48 Hours in Milan

Alex and I started and ended our Italy trip this past Spring in Milan - My first experience with Milan was not a great one. It consisted of a lot of rain, a water logged camera and exactly zero hours of sleep. I am so glad we got to see the city again at the end of our trip because the beginning was definitely a rough start. While Milan is better in the sunshine, it's still a beautiful and stylish city in any weather - definitely worth at least 2 full days on your Italy itinerary.

My Milan Faves: Things to Do, Food to Eat & Art to See:

A Walking Tour with City Wonders: We started our Milan visit with a City Wonders tour - I knew we would be arriving in the morning and I didn't want us to waste the day away by sleeping, so the tour was perfect. Also, it's the easiest way to see the The Last Supper. I highly recommend their 'The Last Supper and Milan Walking Tour' - City Wonders arranges your Last Supper and Duomo tickets for you, we learned a ton & got to see all of the city highlights in a few hours - definitely a plus if you only have a couple of days.
The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci: I am a self-proclaimed Art Nerd. I minored in Art History in college and seriously thought about going into Museum Administration and Curation before deciding on photography school. This masterpiece deserves your attention whether you love art or not. I've been dreaming of seeing it for a very long time and when I finally stood in front of it, I got chills from head to toe. The tour itself is very short - maybe 30 minutes total. You are only allowed to be in the same room with Last Supper for 15 minutes before you are herded out the door, so you have to soak it all in while you can - Because this fresco is so delicate, it's kept in a climate controlled, dehumidified room to keep it from disintegrating any further. You get a very comprehensive history of not only the building Last Supper is housed in (an old monastery) and history of the painting itself. You can prebook your tickets online or if you book a tour, many include The Last Supper visit.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II: This is THE shopping mall. Like... in the whole world. Milan is known for fashion and it's all here - The very first Prada store! Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel... all of it! I don't often wish I have a trust fund (ok, I do all the time), but this strip of fashion makes you wish you had money to blow. Also, the people watching is killer - the uber rich spending like there's no tomorrow - I loved it! Side note - go the the middle of the galleria where you'll find a mosaic on the floor of the city's symbol - a torino (little bull). Spin clockwise, two times on the bull's testicles for luck! (see Alex spinning below). Once you make it to the other side of the galleria, you'll see your next stop...
The Duomo: The third largest cathedral in Europe.... WOW. I knew it was big, but not that big. What a gorgeous structure. There will be a line & I promise you, it's worth the wait. There's also the Duomo Museum inside the church, which was closed when we were there. I would highly recommend heading up to the roof for the best view in Milan (there's an elevator). Unfortunately for us, it was Palm Sunday when we went, so all of the extras were closed and we didn't get to see the museum or the view. However, being inside the Duomo on Palm Sunday during mass was pretty cool. Sometimes, we forget that these great cathedrals are actually still used today and are highly important to patrons' faith - an important reminder for all of us when traveling abroad.
Sforza Castle: A real castle with an interesting history. Open for tours - most people go to see the unfinished Michelangelo Pieta. We just walked through the grounds & that was enough for us. There's a ton of cats living on the grounds and to be honest, those cats were our favorite part of the castle.
Parco Semipone: A beautiful vast park adjacent to Sforza Castle. We took a leisurely stroll through the park on the last day of our trip and it was great. The park is full of little cafes, people walking their dogs and kids & a ton of turtles!! We sat at a little cafe for a few hours & had an appertivo - well worth a stop if you are looking to wind down!
Princi: This is a super cute little bakery and coffee chain that started in Milan & now has several locations worldwide. Armani designed the logo and the uniforms! They have the best focaccia pizza I've ever had - I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of it. Also, I just found out they are owned by Starbucks which kind of kills the vibe a tiny bit, but I still love it. Caffe Panzera: A nice restaurant near the main train station. Really great food - we liked it so much we went there twice! Classic Italian food and wine. They also have a bakery section in the front of the cafe.
Airbnb: We traveled in Italy with my sister, Amy & her husband, Joe so Airbnb was really helpful when trying to find places to stay. We knew it would be cheaper to get a place we could all share & that's what we did! We really enjoyed our little apartment (weird celebrity cardboard cutouts and all - check out the pics on Airbnb.. haha!) for the few days we were in Milan - super close to the main train station, tons of restaurants & in a gated apartment complex. (Not that Milan isn't safe but it's always nice to have added security).
Take the Public Transportation: Milan has a great metro, bus & cable car system. It's clean, easy to navigate and cheap. It's a great way to see the city if you are on a budget or a time crunch!
Milano Centrale: Milan's main train station is much more than just a place to catch the train. The station itself is gorgeous and worth a walk through even if you aren't catching the train. Full of shopping, restaurants, cafes and even a grocery store, the station is a one stop shop for the Milanese who spend a lot of their time commuting on public transportation.