Milan

I have to be honest: Milan is not my favorite city. It looks rusty and industrial. It has the sort of 1970’s architecture that was destined to age badly and the city feels dirty in the way cities do when they’re overly transient. Milan also doesn’t really lend itself to living there long-term as most of its working population leaves for the suburbs after hours.

Sure, there’s a lot of shopping. It’s Italy, so there will also be a lot of eating. However, the experience isn’t as magical as the one you feel in Rome, Florence, the Lakes Region, or the Italian Riviera. There are however, some once-in-a-lifetime things you should do even if you only stay for one or two days. This includes a trip to the Last Supper by Leonardo. The Last Supper was stored In a museum when Milan was mercilessly bombed in World War Two And somehow Did not get destroyed in In the showing and Bomb dropping by The Germans That’s pretty incredible on it’s out But anyone who’s told me that they’ve got On to the exhibit said that it’s one of them. Most Amazing things they’ve ever seen. We get ordered and do a lot of paintings. It’s pretty well documented that he has like 17 or 18 paintings. But considering that this is one of the most famous paintings in the world, you should probably make a reservation to see it.

Duomo di Milano. The Milan Duomo may be one of the top five churches in the worl dand doesn’t get as much love as it should. It’s more famous brother in Florence gets most of the fanfare and foot traffic but, the Milan Duomo is worth the trip to Milan by itself . It looks like an ice castle and it serves as the main attraction on a square known for its outdoor galleria, expensive coffee places, tourist-priced cocktails, and old hotels. Tourists aside, it’s worth the price of admission.

The Milan Duomo itself is almost as impressive inside as it is outside. And I would highly recommend taking either the audio guided tour or shelling out some money to Viator for a tour guide. Tough to be disappointed with this, especially since you’ll get to see the catacombs and the roof of the church, where a 360-degree view of the city awaits. Again, I’d even recommend this ahead of Santa Maria del Fiore, in Florence.

Aperitivo in the Navigli District. Milan is famous for one of the most important contributions to Italian culture: Aperitivo. An italian tradition that doesn’t get nearly as much worldwide adoption as it should, the practice of aperitivo the Italian custom far too overlooked when it comes to eating.

Here’s how it works: You walk into a bar and you order a fantastic cocktail or glass of wine for between 12 and 15 euro. The waiter comes back with your drink and you get up to taste rows of Italian appetizers, meats, cheeses, olives, pastas, and pizzas. Most Italians will sort of nibble at this point, they won’t go up and do the American visiting tradition, which is to stuff your plate full of food, and return to the bar for seconds and thirds. Apertivo is more of an opportunity to get a taste of multiple dishes as opposed to get full on multiple dishes .(Actually, maybe it’s better that Italy keeps aperitivo to themselves. Doubt we could handle ourselves in America.)

The most famous area of the city to eat aperitivo is in the Navigli district. It’s located northeast of the city center, and is adjacent to a series of canals that may or may not have water in them. But all around the canals, Italians and tourists alike enjoy each other’s company, sit outside and share a cocktail – an aperol spritz, a Negroni and anything else the growing mixology scene in Milan serves up. Later on at night, the scene becomes a lot more wild with younger Italians and tourists meeting one another after three too many.

Milan may not be my favorite city, but they’re some of the friendliest people on the planet.

There are three bars that I would recommend in the Navigli district for apertivo. The first is Rita & Cocktails. Rita’s bartenders are absolutely making magic just off of the canal. They use fresh ingredients that flavor the cocktails – whether they’re mixing something a bit more traditional or something purely bespoke – with exceptional flavor. Rita’s also has a decent wine and beer selection that will break the heat of the summer sun with the help of some small bites.

The second is Mag Cafe. Now in my 30’s, I can’t emphasize enough how good the selection of charcuterie and snacks are at this lower-key apertivo hotspot. I came here in the summer, but this is an ideal location for warming up around Christmastime. The vibe is warm and welcoming, transporting you back to the Renaissance with both the decor and the selection. It’s far more low key than some of the “oontz oontz” bars across the way and it really does have a nice vibe for people trying to come in and relax as opposed to light themselves up.

The last and final spot I’d recommend for aperitivo and late night isn’t in the Navigli District, but when I was there in 2013 I had enough to drink that it didn’t matter. It’s called Huggy Bear, and I don’t know how it stays open. (Update: It didn’t stay open.) I think we paid around four or five euro for what I would like to say is three pints of beer in one massive glass. And it was one of the more impressive deals I’ve had for anything of that quality. (Update 2: It turns out that was an unsustainable business model. The Facebook page hasn’t been updated for years.)

Milan’s real strength is in the transportation. It is so easy to get from from Milan to anywhere in Italy, using the high speed train (Frecciarossa or Trenitalia.) Want to go all the way down to Rome in 3 hours and 39 minutes? Milan can do that. Heading to Venice? Awesome. It’ll take you around 1 hour and 15 minutes to pull into Venice. Interested in some sun in the Lakes region? ( Lake Como Lake Garda, etc.) Great. Hop on a local train and it’ll take you up to Lake Como in less than two hours.

Milan’s truly one of the key hubs in Europe and I truly mean that. I have nothing but great things to say about what is objectively a pretty rundown train station with a surrounding area that I wouldn’t recommend hanging out in at night.