Italy’s largest and wealthiest city is the financial hub of the nation, home to the Italian Stock Exchange, and is a fashion capitol of the world, yet it’s rich in history and culture, and in Milan is Italy’s most famous piece of art, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Cenacolo”, better known as The Last Supper (1494-1498).
Unlike most other Italian cities, Milan is a mix of very old and very new, from gothic stone cathedrals to shiny store fronts of the most expensive designer brands in the world.
With a population of more than 5 million residents, Milan is one of Europe’s largest cities, but the main sights are within short walking distances of each other making it very easy to see the best of Milan in as little as an afternoon.
ITINERARY
Milan Cathedral
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
The Last Supper
Milan’s central location and Italy’s excellent railway, make it an ideal place to fly into and connect to other cities, with most of Italy’s most popular destinations just a couple of hours by train.
After arriving into Milan, head out to eat. While this city is a culinary hotbed, don’t miss it’s traditional food served in small restaurants filled with dining locals. We enjoyed some of the simplest, freshest, most delicious Italian food right outside of where most travelers will enter the city at the larger train station called Stazione Centrale di Milano.
The thin white quattro formaggi or 4 cheese pizza was hot, cheesy, crispy and bursting with creamy, sharp, tangy flavor as a result of the various cheese types.
The light tomato margherita was a great balance and equally as delicious, and because the restaurant was a local joint we were served complimentary lemon sorbet afterwards paired with glasses of limoncello.
After lunch, take the metro to visit the city’s landmark, Milan Cathedral or “the Duomo”, an extravagant Gothic cathedral that is the largest cathedral in Italy, and the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and took 600 years to build.
Comprised of pink-hued white marble sourced from the quarries of Lake Maggiore 90km away via canals designed by Leonardo da Vinci to transport the heavy material, construction began in 1386 and finished 6 centuries later in 1965.
Visitors can head to the rooftop for close encounters with the menacing gargoyles, which serve as downspouts to drain water away from the church’s foundation, and whose use on buildings dates back to ancient Greek and Egyptian times.
Milan’s Duomo has more statues than any other building in the world, with over 3,400 statues that decorate the building.
The rooftop provides sweeping views of the city and dizzying views of the alleys below.
The stunning Duomo is layered with intricate designs and topped with a multitude of spires and piercing pinnacles, sometimes described as the wedding cake cathedral.
There’s an elevator to the rooftop terrace, and for an extra fee there’s an express option to skip the long queues waiting to go up. Find a quiet space in the shade of a spire to sit and learn more about the cathedral. I usually compile information about places before leaving home to save on the expensive and inflexibility of a tour since we travel with a child with a rare genetic condition called Fragile X Syndrome, and this allows us to tour at our own pace and leave when needed.
Crowning the Duomo on the highest spire is a gold statue of the Madonna, the city’s traditional protector, which was the highest point in the city until the 1960s. When skyscrapers surpassed her height, a copy of the Madonna was placed atop them to ensure the highest point in Milan belongs to St. Mary.
The views of Milan from the top of the cathedral are nothing short of spectacular, and thankfully there are no rickety railings separating you from the edge, but instead large stone walls.
Many of the thousands of statues are of saints and figures from the history of Christianity.
The view of the Piazza Duomo below the cathedral is exquisite, with a monument dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II, the Italian King in a bronze statue in the center of the historic square.
Use caution as the stairs are narrow and steep, and the soft, worn marble can be slippery.
After a stroll around the roof, head inside the cathedral where there’s 1,000 more statues, gilded ceilings, gigantic stained glass windows, colorful paintings, and geometric-patterned marble floors.
Italy’s largest cathedral seats 40,000 worshippers, and 1 of the 3 nails that was used to pin Jesus on the cross is above the altar marked by a small red-light bulb within a circular design above the middle window as shown below.
Among the thousands of statues at the Duomo, Saint Bartholomew will catch your eye, one of Jesus’ apostles who was skinned alive for preaching the gospel, and he’s holding a book and is draped in his own skin.
Napoleon conquered Milan and wanted to be crowned King of Italy in the Duomo, so he ensured the cathedral facade was finished.
After touring the Duomo, walk 1 minute to the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
The neoclassical Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a soaring structure of iron and glass, and has been the center of city life since 1877.
Here you will find exclusive shops for the biggest names in the fashion industry, including Armani, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, and Prada.
Here you will find the original Prada store, founded in Milan in 1913 by Mario Prada, which has kept its historic traditional style of mahogany displays selling products confirming to a level of quality as outstanding today as it was a century ago, and has been the Official Supplier to the Royal Household since 1919.
Also outside of the Prada store, you can participate in the tradition of spinning with your heel on the balls of the mosaic bull found on the floor in the middle of the arcade, which is said to bring good luck.
After a stroll through the gallery, take a 1 mile walk to Milan’s most famous mural, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, hidden away on a wall of the refectory adjoining the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Book ahead, as tickets sell out months in advance to witness this masterpiece by Leonardo di Vinci, who epitomized the term “Renaissance Man” as a genius whose skill and intelligence across many disciplines were far ahead of his time, including being a painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer with notebooks detailing inventions and observations from aeronautics to human anatomy.
This entire complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to one of the world’s most iconic images The Last Supper, which depicts Christ and his disciples at the dramatic moment when Christ reveals he’s aware of his betrayal. Sadly, our tour guide cancelled after we waited over 2 hours for them to show, so our group never had the opportunity to enter and see it.
Despite booking months in advance, even the best-laid plans can unravel. While it was the single reason we visited Milan, we enjoyed a lot of gelato waiting that afternoon, and have a reason to ensure our return someday.
Take the metro back to the station to either connect to your next destination, or retire for the evening.
We grabbed some pizza and fruit to take back to our very spacious, modern hotel right next to the station.
With 4 beds, it was more than enough sleeping space for the 4 of us.
With a fresh start in the morning, we walked to the train station to set off for the Italian Riviera.
Boasting an extensive rail network connecting northern Italy and Switzerland, Milan is the perfect jumping-off spot to explore, whether for day trips or continuing on your travels. As you can see, it’s not even 7am yet.
Purchase your tickets and grab some breakfast.
The cafe at the railway is fantastic and full of Italian pastries.
As an avid daily juicer I was super excited to discover a fresh juice bar inside the station.
Fresh juices are packed with nutrients, and do wonders for the body on hectic travel days.
We grabbed fresh pressed fruit and vegetable juices, packed sandwiches and sweet pastries for the train journey through the Italian countryside.
Coffees in hand and a bag of breakfast, we headed to the platform.
We boarded the high speed train to Cinque Terre, 5 fishing villages along the sea, where will you depart to? Go.
