Anyone live in/been to Milan?

[Craig]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 3:22pm

Thinking of a vist there and had some questions about getting around without a car.

Thinking of staying at a hotel in the Porta Venezia quarter.

Updated On: 3/25/09 at 03:22 PM

[wexy]

Posted: 3/27/09 at 7:54pm

when are you going? My from Milan is coming to NYC in a couple of weeks. I can ask him.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/27/09 at 8:55pm

It's easy to get around Milan via public transportation. Trams are readily available. I do find it to be a rather snooty city (and I speak Italian!). The Duomo is stunning, La Scala is magnificent, "The Last Supper" is inspirational and the cemetery is wild (each monument tries to out-do the others!)

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 1:04am

We loved it. It's not as picturesque as other Italian cities, because it's a business town (fashion and other related industries), but there's plenty to see and do.

We had friends so we didn't find it snooty, but lots of Americans come away not enjoying it as much as Rome, Florence, Siena, Venice--all of which have more mystique and can be much more romantic.

We didn't have a car but were staying in a Starhotel right behind the Duomo and you don't want a car in the Centro of ANY Italian city! I'm not sure how far (or pleasant) the walk is from Porta Venezia to the Duomo and La Scala. (I recommend the Starhotel chain throughout Italy. We stayed in three of them: Milan, Genoa and Parma.)

Speaking of La Scala--arrange in advance for tickets to La Scala. It's difficult to get individual opera tickets, but we got tickets for a solo recital by Dame Felicity Lott, and it was wonderful just to hear music there.

The other thing you need to arrange in advance is the Last Supper. We were there in October, which is high tourist season, and the Last Supper admissions were sold out two months in advance. But someone told us about a 3-hour bus tour that has the 4:15 and 4:30 admissions and you can always book the bus tour last minute in order to see the Last Supper.

So as much as I hate them, we took it and saw all of Milan and at the end of the tour, they brought us to the Last Supper. You now go through a series of hermetically sealed chambers before they let you in--it's like the opening of Get Smart. Then you see it--and you lose your breath. No matter how many other paintings or frescoes I had seen of those guys at that table, the drama and emotionality in every inch of Da Vinci's is awe inspiring. And to think those monks chopped a door into it!

Let me know if you need the name of the bus tour--I can find it somewhere, and it's worth it if you can't get tickets by themselves.

Where else in Italy are you going--or is it just Milan?

[KingKong]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 1:28am

Sadly I Haven't been. Been to Italy three times and never been to Milan. have fun.

[Bluejay2]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 7:53am

I'm from Milan (almost, I live half an our away), feel free to pm me with your questions. I can tell you that it's pretty easy to get around Milan without a car, between the underground and buses you can get pretty much everywhere

[Elphaba]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 12:58pm

as Pal Joey said, nowhere near as nice as the other Italian major towns.....don't give it too much time, much more to see in Rome, Florence, Siena, etc.....hopefully you are doing other towns to.
But DO see the cathedral. I wouldn't give Milan more than a day....two max

[Craig]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:37pm

We're doing a long weekend. So maybe Milan and then a day trip or two. Was thinking of Como, Bologna and Bergamo.

Would that fill a Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun?

[Bluejay2]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 8:53am

I don't know Bologna, but I can give you some tips about what to do in the other cities:
MILAN:
- Duomo: it's the main church, right now they finally finished to clean up the facade so it's really nice, you should go on the "roof" of it, the view it's very nice
_ Galleria Vittorio Emanuele: it's next to the Duomo, I really don't know how to describe it, it's like a covered street, in the middle of it there's a bull drown on the pavement...it's said that if you step on a certain part of it and ruotate on yourself it brings gook luck, there's always some turists or students doing it
_ at the end of the Galleria there's LaScala's square... where ofcourse there's the theater, you can visit it, there's a small museum inside, if you want to see something I suggest you to buy tickets on line and with plenty of advance (expecially if you plan to see a ballet with Roberto Bolle)
_ Castello Sforzesco: downtown Milan there's also a castle, it's within walking distance from Duomo, behind the castle there's Parco Sempione, a nice park to relax a little and see some green _ Also downtown there are all the nice shopping streets (Corso Buenos Aires, Via Montenapoleone....)
_ Cenacolo di Leonardo (Leonardo's last supper): a must see for everybody intrested in art, you'll have to book in advance because they let few people in at the time
_ Pinacoteca di Brera: an Art museum
_ If you like soccer go to San Siro, our soccer stadium, you can actually visit it, but I can't tell you if it's intresting or not because I don't like soccer and I've never been inside it
_ If you like tecnology you should go to the Museum of science and tecnology and book the visit in the Toti (a U-boat from I don't remember which war), it's really really cool seeing who people lived in those submarines

of course there are other things to visit, but I really can't think of them right now

a few suggestions of what to eat:
-do NOT eat in bars in the galleria, there are super expencive!
-if you're downtown and want to have a quick lunch or snack go to Luini, it's a really small shop (if you'll like I'll pm how to get there), and they make the most deliticius Panzerotto ever, it's like a small pizza fried...gosh...it's really really good.

COMO:
if you're lucky and get there in a sunny day it's simply breathtaking
walk along the lake, and enjoy the wheater
I don't really know the city, I suggest you to take on of the ferry and enjoy the ride.
If you like tecnology it's intresting the Museo Voltiano (Volta's museum)
Also it's nice Villa Olmo, that usually hosts exposition

BERGAMO:
the city it divided in two parts:
Bergamo Alta (High)
Bergamo Bassa (Low)

Bergamo alta is the most intresting part of the city, although also in Bergamo bassa there are nice spots. Once you get of from the station you'll just have to walk straight on the main street, at one point the street stops and you see the funicolare (don't know the english word, it's kinda of a small train that brings you on the upper part of the city). You can also take the stairs to go up (but I suggest you to take the funicolare). Once up just enjoy the city, ask for the university, you'll arrive in a small square, you'll find a church and the Battistero, these are pretty important storically speaking, fun fact: the church it's inside a gate with the crest of the family (Colleoni)that used to rule Bergamo during middle age. One of these crests is really shiny because it's belived that if you touch it before and exam it will bring you good luck, and ofcourse being this church next to the university all the studens drop by.
_ Accademia Carrare: a small nice art museum

A couple of suggestions for eating in Bergamo: Pizzeria da Mimmo (the best pizza around) and a nice icecream place: La Mariannna

also because for us Italians food it's really important I'll suggest you a couple of things to try while you'll be in Milan/Bergamo:
- cotoletta alla Milanese (fried meat)
- risotto alla Milanese (rice with saffron)
- polenta (it's kind of a corn bread served with roast meat)
- polenta taragna (it's one of the best things in the world if you love cheese...it'a a soft kind of polenta with melted cheesees in it)
- caseula (it's ribs, sausages and cabbage, don't really like it, but it's tipical of this part of Italy)
Caseula, polenta and polenta taragna are really rich food, so I suggest you (if you can find them)to try them only if it's cold, otherwise it will take forever to digest them

sorry of the long post, but I didn't want to forget anything

[Craig]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 9:11am

Thanks BlueJay -

Sounds like 3-4 full days is plenty of time to do a lot/get a good grasp on the immediate area...

Are you familiar at all with the eurohotel which is apparently near the Porta Venezia station and in the Palestro part of Milan?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/31/09 at 12:18pm

I had a risotto con Barolo, not in Milan but in Parma. It makes my mouth water just to think about it.

[Bluejay2]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 10:22am

I'm sorry Craig, I don't know the hotel, but the zone it's pretty much downtown, and it's pretty nice, one thing I suggest you is to check that it's near a tube station, the tube it's the best way to get fast around town.

PalJoey I agree...in Parma (and the area around it) the food is simply awesome...and being on a dietI better stop thinking about it