
The Milanesi say the Romans are lazy. Roman government jobs come with short hours—cut even shorter by too many coffee breaks, three-hour lunches, chats with colleagues, and phone calls to friends and relatives. Milanesi contend that “Roma ladrona” (Rome, the big thief) is a parasite that lives off the taxes of people up North. There’s still a strong Milan-based movement seriously promoting secession from the South.
Romans, meanwhile, dismiss the Milanesi as uptight workaholics with nothing else to live for—gray like their foggy city. Romans do admit that in Milan, job opportunities are better and based on merit. And the Milanesi grudgingly concede the Romans have a gift for enjoying life.
While Rome is more of a family city, Milan is the place for high-powered singles on the career fast track. Milanese yuppies mix with each other...not the city’s longtime residents. Milan is seen as wary of foreigners and inward-looking, and Rome as fun-loving, tolerant, and friendly. In Milan, bureaucracy (like social services) works logically and efficiently, while in Rome, accomplishing even small chores can be exasperating. Everything in Rome—from finding a babysitter to buying a car—is done through friends. Meanwhile, people in Milan are more private.
Milanesi find Romans vulgar. The Roman dialect is considered one of the coarsest in the country. Much as they try, Milanesi just can’t say “Damn your dead relatives” quite as effectively as the Romans. Still, Milanesi enjoy Roman comedians and love to imitate the accent.
The Milanesi feel that Rome is dirty and Roman traffic nerve-wracking. But despite the craziness, Rome maintains a genuine village feel. People share family news with their neighborhood grocer. Milan lacks people-friendly piazzas, and entertainment comes at a high price. But in Rome, la dolce vita is as close as the nearest square, and a full moon is enjoyed by all.
A Three-Hour Tour: If you’re just changing trains in Milan’s Centrale Station (as, sooner or later, you probably will), consider catching a later train and taking this blitz tour: Check your bag at the station, pick up a city map at the station TI, ride the subway to the Duomo, peruse the square, explore the cathedral’s rooftop and interior, have a scenic coffee in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, spin on the floor mosaic of the bull for good luck, see a museum or two (most are within a 10-minute walk of the main square), and return by subway to the station. Art fans could make time for The Last Supper (if they’ve made reservations), the Michelangelo Pietà in Sforza Castle (no reservations necessary), the Brera Art Gallery, or the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana (with its Leonardo exhibit).
My coverage focuses on the old center. Most sights and hotels listed are within a 10-minute walk of the cathedral (Duomo), which is a straight eight-minute Metro ride from the central train station.
Milan has two TIs, neither worth a special trip. The main TI is at Piazza Castello 1, near Sforza Castle (Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-13:30 & 14:00-18:00, Sun 9:00-13:30 & 14:00-17:00, Metro: Cairoli, tel. 02-7740-4343, www.turismo.milano.it). The other is a kiosk at the Milano Centrale train station, in front of track 13 (Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-12:30, tel. 02-7740-4318).
Most visitors disembark at one of three main train stations: Milano Centrale, Porta Garibaldi, or Cadorna. Most state-run trains, as well as airport buses and some airport trains, stop at Milano Centrale. Porta Garibaldi receives trains from France, some state-run trains, and private Italo trains from elsewhere in Italy. And Cadorna is the main terminus for trains from Malpensa Airport.
At Milano Centrale: The huge, sternly decorated, fascist-built (in 1931) central train station is a sight in itself. Recently cleaned, the halls feel more monumental than ever. Notice how the art makes you feel small—it emphasizes that a powerful state is a good thing. In the front lobby, heroic people celebrate “modern” transportation (circa-1930 ships, trains, and cars) opposite reliefs depicting old-fashioned sailboats and horse carts.
Moving walkways link the station’s three main levels: platforms on top, shops on a small midlevel mezzanine, and most services at ground level. There are WCs between tracks 21 and 22 (€1, daily 6:00-24:00). At ground level, you’ll find taxis, travel agencies, shuttle buses to the airports, and a baggage check (marked deposito bagagli, €6/5 hours, €16.60/24 hours, daily 6:00-23:00, passport required, 55-pound bag limit). Just outside the station’s front entrance are car-rental offices, the Metro (clearly marked), and escalators down to a fourth, basement level with a few shops and an ATM.
“Centrale” is a misnomer—the Duomo is a 35-minute walk away. But it’s a straight shot on the Metro (8 minutes). Buy a €1.50 ticket at a kiosk or from the machines, follow signs for yellow line 3 (direction: San Donato), go four stops to the Duomo stop, surface, and you’ll be facing the cathedral. To return, ride the same line back the other way (direction: Comasina).
Before leaving the station, you can use the red-white-and-green machines to buy domestic train tickets (credit cards and cash accepted). Different machines by track 3, marked Trenord, sell commuter-rail tickets for Malpensa Airport. For international tickets or complicated questions, join the line at the Trenitalia ticket office on the ground floor (daily 5:50-22:20). Another alternative is the 365 Travel Agency, a private company selling tickets at a 7 percent markup from three different offices in the station (this can be a reasonable price to pay to skip the Trenitalia ticket lines, but the agency often has a line of its own). The most convenient office is across from the baggage-check desk (daily 7:00-21:00, tel. 02-6738-2603).
At Milano Cadorna: You’re most likely to use this commuter railway station if you take the Malpensa Express airport train, which generally uses track 1. The station has WCs, taxis, and handy eateries; the Cadorna Metro station is directly in front.
At Milano Porta Garibaldi: Italo trains—Italy’s privately run high-speed service to Florence, Rome, and Naples (see here)—use Porta Garibaldi Station, north of the city center (see map on here), as do some state-run trains and the high-speed TGV from Paris. Porta Garibaldi is on Metro line 2 (green), two stops from Milano Centrale.
By Car: Leonardo never drove in Milan. Smart guy. Driving here is bad enough to make the €30/day fee for a downtown garage a blessing. If you’re driving, do Milan (and Lake Como) before or after you rent your car, not while you’ve got it. If you must have a car, use the safe, affordable, well-marked park-and-ride lots at suburban Metro stations such as Cascina Gobba. These are shown on the official Metro map, and full details are at www.atm.it (click on English, then “Car Parks,” then “Parking Lots”).
By Plane: See “Milan Connections” at the end of this chapter.
Theft Alert: Be on guard. Milan’s thieves target tourists, especially at the central train station, getting in and out of the subway, and around the Duomo. They can be dressed as tourists, businessmen, or beggars, or they can be gangs of too-young-to-arrest children. Watch out for ragged people carrying newspaper and cardboard—they’ll thrust this item at you as a distraction while they pick your pocket. If you’re ripped off and plan to file an insurance claim, fill out a report with the police (Police Station, “Questura,” Via Fatebenefratelli 11, Metro: Turati, open daily 24 hours, tel. 02-62261). For police emergencies, call 113. For lost or stolen credit cards, see here.
US Consulate: It’s at Via Principe Amedeo 2/10 (Metro: Turati, tel. 02-290-351 for recorded info and phone tree, http://milan.usconsulate.gov).
Medical Help: Dial 118 for medical emergencies. There are two medical clinics with emergency care facilities: the International Health Center in Galleria Strasburgo (Mon-Thu 9:00-19:00, Fri 9:00-18:00, closed Sat-Sun, between Via Durini and Corso Europa, at #3, third floor, Metro: San Babila, tel. 02-7634-0720, www.ihc.it) and the American International Medical Center at Via Mercalli 11 (Mon-Fri 9:00-17:30, closed Sat-Sun, Metro: Missori or Crocetta, call for appointment, tel. 02-5831-9808, mobile 335-570-1055, www.aimclinic.it).
Street Markets: Milan has two very popular flea markets. Fiera di Sinigallia spills into a lot at Porta Genova every Saturday (8:30-17:00, Metro: Porta Genova). If you continue along Viale d’Annunzio to Viale Papiniano, you’ll run into the Papiniano market (Tue 7:00-13:00 and Sat 7:30-17:00). Small street markets are held every morning except Sunday in various neighborhoods; Hello Milano has a complete listing (www.hellomilano.it).
Internet Access: Underneath Piazza del Duomo, by the Metro entrance, the Secure Money Center has several terminals (€3/hour, Mon-Fri 8:00-19:00, Sat 9:00-18:45, Sun 11:00-16:30, tel. 02-3652-1721).
Bookstores: The handiest major bookstore, with fiction and guidebooks in English, is La Feltrinelli, under the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (daily 10:00-23:00, enter building from Piazza del Duomo and go downstairs, tel. 02-8699-6903). The American Bookstore is at Via Manfredo Camperio 16, near Sforza Castle (Mon 13:30-17:00, Tue-Sat 10:30-19:00, closed Sun, Metro: Cairoli, tel. 02-878-920).
Pharmacy: There’s a 24-hour pharmacy on the upper level of the Milano Centrale train station (with your back to the platforms, look for the neon-green cross to the left).
Laundry: Allwash, at Via Savona 2, just off Via Zugna, is the closest launderette to the center. Take tram #14 (direction: Lorenteggio) to Piazza Cantore, the sixth stop after the Duomo, or take the Metro to Porta Genova and walk 5-10 minutes (daily 8:00-20:00, English instructions, tel. 800-030-653, www.allwash.it).
By Public Transit: Use Milan’s great subway system. The clean, spacious, fast, and easy Metro zips you nearly anywhere you may want to go, and trams and city buses fill in the gaps. The handiest Metro line for a quick visit is the yellow line 3, which connects the central train station to the Duomo. The other lines are red (1), green (2), and purple (5). Line 4, due to connect San Babila and Linate Airport, might open in 2016. You’ll rarely wait more than five minutes for a ride. “ATM” is the acronym for the Milan public transit system. The Metro shuts down about half past midnight, but many trams continue until 1:00 or even 2:00.
Trams can be more convenient than the Metro and come with a better view. But poor signage makes them hard for newbies to use; stops aren’t announced in older cars, and they can get stuck in traffic. Trams are good for getting to The Last Supper (line #16) and the Monumental Cemetery (#12 or #14).
A single ticket, valid for 90 minutes, can be used for one ride, including transfers, on all forms of transport (€1.50; sold at newsstands, tobacco shops, shops with ATM sticker in window, and at machines in subway stations—select English, then the “Urban Tickets” button). Tickets to Rho-Pero (site of Expo Milano 2015) cost extra: €2.55 each way.
Other ticket options include a carnet (€14 for 10 rides—it’s one magnetic ticket that can be validated 10 times); a 24-hour pass (€4.50, worthwhile if you take at least four rides); and a 48-hour pass (€8.25, pays off with six rides). Day passes aren’t valid to Rho-Pero.
Old-style paper tickets must be stamped at the beginning of your journey. Newer tickets, with a magnetic stripe, must be run through the machines at Metro turnstiles and at the front and rear of trams—also each time you transfer. If you’re caught riding on an unvalidated ticket, you’ll be fined €33.
Complete information, including timetables in English, are at www.atm.it. For a printed network map or to talk to a real person about ticket options, visit an ATM Point (one is underneath Piazza del Duomo—look for ATM Point signs pointing down the stairs just in front of the church, Mon-Sat 7:45-19:15, closed Sun, lines can be long, tel. 800-808-181).
By Taxi: Small groups go cheap and fast by taxi (drop charge-€3.20, €1.10/kilometer; €5.20 drop charge on Sun and holidays, €6.20 from 21:00 to 6:00 in the morning). It can be easier to walk to a taxi stand than to flag down a cab. Handy stands are at Piazza del Duomo and in front of Sforza Castle (tel. 02-8585 or 02-6969).
By Bike: Locals use bikes to get around quickly and easily. Like many big cities in Europe, Milan has a public bike system, BikeMi. You can set up a temporary subscription (€6/week or €2.50/day) online or at an “ATM Point” public transit info office (a handy one is in the underground complex at the Duomo Metro station—see earlier). You’ll receive a user code and password, allowing you to pick up a bike at any BikeMi station, generally located near Metro stations. Enter your code and password on the keypad, grab the assigned bike, and you’re on your way. The system is designed for short uses (first 30 minutes free, then €0.50/each 30 minutes up to 2 hours, then €2/hour, www.bikemi.com, toll-free tel. 800-808-181).
The three-hour Autostradale bus-and-walking tour is a good value, has a live guide describing the city’s monuments in English, and guarantees you’ll see Leonardo’s Last Supper—useful if you haven’t booked ahead for this important sight. The jam-packed itinerary also includes visits to the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Sforza Castle, and La Scala Opera House (€65, departs Tue-Sun at 9:30, no Mon tours). They also offer an express version of the same tour, which skips the walking portion and lasts 1.5 hours (€39, Tue-Sun at 11:00). Tours leave from Piazza del Duomo, next to the taxi stand at the far end of the square from the church. There are three ways to reserve this tour: Book online at least two days (ideally 4-5 days) in advance at www.autostradale.it; ask your hotelier to book it for you, or drop into the Autostradale offices—one is at Via Passagio Duomo 2, at the far end of Piazza del Duomo (open Mon-Fri 8:30-18:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-16:00, tel. 02-8058-1354), and another is next to the TI at Piazza Castello 1 (same hours except closed Sun, tel. 02-7200-1304). Tickets may be available for the same-morning departure.
Zani Viaggi does a similar tour that also includes The Last Supper. Morning tours are in two languages (always English, plus one other). Tours depart Tuesday through Sunday at 9:30 and 14:30 from their office at Foro Bonaparte 76, near Sforza Castle (€65, 3.5 hours, no Mon tours; ticket office open Mon-Fri 9:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-15:00; online reservations must be made at least an hour in advance, tel. 02-867-131, www.zaniviaggi.it, excursions@zaniviaggi.it).
CitySightseeing Milano has hop-on, hop-off buses that do a circuit of the major sights accompanied by a recorded commentary. With one ticket, you can get off at a stop, tour the sight, and hop back on the bus to resume your tour. While you can hop on at any of their stops, it’s handiest at the Duomo (next to the taxi stand) and La Scala (€20/day—valid until 18:00, €25/48 hours, buy on board; April-Oct daily 9:30-19:25, 2/hour; Nov-March daily 9:30-17:30, hourly; tel. 02-867-131. www.milano.city-sightseeing.it).
Lorenza Scorti is a hardworking young guide who knows her city’s history and how to teach it (€145/3-hour tour, €290/day, same price for individuals or groups, evenings OK, mobile 347-735-1346, lorenza.scorti@libero.it). Sara Cerri is another good licensed local guide who enjoys teaching (€180/3 hours, then €50/hour, mobile 380-433-3019, www.walkingtourmilan.it, walkingtourmilan@gmail.com).
▲▲Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
▲▲La Scala Opera House and Museum
▲▲Pinacoteca Ambrosiana (with Leonardo Exhibit)
Piazza degli Affari and a Towering Middle Finger
▲Leonardo da Vinci National Science and Technology Museum (Museo Nazionale della Scienza e Tecnica “Leonardo da Vinci”)
▲▲Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper (Cenacolo Vinciano)
North of the Duomo, in the Brera Neighborhood
▲Brera Art Gallery (Pinacoteca di Brera)
Northeast of the Duomo, near Montenapoleone
▲Sforza Castle (Castello Sforzesco)
▲Naviglio Grande (Canal District)
▲Monumental Cemetery (Il Cimitero Monumentale)
The city’s centerpiece is the fourth-largest church in Europe (after the Vatican’s, London’s, and Seville’s). At 525 by 300 feet, the place is immense, with more than two thousand statues inside (and another thousand outside) and 52 one-hundred-foot-tall, sequoia-size pillars representing the weeks of the year and the liturgical calendar. If you do two laps, you’ve done your daily walk. It was built to hold 40,000 worshippers, the entire population of Milan when construction began. Ride the elevator or hike to the rooftop for a stroll through its forest of jagged spires.
Cost and Hours: Church—free entry, daily 7:00-19:00; baptistery and Duomo Museum—€6, buy ticket at bookshop kiosk or at museum, Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon, last entry at 17:00; roof terraces—by elevator-€12, via stairs-€7, daily 9:00-19:00, last ascent at 18:00, enter elevator outside at north or south transept, or take stairs outside on north side, across from La Rinascente department store.
If you plan to visit both the museum and the Duomo roof, ask for the combo-ticket, which saves €3-4 over buying separate admissions.
Crowd-Beating Tips: For the next few years, tickets for the roof will be sold from a temporary white structure at the corner of the church (to the right as you face the front). You can also buy roof tickets at the Duomo Museum entrance across the street—worth checking out if lines are long at the church.
Getting There: Metro: Duomo.
Information: The Duomo Point info center is behind the cathedral on the right-hand side. The staff are helpful and speak English, but they don’t sell tickets. Church tel. 02-7202-2656, museum tel. tel. 02-860-358, www.duomomilano.it
Dress Code: Modest dress is required to visit the church. Don’t wear shorts or anything sleeveless. Even kids with bare shoulders or knees are likely to be turned away at the door.
Tours: A €5 audioguide for the church is available (Mon-Sat 8:30-17:00, no rentals Sun, 1.5 hours, kiosk immediately inside church).
Photography: The Duomo charges €2 for a special wristband (sold at audioguide kiosk) that allows you to take pictures.
Back when Europe was fragmented into countless tiny kingdoms and dukedoms, the dukes of Milan wanted to impress their counterparts in Germany and France. Their goal was to earn Milan recognition and respect from both the Vatican and the kings and princes of northern Europe by building a massive, richly ornamented cathedral. Even after Renaissance-style domes had come into vogue elsewhere in Italy, conservative Milan stuck with the Gothic style. The dukes thought northerners would relate better to Gothic, and they loaded the cathedral with pointed arches and spires. For good measure, the cathedral was built not from ordinary stone, but from marble, top to bottom. Pink Candoglia marble was rafted in from a quarry about 60 miles away, across Lake Maggiore and down a canal to a port at the cathedral. Construction lasted from 1386 to 1810, with final touches added as late as 1965. In 2014, archaeologists probing for ancient Roman ruins beneath the Duomo discovered the remains of what might be a temple to the goddess Minerva.
Begin by looping around the Duomo’s exterior, then head inside to enjoy its remarkable bulk, fine stained-glass windows, and Baroque altar.
Walk around the entire church exterior and notice the statues, made between the 14th and 20th centuries by sculptors from all over Europe. There are hundreds of these statues—each different and quite creative. Look at the statues on the tips of the many spires...they seem so relaxed, like they’re just hanging out, waiting for their big day. Functioning as drain spouts, the 96 fanciful gargoyle monsters are especially imaginative.
As you stand outside at the back of the church, behind the altar, imagine the glory of this first wall. These were the earliest stones, laid in 1390. The sun-in-rose window was the proud symbol of the city’s leading Visconti family; it’s flanked by the angel telling Mary she’s going to bear the Messiah. And behind you is a shrine to the leading religion of the 21st century: soccer. The Football Team store is filled with colorful vestments and relics of local soccer saints (go upstairs, daily 10:00-19:00).
Continue circling the cathedral. Back at the front, enjoy the statues enlivening the facade. The lower ones—full of energy and movement—are early Baroque, from about 1600. Of the five doors, the center one is biggest. Made in 1907 in the Liberty Style, it features the Joy and Sorrow of the Virgin Mary. Sad scenes are on the left, joyful ones on the right, and on top is the coronation of Mary in heaven by Jesus, with all the saints and angels looking on. Step up close and study the fine reliefs.
Enter the church. Stand at the back of the fourth-longest nave in Christendom. The apse at the far end was started in 1386. The wall behind you wasn’t finished until 1520. Even though the Renaissance had begun, builders stuck with the Gothic style. The two single stone-marble pillars behind you are the most precious ones in the church.
Notice two tiny lights: The little red one on the cross above the altar marks where a nail from the cross of Jesus is kept. This relic was brought to Milan by St. Helen (Emperor Constantine’s mother) in the fourth century, when Milan was the capital of the Western Roman Empire. It’s on display for three days a year (in mid-Sept). Now look high to the right, in the rear corner of the church, and find a tiny pinhole of white light. This is designed to shine a 10-inch sunbeam at noon onto the bronze line that runs across the floor, indicating where we are on the zodiac (but local guides claim they’ve never seen it work).
Stained-Glass Windows: Wander deeper into the church, up the right aisle. Check out the windows: 15th-century mosaics of brilliant and expensive colored glass (stained, not painted). Bought by wealthy families seeking the Church’s favor, they face the south and get the most light. The altars below generally honor the patron who made each window possible. Pick out familiar scenes in the windows. The purpose was to teach the illiterate masses the way to salvation through stories of the Old Testament and the life of Jesus. On the opposite wall (left side), many of the windows are more modern—from the 16th to the 20th century—and are either made of dimmer, cheaper painted glass or are replacements for ones destroyed by the concussion of WWII bombs that missed the church but fell nearby.
There are a couple of stops of interest along the right aisle. Under the third window, you can trace the uninterrupted rule of 144 local archbishops back to A.D. 51.
The fifth window dates from 1470, “just” 90 years after the first stone of the cathedral was laid. The window shows the story of Jesus, from Annunciation to Crucifixion. In the bottom window, as the angel Gabriel tells Mary the news, the Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove) enters Mary’s window and world. Compare the exquisite beauty of this window to the cruder 19th-century window on the right.
While construction up to this point was very fast, it took centuries to finish the rest of the church. Below this fifth window, check out a proposed design for the west facade, from 1888 (never actually used).
The seventh window is modern, from the 1980s. Bright and bold, it celebrates two local cardinals (whose tombs and bodies are behind glass). This memorial to Cardinal Ferrari and Cardinal Schuster, who heroically helped the Milanese out of their post-WWII blues, is a reminder that this great church is more than a tourist attraction—it’s a living part of Milan.
Altar: Belly up to the bar facing the high altar. While the church is Gothic, the area around the altar is Baroque—a dramatic stage-like setting, in the style of the Vatican in the 1570s (a Roman Catholic statement to counter the Protestant churches of the north, which were mostly Gothic). Napoleon crowned himself King of Italy under this dome in 1805. Now look to the rear up at the ceiling and see the fancy “carving” (between the ribs)—nope, that’s painted. It looks expensive, but paint is more affordable than carved stone.
St. Bartolomeo Statue: Find the bald statue lit by the open door, by the wall in the south transept. This is a grotesque 16th-century statue of St. Bartolomeo, an apostle and first-century martyr skinned alive by the Romans. Walk behind the poor guy wearing his own skin like a robe to see his face, hands, and feet. Carved by a student of Leonardo da Vinci, this is a study in human anatomy learned by dissection, forbidden by the Church at the time.
Floor: Walk toward the altar and around the corner 30 steps, to a gate blocking entry to the apse. Look down at the fine 16th-century inlaid-marble floor. The pieces around the altar are original. You can tell that the black marble (quarried from Lake Como) is harder because it looks and feels less worn than the other colors (the white is from Lake Maggiore, the pink from Verona).
Windows: The apse is lit by three huge windows, all 19th-century painted copies. The originals, destroyed in Napoleonic times, were made of precious stained glass.
Crypt of St. Charles Borromeo: Steps lead under the altar to the tombs of St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584, the economic power behind the church) and his family. Charles was bishop of Milan, and the second most important hometown saint after St. Ambrose. Tarnished silver reliefs around the ceiling show scenes from Charles’ life.
Paleo-Christian Baptistery of San Giovanni: In the rear of the church, you can climb down into the church that stood here long before the present one. Milan was an important center of early Christianity. In Roman times, Mediolanum’s street level was 10 feet below today’s level. You’ll see the scant remains of an eight-sided baptistery (where saints Augustine and Ambrose were baptized) and a little church. Back then, since you couldn’t enter the church until you were baptized (which didn’t happen until age 18), churches had a little “holy zone” just outside for the unbaptized. This included a baptistery like this one.
Cathedral Rooftop: This is the most memorable part of a Duomo visit. You’ll wander through a fancy forest of spires with great views of the city, the square, and—on clear days—the crisp and jagged Alps to the north. And, 330 feet above everything, La Madonnina overlooks it all. This 15-foot-tall gilded Virgin Mary is a symbol of the city.
You can climb the stairs or take the elevator; the entrances to both are outside the church (for specifics, see “Cost and Hours,” earlier).
Duomo Museum (Museo del Duomo): This recently renovated museum, across the street from the Duomo in the Palazzo Reale, is worthwhile only for those who want to dig more deeply into the history of Milan’s cathedral and see its original art and treasures up close. The collection lacks English labels and is virtually meaningless without the separate audioguide (€5). The first two rooms hold the cathedral treasury; beyond are several rooms of statuary, a few tapestries and paintings (including a Tintoretto), and finally a wooden model of the Duomo. The one-way system makes you feel like a rat in a maze, and there’s almost nowhere to sit down.
Milan’s main square is a classic European scene and a popular local gathering point. Professionals scurry, fashion-conscious kids loiter, and young thieves peruse.
Standing in the square (midway between the statue and the Galleria), you’re surrounded by history. The statue is Victor Emmanuel II, first king of Italy. He’s looking at the grand Galleria named for him. The words above the triumphal arch entrance read: “To Victor Emmanuel II, from the people of Milan.”
Opposite the Galleria, flanking Via Marconi, are the twin fascist buildings of the Arengario Palace, which houses the Museo del Novecento (described later). Mussolini made grandiose speeches from their balconies. Study the buildings’ relief panels, which tell—with fascist melodrama—the history of Milan. To the left of these buildings is the historic ducal palace, Palazzo Reale. This building, now housing the Duomo Museum (described earlier) and temporary art exhibits, was redone in the Neoclassical style by Empress Maria Theresa in the late 1700s, when Milan was ruled by the Austrian Habsburgs. For a fine view of the Duomo and the piazza, enter the Arengario Palace building closest to the cathedral through the museum, and go to the bar on the first floor (no ticket necessary, fine aperitivo happy hour). Behind the Duomo is a vibrant pedestrian shopping zone along Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
Behind the Victor Emmanuel II statue (opposite the cathedral, about a block beyond the square), hiding in a small courtyard, is Piazza dei Mercanti, the center of medieval Milan (described later).
This breathtaking four-story glass-domed arcade, next to Piazza del Duomo, is a symbol of Milan. The iron-and-glass structure (built during the age of Eiffel and the heady days of Italian unification) showcased a new, modern era. It was the first building in town to have electric lighting, and from its inception, has been an elegant and popular meeting place. (Sadly, its designer, Giuseppe Mengoni, died the day before the gallery opened.) Here you can turn an expensive cup of coffee into a good value by enjoying some of Europe’s best people-watching.
The venerable Bar Camparino (at the Galleria’s Piazza del Duomo entry), with a friendly staff and a period interior, is the former haunt of famous opera composer Giuseppe Verdi and conductor Arturo Toscanini, who used to stop by after their performances at La Scala. It’s a fine place to enjoy a drink and people-watch (€3.20 for an espresso is a great deal if you relax and enjoy the view, or €1 at the bar just to experience the scene). The café is named after the Campari family (its first owners), originators of the famous red Campari bitter (€4.50 standing or €10 seated, Tue-Sun 7:30-20:00, closed Mon and Aug, tel. 02-8646-4435).
Wander around the Galleria. Its art celebrates the establishment of Italy as an independent country. Around the central dome, patriotic mosaics symbolize the four major continents (sorry, Australia). The mosaic floor is also patriotic. The white cross in the center represents the king. The she-wolf with Romulus and Remus (on the south side—facing Rome) honors the city that, since 1870, has been the national capital. On the west side (facing Torino, the provisional capital of Italy from 1861 to 1865), you’ll find that city’s symbol: a torino (little bull). For good luck, locals step on his irresistible little testicles. Two local girls explained to me that it works better if you spin—two times, and it must be clockwise. Find the poor little bull and observe for a few minutes...it’s a cute scene. With so much spinning, the mosaic is replaced every few years.
Luxury shops have had outlets here from the beginning. Along with Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada, you’ll find Borsalino (at the end near Piazza della Scala), which has been selling hats here since the gallery opened in 1877.
If you cut through the Galleria to the other side, you’ll pop out at Piazza della Scala, with its famous opera house and the Gallerie d’Italia (all described later).
Milan’s 20th-century art fills the twin buildings of the Arengario Palace, Mussolini’s fascist-era City Hall, facing Piazza del Duomo. In the beautifully laid-out museum, you’ll work your way up the escalators and through the last century, one decade at a time. The first painting, at the top of the spiral staircase, is The Fourth Estate by Pellizza da Volpedo, painted in 1901. It celebrates the humanitarian, socialist spirit that came with the arrival of the new century, and prepares you for the spirit of the collection. The first rooms feature the work of Umberto Boccioni, a seminal Futurist working in Milan when the city was at the forefront of the arts. His abstract scenes convey the speed and intensity of the new modern age. Along with paintings, there are sculptures from the 1930s by Arturo Martini and Fausto Melotti. Each section is well-described in English, and the capper is a fine panoramic view over Piazza del Duomo through grand fascist-era arches.
Cost and Hours: €5, Mon 14:30-19:30, Tue-Wed, Fri, and Sun 9:30-19:30, Thu and Sat 9:30-22:30, last admission one hour before closing, audioguide-€5, in Palazzo dell’Arengario at Via Marconi 1, tel. 02-8844-4061, www.museodelnovecento.org.
This small square, the center of political power in 13th-century Milan, hides one block off Piazza del Duomo (directly opposite the cathedral). A strangely peaceful place today, it offers a fine smattering of historic architecture that escaped the bombs of World War II.
The arcaded, red-brick building that dominates the square was the City Hall (Palazzo della Ragione). The market was held under the arcades below, with six gates representing the six main guilds. Facing the square (opposite the wellhead), the balcony with the coats of arms is where new laws were announced. Eventually two big families—Visconti and Sforza—took power, Medici-style, in Milan; the snake is their symbol. Running the show in Renaissance times, these dynasties shaped much of the city we see today, including the Duomo and the fortress. In 1454, the Sforza family made peace with Venice while enjoying a friendship with the Medici in Florence (who taught them how to become successful bankers). This ushered in a time of stability and peace, when the region’s major city-states were run by banking families, and money was freed up for the Renaissance generation to make art, not war.
This square also held the Palace of Justice (the 16th-century courthouse with the clock tower), the market (not food, but crafts: leather, gold, and iron goods), the bank, the city’s first university, and its prison. All the elements of a great city were right here on the “Square of the Merchants.”
To reach these sights, simply cut through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II from Piazza del Duomo.
This smart little traffic-free square, out the back between the Galleria and the opera house, is dominated by a statue of Leonardo da Vinci. The statue (from 1870) is a reminder that Leonardo spent his best 20 years in Milan, where he found well-paid, steady work. He was the brainy darling of the Sforza family (who dominated Milan as the Medici family dominated Florence). Under the great Renaissance genius stand four of his greatest “Leonardeschi.” (He apprenticed a sizable group of followers.) The reliefs show his various contributions as painter, architect, and engineer. Leonardo, wearing his hydro-engineer hat, re-engineered Milan’s canal system, complete with locks. (Until the 1920s, Milan was one of Italy’s major ports, with canals connecting the city to the Po River and Lake Maggiore. For more on this footnote of Milan’s history, read about the Naviglio Grande on here.)
The statue of Leonardo is looking at a plain but famous Neoclassical building, arguably the world’s most prestigious opera house (described next).
Milan’s famous Teatro alla Scala opened in 1778 with an opera by Antonio Salieri (of Amadeus fame). Today, opera buffs can get a glimpse of the theater and tour the adjacent museum’s extensive collection.
Cost and Hours: Museum—€6, daily 9:30-12:30 & 13:30-17:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing, Piazza della Scala, tel. 02-8879-7473, www.teatroallascala.org.
Museum: Well-described in English, the collection features things that mean absolutely nothing to the hip-hop crowd: Verdi’s top hat, Rossini’s eyeglasses, Toscanini’s baton, Fettuccini’s pesto, original scores, diorama stage sets, costumes, busts, portraits, and death masks of great composers and musicians. The museum allows you to peek into the actual theater. The stage is as big as the seating area on the ground floor. (You can see the towering stage box from Piazza della Scala across the street.) A recent five-year renovation corrected acoustical problems caused by WWII bombing and subsequent reconstruction. The royal box is just below your vantage point, in the center rear. Notice the massive chandelier made of Bohemian crystal.
Events in the Opera House: The show goes on at the world-famous La Scala Opera House, which also hosts ballet and classical concerts. There are performances in every month except August, and show time usually is at 20:00 (for information, check online or call Scala Infotel Service, daily 9:00-18:00, tel. 02-7200-3744). On the opening night of an opera, a dress code is enforced for men (suit and tie).
Advance Booking: Seats sell out quickly. Tickets go on sale online two months before performances (www.teatroallascala.org). You can also book through an automated phone system: Call 02-860-775 and press 2 for English. Beginning one month before a performance, tickets are also sold at a handy ticket office beneath Piazza del Duomo (daily 12:00-18:00, use stairs down in front of the Duomo and follow ATM Point signs).
Same-Day Tickets: On performance days, 140 sky-high, restricted-view, peanut-gallery tickets are offered at a low price (operas-€13, ballets-€11, concerts-€5.50) at the box office (located down the left side of the theater toward the back on Via Filodrammatici, and marked with Biglietteria Serale sign). It’s a bit complicated: You have to show up with an official ID (a driver’s license or passport) at 13:00 to put your name on a list (one ticket per person), then return at 17:00 for the roll call. You must be present when your name is called in order to receive a voucher, which you’ll then show at the ticket window to purchase your ticket. Finally, one hour before show time, the box office sells any remaining tickets at a 25 percent discount.
This museum fills two adjacent palaces on Piazza della Scala with the amazing art collections of two banks that once occupied these buildings. One palace dates from the 19th century and boasts the nicest Neoclassical interior I’ve seen in Milan; the other is 20th-century, Tiffany-like Historicism, with a hint of Art Nouveau. Impressive buildings in their own right, they are filled with exquisite work by 19th- and 20th-century Italian painters. One has Romantic landscapes; hyperrealistic, time-travel scenes of folk life; and Impressionism. The other shows off marble reliefs by the Neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova and, upstairs, dramatic and thrilling scenes from the unification of Italy. Downstairs, you can peer into the original bank vault, which now stores racks and racks of paintings not on display.
Cost and Hours: Free entrance, free audioguides (for as long as the bank is feeling generous), Tue-Sun 9:30-19:30, Thu until 22:30, closed Mon, across from La Scala Opera House at Piazza della Scala 6, toll-free tel. 800-167-619, www.gallerieditalia.com.
These sights are listed roughly in the order you’ll reach them, as you travel west from Piazza del Duomo. The first one is just a few short blocks from the cathedral, while the last is just over a mile away.
This oldest museum in Milan was inaugurated in 1618 to house Cardinal Federico Borromeo’s painting collection. And through October of 2015, the museum is both more expensive and more important, thanks to a long-running special exhibit displaying 22 pages from Leonardo’s notebook. Think of your visit in two parts: the permanent collection of paintings (including the Leonardo Hall), and the last room, which has the notebook pages. While it’s exciting to see the pages, the permanent material is still the highlight. Pick up the English-language map locating major works, and rent the €3 audioguide, which explains highlights of both the permanent and special exhibits.
Cost and Hours: €15, Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon, last entry at 17:00, near Piazza del Duomo at Piazza Pio XI 2, Metro: Duomo or Cordusio, tel. 02-8069-2221, www.ambrosiana.eu.
Visiting the Museum: Pinacoteca Ambrosiana began as a teaching academy, which explains its many replicas of famous works of art. Highlights include original paintings by Botticelli, Caravaggio, and Titian.
As Cardinal Borromeo was a friend of Jan Brueghel, you’ll find an entire room (#7) filled with delightful works by Brueghel and other Flemish masters. Study the wonderful detail in Brueghel’s Allegory of Fire and Allegory of Water. The Flemish paintings are extremely detailed—many painted on copper to heighten the effect—and offer an insight into the psyche of the age. If the cardinal were asked why he enjoyed paintings that celebrated the secular life, he’d likely say, “Secular themes are God’s book of nature.”
Filling an entire wall, Raphael’s cartoon served as an outline for the famous School of Athens fresco at the Vatican Museum. (A cartoon—cartone in Italian—is a large charcoal-on-canvas sketch that functions as a model for the making of a fresco.) While the Vatican’s much-adored fresco is attributed entirely to Raphael, it was painted mostly by his students. But this cartone was wholly sketched by the hand of Raphael. To make the fresco, his assistants riddled this cartoon with pinpricks along the outlines of the characters, stuck it to the wall of the pope’s study, and then applied a colored powder. When they removed the cartone, the characters’ shapes were marked on the wall, and completing the fresco was a lot like filling in a coloring book. If you’ve seen the original fresco at the Vatican, you’ll notice that the figure of Michelangelo (as a brooding stonecutter lounging on the steps in the foreground) is missing from the cartoon. Raphael added him to the fresco as a tribute after seeing Michelangelo’s awe-inspiring work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
As Leonardo da Vinci spent many of his most productive years working in Milan, the city has an affinity for the Renaissance genius. The Leonardo Hall, with more of the gallery’s permanent collection, features Leonardo’s Portrait of a Musician (Ritratto di Musico), a copy of The Last Supper, and several fine Leonardo-type paintings by Bernardino Luini and other disciples. During his Milan years, Leonardo created The Last Supper and painted several other famous canvases. Of these other paintings, only the Portrait of a Musician—as delicate, mysterious, and thought-provoking as the Mona Lisa—remains in Milan. The large fresco filling the far wall—with Christ receiving the crown of thorns—is by Luini. I find the painting of The Last Supper most interesting. When the cardinal realized that Leonardo’s marvelous frescoed original was fading, he commissioned a careful copy to be created here for posterity. Today, this copy gives a rare chance to appreciate the original colorful richness of the now-faded masterpiece.
The Leonardo Hall leads into the somber library called Federiciana Hall, where you’ll find the special Leonardo exhibit. The gallery, which owns Leonardo’s Codex Atlanticus, is showing 22 of its 1,119 pages in themed exhibits changing quarterly until October of 2015. Soft period music accompanies your time with the 22 glass cases, each displaying a well-lit page from the notebook (the audioguide, which explains each page of the current exhibit, is essential to fully enjoy your visit). Don’t enter the special exhibit until you are done with the permanent collection, as it’s a one-way system and re-entry isn’t allowed.
This square and monument mark the center of Milan’s financial district. The bold fascist buildings in the neighborhood were built in the 1930s under Mussolini. Italy’s major stock exchange, the Borsa, faces the square. Stand in the center and appreciate the modern take on ancient aesthetics (you’re standing atop the city’s ancient Roman theater). Find the stern statues representing various labors and occupations, and celebrating the nobility of workers—typical whistle-while-you-work fascist themes. Then notice the equally bold modern statue in the center. After a 2009 contest to find the most appropriate sculpture to grace the financial district, this was the winner. Of course, Italy has its financial problems, and a sentiment similar to the one that powered the Occupy Movement in the US rumbles in this society as well. Here we see how “the 99 percent” feel when they stand before symbols of corporate power in Italy. (Notice how the finger is oriented—it’s the 1 percent, and not the 99 percent, that’s flipping the bird.) The 36-foot-tall, Carrara marble digit was made by Maurizio Cattelan, the most famous—or, at least, most controversial—Italian sculptor of our age. L.O.V.E., as the statue is titled, was temporary at first. But locals liked it, and, by popular demand, it’s now permanent.
This church, part of a ninth-century convent built into a surviving bit of Milan’s ancient Roman wall, dates from around 1500. Despite its simple facade, it’s a hit with art lovers for its amazing cycle of Bernardino Luini frescoes. Stepping into this church is like stepping into the Sistine Chapel of Lombardy.
Cost and Hours: Free, Tue-Sat 9:30-17:30, Sun 13:30-17:30, closed Mon, Corso Magenta 15 at the Monastero Maggiore, Metro: Cadorna or Cairoli, tel. 02-8645-0011.
Visiting the Church: Bernardino Luini (1480-1532), a follower of Leonardo, was also inspired by his contemporaries Michelangelo and Raphael. Sit in a pew and take in the art, which has the movement and force of Michelangelo and the grace and calm beauty of Leonardo.
Maurizio, the patron saint of this church, was a third-century Roman soldier who persecuted Christians, then converted, and eventually worked to stop those same persecutions. He’s the guy standing on the pedestal in the upper-right, wearing a bright yellow cape. The nobleman who paid for the art is to the left of the altar. His daughter, who joined the convent here and was treated as a queen (as nuns with noble connections were), is to the right. And all around are martyrs—identified by their palm fronds.
The adjacent Hall of Nuns, where sisters were cloistered, is also full of fine paintings. Stepping into this fine room, behind the altar you’ll find more amazing art, including fine Luini frescoes above and around the wooden crucifix. The Annunciation scene on the arch features a cute Baby Jesus zooming down from heaven. The organ dates from 1554, and the venue, with its fine acoustics, is popular for concerts with period instruments. Explore the pictorial Bible behind the wooden chairs. Luini’s landscapes, which line the walls, were groundbreaking in the 16th century. Leonardo incorporated landscapes into his paintings, but Luini was among the first to make landscape the main subject of the painting.
In the adjacent archaeological museum, you can see part of the ancient city wall and a third-century Roman tower.
One of Milan’s top religious, artistic, and historic sights, this church was first built on top of an early Christian martyr’s cemetery by St. Ambrose around A.D. 380, when Milan had become the capital of the fading (and Christian) Western Roman Empire.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Sat 10:00-12:00 & 14:30-18:00, Sun 15:00-17:00, Piazza Sant’Ambrogio 15, Metro: Sant’Ambrogio, tel. 02-8645-0895, www.basilicasantambrogio.it.
Visiting the Church: Ambrose was a local bishop and one of the great fathers of the early Church. He helped establish the Church by convincing Augustine, a pagan, to become Christian. (Augustine himself later became another great Church father.) The original fourth-century church was later (in the 12th century) rebuilt in the Romanesque style you see today.
The entry is an arcaded atrium—standard in many churches back when you couldn’t actually enter the church until you were baptized. The non-baptized waited here during Mass. The courtyard is textbook Romanesque, with playful capitals and fanciful animals. Inset into the wall (right side, above the pagan sarcophagi) are stone markers of Christian tombs—a reminder that this church, like St. Peter’s at the Vatican, is built upon an ancient Roman cemetery.
From the atrium, marvel at the elegant 12th-century facade, or west portal. It’s typical Lombard medieval style. The local bishop would bless crowds from its upper loggia. As two different monastic communities shared the church and were divided in their theology, there were also two different bell towers.
Step into the nave and grab a pew. The mosaic in the apse features Jesus Pantocrator (creator of all) in the company of Milanese saints. Around you are pillars with Romanesque capitals and surviving fragments of 12th-century frescoes that once covered the church.
The 12th-century pulpit sits atop a Christian sarcophagus dating from the year 400. Study its late-Roman and early-Christian iconography—Apollo on his chariot morphs into Jesus on a chariot. You can see the moment when Jesus gave the Old Testament (the first five books, anyway) to his apostles.
The precious, ninth-century golden altar has four ancient porphyry columns under an elegant Romanesque 12th-century canopy. The entire ensemble was taken to the Vatican during World War II to avoid destruction. That was smart—the apse took a direct hit in 1943. The 13th-century mosaic was destroyed; today we see a reconstruction.
Step into the crypt, under the altar, to see the skeletal bodies of three people: Ambrose (in the middle, highest) and two earlier Christian martyrs whose tombs he visited before building the church.
Nearby: For a little bonus after visiting the church, consider this: The Benedictine monastery next to the church is now Cattolica University. With its stately colonnaded courtyards designed by Renaissance architect Donato Bramante, it’s a nice place to study. It’s fun to poke around and imagine being a student here.
The spirit of Leonardo lives here. Most tourists visit for the hall of Leonardo—the core of the museum—where wooden models illustrate his designs. But Leonardo’s mind is just as easy to appreciate by paging through a coffee-table edition of his notebooks in any bookstore. The rest of this immense collection of industrial cleverness is fascinating, with planes, trains, automobiles, ships, radios, old musical instruments, computers, batteries, telephones, chunks of the first transatlantic cable, interactive science workshops, and a 1960s “pocket-sized” submarine. Many exhibits include English descriptions. Some of the best exhibits (such as the Marconi radios) branch off the Leonardo hall. Ask for an English museum map from the ticket desk—you’ll need it. Allow at least 1.5 hours here. On weekends, this museum is very popular with families, so come early or be prepared to wait in line.
Cost and Hours: €10, guided tour of submarine-€8; Tue-Fri 9:30-17:00, Sat-Sun 9:30-18:30, closed Mon; Via San Vittore 21, Metro: Sant’Ambrogio; tel. 02-485-551, www.museoscienza.org.
Housed in the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, this is one of the ultimate masterpieces of the Renaissance. Milan’s leading family, the Sforzas, hired Leonardo to decorate the dining hall of the Dominican monastery that adjoins the church. This gift was essentially a bribe to the monks so that the Sforzas could place their family tomb in the church. Ultimately, the French drove the Sforzas out of Milan, they were never buried here, and the Dominicans got a great fresco for nothing.
Note that this is a small but very popular sight, and entry must be booked several months in advance—or a few days in advance for a bus tour that includes admission.
Cost and Hours: €8, includes €1.50 reservation fee (9:30 and 15:30 visits require €3.25 extra for provided guided English tour). Open Tue-Sun 8:15-18:45 (last entry), closed Mon. Show up 20 minutes before your scheduled entry time. When an attendant calls your time, get up and move into the next room.
Reservations: Mandatory reservations are managed by a company called Vivaticket, and can be made either by phone or online. Reservations for each calendar month go on sale a little less than three months before the start of the month; for example, reservations for July open in early April. Spots are snapped up quickly, so plan ahead.
If you book by phone, you’ll have a greater selection of days and time slots to choose from, since the website doesn’t reflect cancellations. Note that you can’t reserve same-day tickets (tel. 02-9280-0360, from the US dial 011-39-02-9280-0360, office open Mon-Sat 8:00-18:30, closed Sun; the number is often busy—once you get through, dial 2 for an English-speaking operator; the process takes about two minutes, and you’ll hang up with an appointed entry time and a number; pay with credit card upon booking).
To book online, head to www.vivaticket.it, then choose “Cenacolo Vinciano.” You’ll see a calendar that shows available time slots for the current month. If the days are all gray, it means that all the slots for that month have been filled. Be careful when you select the date—on European calendars, the first day of the week is Monday. If you can’t find a spot when you need it, try calling instead, because cancellations show up on the website as booked slots.
Bus Tour Option: If you can’t get a reservation through Vivaticket but really want to see the painting, you can book a more expensive Autostradale or Zani Viaggi bus tour that includes a visit (see “Tours in Milan,” earlier).
Last-Minute Tickets: While “reservations are required,” if spots are available (more likely on weekdays and first thing in the morning), you can sometimes book one at the desk (even if the Sold Out sign is posted). If fewer than 25 reserved ticket-holders show up for a particular time slot, you may get lucky. But those who arrive without a reservation generally kill lots of time waiting around.
Audioguide: Consider the fine €3 audioguide. Its spiel fills every second of the time you’re in the room—so try to start listening just before you enter (ideally in the waiting room while studying the reproduction of The Last Supper).
Photography: No photos are allowed.
Getting There: The Church of Santa Maria della Grazie is a five-minute walk from either Metro: Cadorna or Conciliazione. Or take tram #16 from the Duomo (direction: San Siro or Piazzale Segesta), which drops you off in front of the church.
Visiting The Last Supper: To minimize damage from humidity, only 900 visitors a day are allowed in. That’s 25 tourists popping in every 15 minutes for exactly 15 minutes. Before your appointed time, you’ll wait in several rooms to dehumidify, while doors close behind you and open up slowly in front of you. The posted information about Leonardo is mainly in Italian.
Because of Leonardo’s experimental fresco technique, deterioration began within six years of The Last Supper’s completion. The church was bombed in World War II, but—miraculously, it seems—the wall holding The Last Supper remained standing. A 21-year restoration project (completed in 1999) peeled away 500 years of touch-ups, leaving Leonardo’s masterpiece faint but vibrant.
In a big, vacant whitewashed room, you’ll see faded pastels and not a crisp edge. The feet under the table look like negatives. But the composition is dreamy—Leonardo captures the psychological drama as the Lord says, “One of you will betray me,” and the apostles huddle in stressed-out groups of three, wondering, “Lord, is it I?” Some are scandalized. Others want more information. Simon (on the far right) gestures as if to ask a question that has no answer. In this agitated atmosphere, only Judas (fourth from left and the only one with his face in shadow)—clutching his 30 pieces of silver and looking pretty guilty—is not shocked.
The circle meant life and harmony to Leonardo. Deep into a study of how life emanates in circles—like ripples on a pool hit by a pebble—Leonardo positioned the 13 characters in a semicircle. Jesus is in the center, from whence the spiritual force of God emanates, or ripples out.
The room depicted in the painting seems like an architectural extension of the church. The disciples form an apse, with Jesus as the altar—in keeping with the Eucharist. Jesus anticipates his sacrifice, his face sad, all-knowing, and accepting. His feet even foreshadowed his death by crucifixion. Had the door, which was cut out in 1652, not been added, you’d see how Leonardo placed Jesus’ feet atop each other, ready for the nail.
The room was a refectory or dining room for the Dominican friars. Traditionally, they’d gather here to eat, with a Last Supper scene on one wall facing a Crucifixion scene on the opposite wall.
The perspective is mathematically correct. In fact, restorers found a tiny nail hole in Jesus’ left eye, which anchored the strings Leonardo used to establish these lines. The table is cheated out to show the meal. Notice the exquisite lighting. The walls are lined with tapestries (as they would have been), and the one on the right is brighter in order to fit the actual lighting in the refectory (which has windows on the left). With the extremely natural effect of the light and the drama of the faces, Leonardo created a masterpiece.
Milan’s top collection of Italian paintings (13th-20th centuries) is world-class, but it can’t top Rome’s or Florence’s. Established in 1809 to house Napoleon’s looted art, it fills the first floor above a prestigious art college.
Cost and Hours: €6, more during special exhibits, free first Sun of the month, Tue-Sun 8:30-19:15, closed Mon, last entry 45 minutes before closing, free lockers just before the ticket counter, no flash photos, Via Brera 28, Metro: Lanza or Montenapoleone, tel. 02-722-631, www.brera.beniculturali.it. There are no English descriptions, so consider renting the audioguide (€5, ID required).
Visiting the Museum: Enter the grand courtyard of a former monastery, where you’ll be greeted by the nude Napoleon with Tinkerbell (by Antonio Canova). Climb the stairway (following signs to Pinacoteca, past all the art students), buy your ticket, and pick up an English map of the museum’s masterpieces.
The gallery’s highlights include works by late-Gothic master Gentile da Fabriano, hinting at the realism of the coming Renaissance (check out the lifelike flowers and realistic, bright gold paint—he used real gold powder, Room IV). Andrea Mantegna’s The Dead Christ is a textbook example of feet-first foreshortening (Room VI). Room XVIII hosts a permanent glass-enclosed restoration lab, allowing you to see various restoration works in progress.
In Room XXI, notice how Crivelli employs Renaissance technique (he was a contemporary of Leonardo), yet clings to the mystique of the Gothic Age (that’s why I like him so much). Find eight Crivellis. Also, don’t miss Raphael’s Wedding of the Madonna, Piero della Francesca’s Madonna and Child with Four Angels (Room XXIV), and the gritty-yet-intimate realism of Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus (Room XXIX). Room XXXV features several of Canaletto’s picture-postcards of Venetian cityscapes. This is ahead-of-its-time Impressionism—there’s not a single line in these works, just strategically placed daubs of paint that render palazzos and canals bathed in Venetian light with photographic precision. To spice things up, look for Francesco Hayez’s hot and heavy The Kiss (Il Bacio) in Room XXXVII. You’ll also find paintings by the great Venetian masters Tintoretto and Veronese.
Java junkies will seek out the great, cheap cappuccino machine: Go through Napoleon’s courtyard and straight through the art school to the end of the long hall; the machine’s on your left. It’s fun to explore the art school on the ground floor, mill about among the many young students, and wonder if there’s a 21st-century Leonardo in your midst.
With a quick 30-minute swing through this quiet one-floor museum, you’ll get an idea of the interesting story of Italy’s rocky road to unity: from Napoleon (1796) to the victory in Rome (1870). However, there isn’t much information in English. It’s just around the block from the Brera Art Gallery at Via Borgonuovo 23.
Cost and Hours: €2, Tue-Sun 9:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:30, closed Mon, Metro: Montenapoleone, tel. 02-8846-4176, www.museodelrisorgimento.mi.it.
This classy house of art features top Italian paintings of the 15th through 18th century, old weaponry, and lots of interesting decorative arts, such as a roomful of old sundials and compasses. It’s one of the few museums in town that’s open on Mondays.
Cost and Hours: €9, Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, closed Tue, last entry one hour before closing, free English audioguides, Via Manzoni 12, Metro: Montenapoleone, tel. 02-794-889, www.museopoldipezzoli.it.
This unique 19th-century collection of Italian Renaissance furnishings was assembled by two aristocratic brothers who spent a wad turning their home into a Renaissance mansion. The beautiful but outrageously expensive café in its Renaissance courtyard might be worth the €5 cover charge just to be seen sipping tea with Milan’s stylish elite.
Cost and Hours: €9, €6 on Wed, open Tue-Sun 13:00-17:45, closed Mon, free English audioguides and good English descriptions throughout, Via Gesù 5, Metro: Montenapoleone, tel. 02-7600-6132, www.museobagattivalsecchi.org.
The castle of Milan tells the story of the city in brick. Built in the late 1300s as a military fortress, it guarded the gate to the city wall and defended Milan from enemies “within and without.” It was beefed up by the Sforza duke in 1450 in anticipation of a Venetian attack. Later, the Sforza family made it their residence and built their Renaissance palace into the fortress. It was even home to their in-house genius, Leonardo. (When he applied for a position with the Sforza family, he did so as a military engineer and contributed to the design of the ramparts.) During the time of foreign rule (16th-19th century), it was a barracks for occupying Spanish, French, and Austrian soldiers. And today it houses an array of museums. While your ticket covers all the museums (including Egyptian, music, and furniture), the Museum of Ancient Art is the one to visit.
Cost and Hours: €3, free entry after 16:30 (Fri after 14:00); open Tue-Sun 9:00-17:30, closed Mon, last entry at 17:00, WCs and free lockers at ticket counter, English info fliers throughout and at information office beside the Porta Umberto entrance, Metro: Cairoli or Lanza, tel. 02-8846-3700, www.milanocastello.it.
Self-Guided Tour: This tour begins outside the fortress, then focuses on the Museum of Ancient Art.
The gate facing the city center stands above a ditch that was once filled with water. A relief celebrates Umberto I, the second king of Italy. Above that, a statue of St. Ambrose, the patron of Milan (and a local bishop in the fourth century), oversees the action. Notice the chart, just outside the gate, showing how the city was encircled first by a crude medieval wall, and then by a state-of-the-art 16th-century wall—of which this castle was a key element. It’s apparent from the enormity of these walls that Milan was a strategic prize. Today, the walls are gone, giving the city two circular boulevards.
This immense brick fortress—exhausting at first sight—can only be described as heavy. While originally functioning as military parade grounds, today its three huge courtyards host concerts and welcome the public. (The holes in the walls were for scaffolding.)
Just past the ticket counter, the Museum of Ancient Art fills the old Sforza family palace with interesting medieval armor, furniture, early Lombard art, and—for your finale—Michelangelo’s unfinished Pietà Rondanini. While the museum is huge, here are room-by-room highlights leading you to Michelangelo’s Pietà.
In the first room, among ancient sarcophagi (with early Christian themes), stands a fine 14th-century equestrian statue—a memorial to Bernabò Visconti. Of the four virtues, he selected only two (strength and justice) to stand beside his anatomically correct horse, opting out of love and patience.
Next, the room of tapestries is dominated by a big embroidery of St. Ambrose defeating the heretical Arians. While that was a fourth-century struggle, 12 centuries later, he was summoned back in spirit to deal with Protestants, in the form of Archbishop Borromeo. As a Counter-Reformation leader, with St. Peter’s Basilica behind him, Ambrose stands tall and strong in defense of the Roman Church. The room is lined by 16th-century Flemish tapestries, which were easy to pack up quickly as the nobility traveled. These were typical of those used to warm chilly stone palaces.
Next, you’ll come to the Sala delle Asse, named for the mulberry garden that was used to feed silkworms. The Visconti family grew rich making silk in the Lake Como area. While plastered over for centuries, this room was restored around 1900. Not much sparkle survives, but you can appreciate the intricate canopy woven with branches and rope in complicated knots—the work of Leonardo himself, in 1498. The tiny Leonardo-esque painting of Madonna and Child is by Francesco Napoletano, a pupil of Leonardo. The painting’s structure, anatomy, and subtle modeling of the color with no harsh lines (sfumato) are all characteristic of Leonardo. In the upper right, notice the castle, as it looked in 1495.
After browsing a room filled with weapons and armor from the 16th and 17th centuries, you reach the highlight of the museum—Michelangelo’s Pietà Rondanini. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy a Michelangelo statue with no crowds. Michelangelo died while still working on this piece, his fourth pietà. A pietà, by definition, is a representation of a dead Christ with a sorrowful Virgin Mary. While unfinished and seemingly a mishmash of corrections and reworks, it’s a thought-provoking work by a genius at nearly 90 years old, who knows he’s fast approaching the end of his life. The symbolism is of life and of death: Jesus returning to his mother, as two bodies seem to become one.
Michelangelo’s more famous pietà at the Vatican (carved when he was in his 20s) features a beautiful, young, and astonished Mary. Here, Mary is older and wiser. Perhaps Mary is now better able to accept death as part of life...as is Michelangelo. The pietà at the Vatican is simple and clear, showing two different people: the mother holding her dead son. Contemplating the Pietà Rondanini, you wonder who’s supporting whom. It’s confused and complex, each figure seeming to both need and support the other.
This unfinished statue is unique in that it shows the genius of Michelangelo midway through a major rework—Christ’s head is cut out of Mary’s right shoulder, and an earlier arm is still just hanging there. Above Mary’s right ear, you can see the remains of a previous face (eye, brow, and hairline).
And there’s a certain power to this rawness. Walk around the back to see the strain in Mary’s back (and Michelangelo’s rough chisel work) as she struggles to support her son. The sculpture’s elongated form hints at the Mannerist style that would follow.
Notice the ancient Roman altar underneath the Pietà. Notice, also, the funeral portrait of Michelangelo, showing the artist as he looked when he died in 1564, working on this statue—still vibrant and seeking.
For a quick exit, continue past the Pietà exit, out the back side and into Sempione Park (described next).
This is Milan’s equivalent of Central Park. With its circa 1900 English-style gardens, free Liberty-Style aquarium, views of the triumphal arch, and sprawling family-friendly grounds, this park is particularly popular on weekends.
A five-minute walk through the park, on the left, is the erector-set Branca Tower (Torre Branca), built for an exposition in the 1930s. You can ride an elevator that takes you as high as the Mary that crowns the Duomo, for an inexpensive, commanding city view (€5, best in daylight, erratic hours—call or confirm at TI before heading out—but generally open mid-May-mid-Sept Tue-Sun 15:00-19:00, Sat-Sun also 10:30-14:00, closed Mon and in bad weather, off-season open only shorter hours on Wed and Sat-Sun, Viale Alemagna, Metro: Cadorna, tel. 02-331-4120).
At the far end of the park is the monumental Arco della Pace. Originally an arch of triumph, it comes with Nike, goddess of victory, commanding a six-horse chariot. It was built facing Paris to welcome Napoleon’s rule and to celebrate the ideals of the French Revolution, destined to lift Italy into the modern age. When they learned Napoleon was just another megalomaniac, they turned the horses around, their tails facing France. With Italian unification in the 1860s, its name was changed to “Arch of Peace.”
This grand pedestrian boulevard and popular shopping street leads from Sforza Castle toward the town center and the Duomo. Via Dante was carved out of a medieval tangle of streets to celebrate Italian unification (c. 1870) and make Milan—the home of the king—a worthy capital city. Consequently, all the facades lining it are relatively new. Over the vigorous complaints of merchants, the street became traffic-free in 1995. Today, they’d have it no other way, and the street is popular with local shoppers and office workers on lunch breaks. Enjoy strolling this beautiful people zone, where you’ll hear the whir of bikes and the lilting melodies of accordion players instead of traffic noise. Photo exhibits are frequently displayed up and down the street. In front of Sforza Castle, a commanding statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the heroes of the unification movement, looks down one of Europe’s longest pedestrian zones. From here you can walk to the Duomo and beyond (about 1.5 miles), down streets that are all nearly traffic-free, appreciating Italian design both in shop windows and on smartly clothed Milanese.
Milan, although far from any major lake or river, has a sizable port, literally called “The Big Canal.” Since 1170, boats have been able to sail from Milan to the Mediterranean via the Ticino River (which flows into the Po River on its way to the Adriatic Sea). Five hundred years ago, Leonardo helped design a modern lock system. During the booming Industrial Age in the 19th century—and especially with the flurry of construction after Italian unification—ships used the canals to bring in the marble and stone needed to make Milan the great city it is today. In fact, one canal (filled in during the 1930s) let barges unload stone right at the building site of the great cathedral. In the 1950s, landlocked Milan was the seventh-biggest port in Italy, as its canals aided in rebuilding the bombed-out city. Today, disused train tracks parallel the canal, old warehouse buildings recall the area’s working-class heritage, and former workers’ tenements—once squalid and undesirable—are being renovated. The once-rough area is trendy, traffic-free, pricey, and thriving with inviting bars and eateries. Come here for dinner or a late-afternoon drink (for recommendations, see “Eating in Milan,” later).
Getting There: Ride the Metro to Porta Genova, exit following signs to Via Casale, and walk the length of Via Casale one block directly to the canal. Most bars and restaurants are to the left, on both sides of the canal.
The largest equestrian monument in the world is a modern reconstruction of a model created in 1482 by Leonardo da Vinci for the Sforza family. The clay prototype was destroyed in 1499 by invading French forces, who used it for target practice. In 1982, American Renaissance-art collector Charles Dent decided to build the 15-ton, 24-foot-long statue from Leonardo’s design, planning to present it to the Italians in appreciation for their role in the Renaissance and in homage to Leonardo’s genius. Unfortunately, Dent died before the project could be completed. In 1997, American sculptor Nina Akamu created a new clay model that became the template for the final statue; it was unveiled in 1999.
Getting There: The statue (free to view) is at a horse racetrack on the western outskirts of town. The city is debating whether to relocate the statue to a more convenient place, so ask locally before going out. If the statue is still at the racetrack, to reach it from the Duomo, find the corner of Via Mazzini and Via Dogana (see map on here), and board tram #16 (direction: San Siro) to Piazzale Segesta. From that stop, walk west on Via Simone Stratico, go right on Via Palatino, and left on Piazzale dello Sport to #6, the San Siro gallop racetrack (Ippodromo del Galoppo). You can also walk a half-mile from Metro: Lotto. Metro line 5 (purple) is due to be extended closer to the racetrack by 2015—check locally.
The Milanesi claim that their soccer (football, or calcio, in Italian) teams are the best in Europe. For a dose of Europe’s soccer mania (which many believe provides a necessary testosterone vent to keep Europe out of a third big war), catch a match while you’re here. A.C. Milan and Inter Milan are the ferociously competitive home teams (tickets-€10-350).
A.C. Milan tickets are sold at Intesa Sanpaolo banks (one’s at Via Verdi 8, Mon-Fri 8:45-13:45 & 14:45-15:45, closed Sat-Sun), online at www.acmilan.com, and at the Milan Point Shop (Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, closed Sun-Mon, Piazza XXVI Maggio next to Via San Gottardo). Inter Milan tickets are sold at Banca Popolare di Milano banks (one’s at Piazza Meda 4, Metro: San Babila; Mon-Fri 8:45-13:45 & 14:45-15:45, closed Sat-Sun) and online at www.inter.it.
Games are played in the 85,000-seat Meazza stadium most Sunday afternoons from September to June (the new San Siro Stadio Metro station, on purple line 5, should open in 2015; until then, reach the stadium by bus #49 from Metro: Lotto). You’ll need to have your passport when you buy your ticket and bring it with you to the stadium for security reasons.
For more on the Italian passion for soccer, see here.
Europe’s most artistic and dreamy cemetery experience, this grand place was built just after unification to provide a suitable final resting spot for the city’s “famous and well-deserving men.” Any cemetery can be evocative, but this one—with its super-emotional portrayals of the deceased and their heavenly escorts (in art styles c. 1870-1930)—is in a class by itself. It’s a vast garden art gallery of proud busts and grim reapers, heartbroken angels and weeping widows, too-young soldiers and countless old smiles, frozen on yellowed black-and-white photos.
Cost and Hours: Free, Tue-Sun 8:00-18:00, closed Mon, last entry at 17:30, pick up map at the entrance gate, from downtown catch tram #12 (direction: Cacciatori delle Alpi) or tram #14 (direction: Cimitero Maggiore) to the P.le Cimitero Monumentale/Via Bramante stop—eight stops from the Duomo. Tel. 02-8846-5600.
For world-class window-shopping, visit the “Quadrilateral,” an elegant high-fashion shopping area around Via Montenapoleone, northeast of La Scala. This was the original Beverly Hills of Milan. In the 1920s, the top fashion shops moved in, and today it remains the place for designer labels. Most shops close Sunday and for much of August. On Mondays, stores open only after 16:00. In this land where fur is still prized, the people-watching is as entertaining as the window-shopping. Notice also the exclusive penthouse apartments with roof gardens high above the scene. Via Montenapoleone and the pedestrianized Via della Spiga are the best streets.
Whether you’re gawking or shopping, here’s the best route: From La Scala, walk up Via Manzoni to the Metro stop at Montenapoleone, browse down Via Montenapoleone, and cut left on Via Santo Spirito (lined with grand aristocratic palazzos—peek into the courtyard at #7). Then, opposite #17, step into the elegant courtyard at #10 to check out the café-sitters and their poodles. Turn right to window-shop down Via della Spiga, turn right on Via Sant’Andrea and then left, back onto Montenapoleone, which leads you through a final gauntlet of temptations to Corso Giacomo Matteotti, near the Piazza San Babila. Then (for less-expensive shopping thrills), walk back to the Duomo down the pedestrian-only Corso Vittorio Emanuele. From the Duomo, go down Via Dante to Sforza Castle.
For a (slightly) more reasonably priced shopping excursion, step into La Rinascente—one of Europe’s classic department stores. (As you face the front of the Duomo, it’s around the left side.) Simply riding the escalator up and up gives a fun overview of Italian design and marketing. The seventh floor is a top-end food circus with recommended restaurants, terrace views of the Duomo, and a public WC. The store’s name translates roughly as “the place reborn,” and fits its history. In an earlier life, this was a fine Art Nouveau-style building—until it burned down in 1918. Rebuilt, it was bombed in World War II and rebuilt once again (Mon-Thu 9:30-21:00, Fri-Sat 9:30-22:00, Sun 10:00-21:00, has a VAT refund office, faces north side of the Duomo on Piazza del Duomo).
Heading away from the Duomo, stroll between the arcades on the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, surrounded by clothing stores and other tempting material pleasures. At Via Passarella, detour to the right to check out Excelsior, a bold high-end concept store. Moving walkways take you from level to colorful level with pulsing music and electronic art installations. If you’re looking for the perfect €1,000 shirt, you’ve come to the right place. Otherwise, hit Eat’s Food Market, a stylish deli in the basement, and pick up a tasty high-design salad to go—a bargain at €7 (daily 10:00-20:30, Galleria del Corso 4, two long blocks behind the Duomo, tel. 027-630-7301).
Double back to the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II to continue shopping all the way to the San Babila Metro station, or return to the Duomo.
For evening action, check out the artsy Brera area in the old center, with several swanky sidewalk cafés to choose from and lots of bars that stay open late. Home to the local art university, this district has a sophisticated, lively people-watching scene. Another great neighborhood for nightlife, especially for a younger scene, is Naviglio Grande (canal district), Milan’s formerly bohemian, now gentrified “Little Venice” (described earlier; Metro: Porta Genova).
There are always concerts and live music playing in the city at various clubs and concert halls. Specifics change quickly, so it’s best to rely on the entertainment information in periodicals from the TI.
All of my recommended hotels are within a few minutes’ walk of Milan’s subway system. With Milan’s fine Metro, you can get anywhere in town in a flash.
Hotel prices in Milan rise and fall with the convention schedule. In March, April, September, and October, the city can be completely jammed by conventions, and hotel prices go sky-high; it’s best to avoid the city entirely at these times if you can. (For the convention schedule, see www.fieramilano.it.) When possible, I’ve listed regular prices, not convention prices.
Summer is usually wide-open, with soft or discounted prices, though many hotels close in August for vacation. Hotels cater more to business travelers than to tourists, so prices and availability are a little better on Fridays and Saturdays.
There are only a few small, family-style hotels left in the center, and the good ones charge top dollar for their location. Travelers can save a lot of money by staying near the main train station, just four Metro stops away from the Duomo.
The Duomo area is thick with people-watching, reasonably priced eateries, and the major sightseeing attractions, but hotel prices are high.
$$$ Hotel Spadari boasts a modern, Art Deco-inspired lobby designed by the Milanese artist Giò Pomodoro (“Joe Tomato” in English). The 40 rooms have billowing drapes, big paintings, and designer doors. It’s next door to the recommended Peck Deli, and two blocks from the Duomo (standard Db-€230-260, deluxe Db-€290-360, no need for the pricier suites, 5 percent Rick Steves discount through 2015 when you book directly with the hotel, air-con, elevator, Wi-Fi, Via Spadari 11, tel. 02-7200-2371, www.spadarihotel.com, reservation@spadarihotel.com).
$$$ Hotel Grand Duca di York, three blocks from the Duomo, is on a rather stark street of banks and public buildings. Public areas are comfortable and spacious, and the 33 modern, bright rooms are thoughtfully designed and decorated (Sb-€98-128, Db-€170-190, 5 percent Rick Steves discount through 2015 if you book directly with the hotel, air-con, elevator, guest computer and Wi-Fi, near Metro stops: Cordusio or Duomo, Via Moneta 1, tel. 02-874-863, www.ducadiyork.com, info@ducadiyork.com).
These slightly less central places are close to the Via Dante and Via Brera shopping and restaurant scenes.
$$$ Hotel Star, comfortable and modern, rents 30 sparkling, fresh, and spacious rooms with unexpected artistic touches (convention prices: Sb-€185, Db-€230, prices drop €40 or more at other times, check website for deals, interior rooms are quieter, air-con, elevator, guest computer and Wi-Fi, usually closed for 2 weeks in mid-Aug, Via dei Bossi 5, Metro: Cordusio, tel. 02-801-501, www.hotelstar.it, info@hotelstar.it, cheeky Vittoria).
$$$ Antica Locanda dei Mercanti offers 15 fine rooms in an 18th-century palazzo. While the rooms are all different—some with kitchens, others with spacious terraces—all have a clean, white, fresh-flower vibe, uncommonly romantic for Milan (Db-€195-265, check website for deals, €30 more for fun terrace rooms, air-con, elevator, guest computer and Wi-Fi, Via San Tomaso 6, Metro: Cairoli or Cordusio, tel. 02-805-4080, www.locanda.it, locanda@locanda.it, Alex and Eri).
$$ London Hotel is a simple, 30-room, classic family-run hotel with a comfy living room-like lobby, basic rooms with tiny bathrooms, and narrow halls. It’s tucked away on a quiet side street just off vibrant Via Dante. Six rooms have shared bathrooms. It’s warmly run by sisters Tanya and Licia, who took over from their parents a few years ago (S-€80-90, Sb-€90-100, D-€110-140, Db-€130-160, Tb-€170-200, prices much higher during conventions, skip their €8 breakfast and grab something on Via Dante, cheaper in July and Aug, book directly with hotel for these rates, show this book and pay cash for an additional 10 percent off, air-con, elevator, Wi-Fi, Via Rovello 3, Metro: Cairoli, tel. 02-7202-0166, www.hotellondonmilano.com, info@hotellondonmilano.com).
The train station neighborhood is more practical than characteristic. Its hotels are utilitarian business-class places with prices that bounce all over depending upon the convention schedule. You’ll find more shady characters than shady trees in the parks, and lots of ethnic restaurants and massage parlors as you head away from the immediate vicinity of the station. But it’s convenient to trains, the Metro, and airport shuttles, and if you hit it outside of convention times, the prices are hard to beat. Here are two decent options:
$$ Hotel Garda has 55 tidy rooms two and a half blocks from the station (Sb-€55-140, Db-€90-170, triples available; email first to get a promo code for a 10 percent discount when booking directly on their website; air-con, elevator, pay Wi-Fi, Via Napo Torriani 21, tel. 02-6698-2626, www.hotelgardamilan.com, info@hotelgardamilan.com). Exit the train station and head straight across the square, veering left onto Via Napo Torriani. It’s ahead on your right.
$$ Hotel Florida is a business-class hotel with 55 rooms on a fairly quiet street one block from the station. It’s only worth staying here when they offer discounts (rack rate Db-€290, but often more like Sb-€70-100 and Db-€90-130, air-con, elevator, Wi-Fi, Via Lepetit 33, tel. 02-670-5921, www.hotelfloridamilan.com, info@hotelfloridamilan.com). With the tracks to your back, leave the station to the left, cross the taxi stand, and then cross the road. The hotel is around the corner from Ristorante Giglio Rosso.
For beds costing about €21-30, consider Milan’s hostels. Most are away from the center, but the first one I’ve listed is closer to town.
$ Ostello Burigozzo, a good choice, has 83 beds, half in dorm rooms and half in hotel-type private rooms (€21-24 for beds in 6-, 8-, and 16-bed dorms; Sb-€50-60, Db-€70-80, Tb-€90-105; no breakfast, higher prices generally for weekends, higher still during conventions, reserve ahead, 14:30-24:00 check-in but can leave bags earlier, elevator, kitchen, guest computer and Wi-Fi, self-serve laundry, Via Marco Burigozzo 11, Metro: Missori, then two stops on tram #15 in direction: Gratosoglio/Rozzano, tel. 02-5831-4675, www.ostelloburigozzo11.com, info@ostelloburigozzo11.com).
$ AIG Piero Rotta, outside the center, is larger, close to a Metro stop, and offers cheap, basic accommodations with a simple breakfast and self-service laundry. It’s not far from the sports stadium and Expo Milano 2015 (€21-22 per bed in 6-bed dorms with shared bath; Sb-€40-45, Db-€60-70, Tb-€80-85, Qb-€100-105; €2 extra for nonmembers, Via Martino Bassi 2, a couple of minutes’ walk from Metro: QT8—on red line 1, tel. 02-3926-7095, www.hostelmilan.org, milano@aighostels.it).
Milan’s bars, delis, rosticcerie, and self-service cafeterias cater to people with plenty of taste and more money than time. You’ll find delightful eateries all over town (but note that many places close during the month of August). To eat mediocre food on a street with great people-watching, choose an eatery on the pedestrian-only Via Dante. To eat with students in trendy little trattorias, explore the Brera neighborhood. To eat well near the Duomo, consider the recommended places listed later.
Some locals like to precede a lunch or dinner with an aperitivo (while Campari made its debut in Milan, a simple glass of vino bianco or prosecco, the Italian champagne, is just as popular). Bars fill their counters with inviting baskets of munchies, which are served free with these drinks, at about 17:00. If you’re either likable or discreet, a cheap drink can become a light meal.
Milan’s signature dishes (often served together as a piatto unico, or “single dish” for about €25) are risotto alla milanese and ossobuco. The risotto is flavored with saffron, which gives it its intense yellow color. The subtle flavor of the saffron pairs nicely with the ossobuco (meaning “marrow,” or, literally “hole in the bone,” of the veal shank). The prized marrow is extracted with special little forks and is considered the best part of the meal.
(See “Hotels & Restaurants in Milan” map, here.)
Hostaria Borromei is where Milanese yuppies go for power lunches to impress clients with market-fresh traditional Italian dishes. Dine under an awning of vines in an elegant mellow-yellow interior courtyard or in their cantina-chic dining rooms. Reservations are recommended (€11-14 pastas, €18-22 secondi, lunch specials, Mon-Fri 12:30-14:45 & 19:30-22:45, Sat-Sun 19:30-22:45, 10-minute walk from Duomo at Via Borromei 4, tel. 02-8645-3760, www.hostariaborromei.com).
Peck Italian Bar is a hit with the sophisticated office crowd, which mobs the place at lunch for its fast, excellent meals with im-peck-able service. It’s owned by the same people who run the recommended high-end Peck Gourmet Deli (listed later), so be prepared to spend—getting to hang out and be part of the scene makes it worth the money. Any time you find yourself among such a quality-conscious group of Milanesi, you know you’re getting good food (€14 pastas, €19-21 secondi, no cover, Mon-Fri 7:30-22:00, Sat 9:00-22:00, closed Sun, Via Cantù 3, tel. 02-869-3017, www.peck.it).
Ristorante da Bruno serves Tuscan cuisine with a passion for fresh fish. This place impresses with its dressy waiters, hearty food, inexpensive desserts, and a fine self-serve antipasto buffet (a plate full of Tuscan specialties for €10). You can eat inside or on the sidewalk under fascist columns (€10-14 pastas, €13-18 secondi, Sun-Fri 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-23:00, closed Sat and Aug, air-con, Via M. Gonzaga 6, reservations wise, tel. 02-804-364, Graziella).
Trattoria Milanese is family-run and traditional, on a dark back street. It has an enthusiastic and local clientele—the restaurant didn’t even bother to get a phone until 1988. Expect a Milanese ambience and quality cuisine (€9-11 pastas, €16-22 secondi, €25 ossobuco, Mon-Fri 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-23:30, closed Sat-Sun and mid-July-Aug, evening reservations recommended, air-con, Via Santa Marta 11, 5-minute walk from the Duomo, near Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, tel. 02-8645-1991).
Ristorante Calafuria Unione is a thriving Milanese-style eatery that attracts a sizable lunch crowd for its pizza and local dishes (€9 pizzas and pastas, €13-18 secondi, Mon-Sat 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-24:00, closed Sun, air-con, a few blocks south of Piazza del Duomo at Via dell’Unione 8, Metro: Missori, tel. 02-866-103).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants in Milan” map, here.)
The seventh floor of the La Rinascente department store, alongside the Duomo, has an upscale food court. Three of its many eateries share a sunny outdoor terrace. You’ll dine to views of the cathedral’s rooftop. All three are open Monday through Saturday 8:30-24:00 and Sunday 10:00-24:00; after store hours, use the elevator on Via S. Radegonda to enter. Obikà is a swanky “mozzarella bar” (part of a chain), offering this heavenly cheese in all its various forms—cow’s milk, buffalo, and smoked—in salads, on €12-14 pizzas, or on splittable €23 antipasto sampler plates, accompanied by salumi, tapenades, and vegetables. Study their English menu to choose cheeses and accompaniments; there are non-mozzarella dishes, too. (Another Obikà is north of the Duomo—see “Eating near Via Brera and Via Dante,” later; www.obika.it.) Ristorante Maio has pricey full-meal service (€12-15 pastas and salads, €25 secondi, no cover). And Il Bar, living-room cozy with cushy divans and low coffee tables, serves light meals (salads, pasta), coffee, desserts, and cocktails.
(See “Hotels & Restaurants in Milan” map, here.)
Latteria Cucina Vegetariana, with a 50-year history, is a bright hole-in-the-wall that serves a good vegetarian Italian lunch. This busy joint—with tight seating in front and behind the kitchen—serves soup, salads, pastas, and imaginative veggie entrées at affordable prices. Their star offering is the piatto misto al forno (small-€13, large-€18, large for two-€30), a delicious assortment of soufflés, quiches, and roasted and sautéed veggies (€9 pastas, Mon-Sat 12:00-16:00, €9 buffet Tue and Thu 19:00-22:00, closed Sun, just off Via Torino at Via dell’Unione 6, a few blocks southwest of the Duomo, Metro: Missori, tel. 02-874-401).
Ciao, the self-service cafeteria chain that runs the rest-stop cafés on Italian expressways, offers the same low-stress, affordable meals right on Piazza del Duomo (daily 11:30-15:30 & 18:00-22:00, €5 pastas, €7-9 secondi, salad bar, €9 lunch specials include pasta, meat, and vegetables). It’s to the right of the Galleria entrance—use the same entrance as for the Autogrill and Feltrinelli bookstore, but go up to the second floor.
Zime, another cafeteria, is popular with middle-class office workers for lunch. It’s in the basement of a building a short walk from the Duomo. Though windowless and a bit noisy, it’s inexpensive, authentic, tastefully decorated, and air-conditioned. Decide on one of the set-price combos (listed in Italian only on the wall), and then choose from the dishes on offer. A tris gives you a pasta, meat dish, and a vegetable side on a single plate for €9. Other combos cost up to €14 and include water, dessert, coffee, or larger portions (Mon-Fri 9:00-15:00, closed Sat-Sun, free Wi-Fi; enter the gallery at Via Torino 23, then go downstairs; tel. 02-9163-8484, www.restaurantzime.it).
Princi bakery is mobbed with locals vying for focaccia, olive breadsticks, and luscious pastries. Notice the stacked-wood-oven action in the back. For most pastry items (like the brioche), pay the cashier first; for items sold by weight (such as pizza and cake), get it weighed before you pay. Consider a pasta lunch (12:00-15:00 only) for €6 per plate (open Mon-Sat 7:00-20:00, Sun 9:30-19:30; off Via Torino, a block southwest of Piazza del Duomo at Via Speronari 6; tel. 02-874-797, www.princi.it). Another Princi bakery, more like a café, is near Sforza Castle and is listed later.
Peck Gourmet Deli is an aristocratic deli with a fancy café/lunchroom/pastry and gelato shop upstairs, a gourmet grocery and rosticceria on the main level, and an expensive enoteca wine cellar in the basement. Even if all you can afford is the aroma, peek in. Check out the classic circa-1930 salami slicers and the gourmet assembly line in the kitchen in the back. The rosticceria serves fancy food to go for a superb picnic dinner in your hotel. It’s delectable, beautiful, sold by weight (order by the etto—100-gram unit, 250 grams equals about a half-pound), and pricey (Mon 15:30-19:30, Tue-Sat 9:30-19:30, closed Sun, Via Spadari 9, tel. 02-802-3161).
Luini Panzerotti, a local institution, is a bakery that serves up piping-hot mini-calzones (panzerotti) stuffed with mozzarella, tomatoes, ham, or whatever you like for €3-5 (Mon 10:00-15:00, Tue-Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun and Aug, Via S. Radegonda 16, tel. 02-8646-1917). From the back of the Duomo, head north and look for the lines out front. Order from the menus posted on the wall behind the cash registers. Traditionally, Milanesi munch their hot little meals on nearby Piazza San Fedele. Don’t overlook the dolci half of the menu. Across the street is another local hit, Cioccolati Italiani, for chocoholics in search of a treat.
Gelato: Floodlit Mary, on top of the Duomo, gazes down on the Odeon Gelateria for good reason (next to McDonald’s, on far side of square opposite Duomo facade, open nightly until 24:00, closes earlier off-season). Gelateria Grom, the Ben & Jerry’s of northern Italy, has a branch two blocks toward La Scala, with sophisticated flavors for connoisseurs (Sun-Thu 11:30-23:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-23:30, Via Santa Margherita 16).
Supermarket: Billa is at the corner of Via Torino and Via San Maurilio, about four blocks from the Duomo (Mon-Sat 8:00-23:00, Sun 8:00-21:00, deli section on ground level, rest of supermarket in basement).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants in Milan” map, here.)
These restaurants are near the Cairoli and Lanza Metro stations, and are convenient to Sforza Castle and nearby recommended hotels. The Brera neighborhood, surrounding the Church of St. Carmine, is laced with narrow, inviting pedestrian streets. Make an evening of your visit by having an aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) with snacks at recommended Bar Brera or any other bar—most serve munchies with drinks 17:00-21:00. Afterward, stroll along restaurant row on Via Fiori Chiari and Via Brera, or duck into the semicircular lane of Via Madonnina to survey the sidewalk cafés as you pass fortune-tellers, artists, and knockoff handbag vendors. To locate these eateries, see the map on here.
Antica Osteria Milanese is a hardworking family place with a smart local following and spacious, stylish seating. They serve good-quality, typical Milanese favorites (€9 pastas, €12-15 secondi, Mon-Sat 12:15-14:30 & 19:30-22:15, closed Sun, Via Camperio 12, tel. 02-861-367, www.anticaosteriamilanese.it, Alessandro).
Convivium Ristorante and Pizza is popular for its extensive wine list, clever dishes (especially beef and fish), and conviviality. Classy yet understated, this is a good place for a foodie splurge (€7-11 pizza, €9-12 pastas, €18-24 secondi, daily 12:00-14:30 & 19:00-24:00, facing Santa Maria del Carmine church at Via Ponte Vetero 21, tel. 02-8646-3708, www.conviviumristorante.it, Claudio and Nicola).
Princi bakery’s branch on Via Ponte Vetero works the same as the one on Via Speronari (listed earlier), only it’s more like a restaurant, with seating both inside and on the street. While the bakery and café are open all day, their pasta counter (with €6 plates that you can eat at simple tables) serves only from 12:00 to 15:00 (Mon-Sat 7:00-20:00, Sun 9:00-20:00, Via Ponte Vetero 10, tel. 02-7201-6067, www.princi.it).
Fancy Via Dante Bars and Cafés: Thriving and central, Via Dante is lined with hardworking eateries where you can join locals for a lively lunch. Or, for about the price of your forgettable hotel breakfast, you can start your day watching the parade of Milanesi heading to work.
Bar Brera, kitty-corner from the Brera Art Gallery, serves cheap salads, sandwiches, and pastas to throngs of art students. Come during happy hour (daily 18:00-21:00), have a seat, order an €8 drink, and then help yourself to the buffet, which has a generous variety of antipasti, from marinated veggies to prosciutto (buffet is free if you buy drinks; otherwise €5 sandwiches, €6 pastas, €7-10 salads, great streetside seating, daily 7:00-late, Via Brera 23, tel. 02-877-091).
Obikà is a trendy chain of mozzarella eateries—this branch has a sleek, dark, jazzy ambience. For details, see the listing on here (daily 11:30-24:00, on corner of Via Mercato and Via Fiori Chiari, Via Mercato 28, tel. 02-8645-0568, www.obika.it).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants in Milan” map, here.)
Consider ending your day at the former port of Milan. The Naviglio Grande district bustles with memorable and affordable bars and restaurants and a great people scene.
Getting There: Ride the Metro to Porta Genova and walk down Via Casale, which dead-ends a block away at the canal. Walk halfway across the metal bridge and survey the scene. The street you just walked has plenty of cheap options. Most of the action—and all of my other recommendations—are to the left, on or near the canal. Do a reconnaissance stroll before settling in somewhere: Walk down one side of the canal to the bridge with cars, then go back on the other side. The restaurants below are listed in the order you’ll pass them.
Ristorante Brellin is the top romantic splurge, with a dressy crowd and fine food. The menu is international while clinging to a bit of tradition (€13-15 pastas, €22-26 secondi, daily 12:30-15:30 & 19:00-24:00; behind the old laundry tubs where a small lane, Vicolo dei Lavandai, branches off from the canal; tel. 02-5810-1351, www.brellin.it).
Pizzeria Tradizionale, at the far end of the walk after you cross the bridge, is a local favorite for pizza (€6-11 pies, Thu-Tue 12:00-14:30 & 19:00-24:00, Wed 19:00-24:00, at the far end of canal walk, Ripa di Porta Ticinese 7, tel. 02-839-5133).
Cucina Fusetti is a charming little place a few doors off the canal serving pan-Mediterranean cuisine, including bacalao (cod) and paella (€8-12 pastas, €12-16 secondi, Mon-Sat 19:00-23:00, closed Sun; near the curved bridge with the zigzag design, go away from canal on Via Argelati to Via M. Fusetti 1; mobile 340-861-2676).
Pizzeria Spaghetteria La Magolfa, down a side street, is a local fixture offering good, cheap €4-7 salads, pastas, and pizzas. You can sit inside, on a veranda, or at a table on the street. For €15, two people could split a hearty pizza and a good bottle of wine and get full...and a bit drunk (Mon-Sat 11:00-16:00 & 18:00-24:00, Sun 18:00-24:00, go a long block past Cucina Fusetti to end of street, Via Magolfa 15, tel. 02-832-1696, www.lamagolfa.it).
From Milano Centrale by Train to: Venice (at least hourly, most are direct on high-speed ES trains, 2.5-3.5 hours), Florence (hourly, 1.75 hours), Genoa (about hourly, 1.5-2 hours, also look for trains to La Spezia or Livorno that stop at Genoa), Rome (hourly, 3 hours, overnight possible), Brindisi (4 direct/day, 2 night trains, 9-15 hours, more with changes), Cinque Terre/La Spezia (about hourly, 3 hours direct or with change in Genoa; trains from La Spezia to the villages go nearly hourly), Cinque Terre/Monterosso al Mare (8/day direct, otherwise hourly with change in Genoa, 3-4 hours), Varenna on Lake Como (1 hour; small line direct to Lecco/Sondrio/Tirano leaves at 6:20, 7:20, 8:20, 9:20, 10:20, 12:20, 14:20, 16:20, 17:20, 19:20, 20:20, and 21:20; confirm these times—if you take a train at a time not listed here, it will require a change in Lecco and an extra 30 minutes), Stresa on Lake Maggiore (about hourly—there can be gaps in service; 1-hour fast train may require reservations; also 1.5-hour slow train that leaves from Porta Garibaldi; also look for trains to Domodossola and some international destinations that stop at Stresa), Como (2/hour, some leave from Porta Garibaldi, 30-60 minutes, boats go from Como to Varenna until about 19:00), Naples (direct trains hourly, 5 hours, more with change in Rome, overnight possible); see www.trenitalia.com for details.
From Milano Porta Garibaldi by High-Speed Train: While the Centrale Station departures listed above are operated by Trenitalia, a competing private rail company called Italo offers additional high-speed connections to Florence (8/day, 2 hours), Rome (8/day, 3.5 hours), and Naples (5/day, 4.75 hours). While Italo is often cheaper (particularly if you book long in advance), it doesn’t accept rail passes, and you’ll have to change stations in Milan if you’re connecting to or from anywhere else (for details on Italo, see here or visit www.italotreno.it).
International Destinations: Basel, with connections to Frankfurt (3/day, 4 hours), Geneva (4/day, 4 hours), Lugano (almost hourly, 1-1.5 hours), Munich (night train weekdays only, 9 hours), Nice (6/day, change in Ventimiglia, 5 hours), Paris (3/day from Milano Porta Garibaldi, 7 hours; daily night train from Milano Centrale, 11 hours), Vienna (night train on weekdays only, 11 hours), Zürich (4-5/day, 3.5 hours).
To get flight information for Malpensa or Linate airports or the current phone number of your airline, call 02-74851 or 02-232-323 and wait for English options, or check www.sea-aeroportimilano.it.
Most international flights land at the manageable Malpensa Airport (airport code: MXP), 28 miles northwest of Milan. You’ll most likely land at Terminal 1 (international flights), rather than Terminal 2 (low-cost EU flights); buses connect the two. Both have ATMs (at Terminal 1, between exit 4 and 5 at Banca Nazionale del Lavoro), banks, and exchange offices. Terminal 1 has a pharmacy, eateries, and a hotel reservation service disguised as a TI (daily 7:00-20:00; when you exit the baggage-carousel area, go right to reach services and exit; tel. 02-5858-0080).
Trains from Malpensa to Milan: The Malpensa Express train is usually the most sensible way to travel (not covered by rail passes, tel. 800-500-005, www.malpensaexpress.it). Trains leave from an underground station at Terminal 2; buy your ticket from a kiosk in the arrivals hall, or from Trenord ticket machines in the baggage claim hall (credit cards accepted). A big electric board on the wall shows the next departure times. There are two lines: Malpensa-Milano Cadorna and Malpensa-Milano Centrale. Validate your ticket in the little machines, and double-check to make sure your train is going to the destination you want. When you get off the train, turn to “Arrival in Milan,” earlier.
If you are headed downtown or to most other points in the city, take the Cadorna line, which is quicker, runs more often and later, and drops you at a convenient downtown Metro station (€11, €15 same-day round-trip, credit cards accepted, not covered by rail passes, 2/hour, 30-35 minutes; usually departs airport at :26 and :56 past the hour, generally departs Cadorna at :28 and :58 past the hour, last train from airport leaves 0:26, first train from Cadorna leaves 4:28).
If you are heading to the area around Milano Centrale train station, or connecting by train to other destinations, take the Centrale line (€10, 1-2/hour, 45-50 minutes, usually departs airport at :43 past the hour and Milano Centrale at :25 past the hour, last train from airport leaves 22:43, first train from Milano Centrale leaves 5:25).
If you’re leaving Milan to go to the airport, the same advice applies. Purchase your ticket before you board, either from the green Trenord ticket machines or, at Cadorna Station, from the staffed ticket windows. At Milano Centrale, trains leave from tracks 2 and 3; ticket machines are at the end of track 3, which is hidden behind track 4, and poorly signed. When using the machines, scroll to the bottom for English, then choose “Tickets MXP Aeroport,” then (from Centrale station) “Milano C.le/Garib.-MXP Single.” Finally, stamp your ticket in the Ricarica Qui machines. Cadorna is a little easier to deal with; trains usually depart from track 1.
By Shuttle Bus: I prefer the train, which is speedy, reliable, and reasonably priced. But two bus companies run between Malpensa Airport and Milano Centrale train station, offering virtually identical, competing services. They each charge about €10 for the one-hour trip (buy ticket from driver) and depart from the same places: in front of Terminal 2 (outside exit 4) and from Piazza Luigi di Savoia (on the east side of Milan’s central train station—with your back to the tracks, exit to the left). They also pick up and drop off at Terminal 1, which, if your flight docks there, might be a reason to prefer the bus. Buses leave about every 20 minutes, every day, from very early until just after midnight (Malpensa Shuttle tel. 02-5858-3185, www.malpensashuttle.it; Autostradale tel. 02-3391-0794, www.autostradale.it). They’re almost comically competitive, regularly offering deals such as three rides for the price of two.
By Taxi: Taxis into Milan cost a fixed rate of €90; avoid hustlers in airport halls (catch taxis outside exit 6). Considering how far the city is from the airport and how good the train and bus services are, Milan is the last place I’d take an airport taxi.
Most European flights land at Linate (airport code: LIN), five miles east of Milan. The airport has a bank with an ATM (just past customs) and a hotel-finding service disguised as a TI (daily 7:30-23:30, tel. 02-7020-0443). Soon (probably by 2016) the Metro’s new line 4 will link Linate with the city. For now, you can get to downtown Milan by bus or taxi.
By Bus: Two different buses—regular city bus #73 or the private Starfly bus—take you from Linate Airport to downtown. I’d take the city bus unless you’re heading to the neighborhood around Milano Centrale train station. The more expensive Starfly bus runs to Milano Centrale with only one stop en route (€5, buy ticket from driver, 1-2/hour, 30 minutes, bus runs from airport 7:45-22:45, from station 5:30-22:00, leaves from east side of train station at Piazza Luigi di Savoia, tel. 02-3391-5874, www.airportbusexpress.it). City bus #73 terminates at the San Babila Metro stop (one stop from the Duomo on red line 1, direction: Molino Dorino or Bisceglie, or a 7-minute walk). The bus ride is covered by a regular €1.50 public transit ticket or day pass (also valid for a connecting Metro ride), departs every 8-9 minutes (less frequently evenings and Sun), and takes 20 minutes (departs city center 5:35-24:37, from airport 6:00-01:07, www.atm.it).
By Taxi: Taxis from Linate to the Duomo cost about €25.
Some budget airlines, such as Ryanair and Wizzair, use Bergamo Airport—about 30 miles from Milan—as their Milan hub (airport code: BGY, tel. 035-326-323, www.sacbo.it). At least three bus companies ply the route between the east side of Milano Centrale train station (Piazza Luigi di Savoia) and Orio al Serio (€5, about 5/hour, 1 hour, departs Milano Centrale about 3:00-23:00, departs Orio al Serio about 4:00-24:00). Choose among Autostradale (www.airportbusexpress.it), Terravision (www.terravision.eu), and the Orio Shuttle (www.orioshuttle.com).