Probably no other Italian city pivots upon one square as Milan does upon la Piazza del Duomo. The Milanese, in fact will say, “Sono stato in Duomo”, not meaning they were in the cathedral but rather in the immediate surroundings. Given this fact, it is wise to make for Duomo to begin seeing the city. It is easily reached as two of the three underground lines arrive here and trams all come to or near the square. The historic centre of Milan is extremely walkable and by starting from this point it is only a five- to ten-minute walk to most of the important museums and sights and the best shopping areas for designer fashion, antiques and gourmet shops. Duomo Work began on the cathedral in 1386 and continued until the 19th century, when it gained its facade. Made entirely in marble, it is the fourth largest Catholic cathedral in the world. Over 2,300 statues decorate its exterior. If you ascend to the roof by lift or staircase, you’ll find views that are completely different from those available from any other church. One enters a fantastic forest of marble pinnacles creating lacy designs with views over the city, and on a clear winter’s day one can even see the snow-covered Alps. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is probably the most famous of all the 19th-century gallerias. Though the original shops of Prada and Riccordi have now been duplicated everywhere, it is still pleasant to stroll or sit in a cafe and people-watch. Quadrilatero d’Oro (the golden quadrangle) is the high fashion designer shopping area between the pedestrian zoned via della Spiga, via Manzoni, via Montenapoleone, Corso Venezia.
Brera Centred around the museum which gives it its name, this area is reached by walking along the side street of Teatro La Scala. It houses galleries, boutiques, and residential palazzi that have been converted into slick showrooms for furniture companies such as Edra and Boffi. By night, the mood shifts to a bar scene; restaurant and bar tables spill out onto the streets, and hawkers sell designer knock-offs (be aware that you can be fined if you buy them and get caught by the city police).
Navigli Not only roads but an extensive system of canals built by the Romans have continued to develop, providing water for irrigation, the working of mills and later the transport that bought marble from the Alps for the building of the Duomo. Indeed, Shakespeare, who has Prospero returning to Milan by boat, was probably not really inventing anything for a good part of that journey could have been made from the sea to Milan. For health reasons many of the canals were filled in under Mussolini but in the southern part of the city they still exist in the Navigli area which until the Eighties was run down and dead. Today pizzerias, bars and bistros line the canals. Try the Rinomata Gelateria (Ripa Porta Ticinese, ang. Viale Gorizia, Tel: 5811 3877), one of the oldest gelaterias in town. On the last Sunday of each month, Navigli is the host of a huge antique market with stands lining the canals for miles. Here you can pick up anything from a ’50s Gio Ponti lamp to old postcards, linen and jewellery Isola (Metro stop Garibaldi) is the hippest area in town for bars and vintage shopping. As the most multi-cultural area of Milan, it’s in refreshing contrast to the high fashion areas in the centre of town. Check out Frida bar (via Pollaiuolo
3), which has a heated indoor garden, good cocktails, exhibitions and brunch on Sundays. via Sarpi (Chinatown) In this area, where the Chinese residents now outnumber the locals and given it a special but not always appreciated flair, via Paolo Sarpi is the main thoroughfare with wholesaler and retailer stores selling practically everything. At five minutes’ walk from Moscova metro station, via Bramante hosts not only Milan’s best and most expensive Chinese restaurants (open also on Sundays) but leads to Milan’s Monumental Cemetery, a stunning place to visit, with tombs of Italy’s rich and famous. Porta Venezia This district at the end of the prestigious Corso Venezia, once home of the Milanese aristocracy, is mainly residential, which means there are lots of useful stores, including the largest supermarket in Milan, Esselunga. The Giardini Publici is Milan’s most ancient public park.
San Lorenzo Le Colonne di San Lorenzo has an edgier vibe with funky bars and boutiques all open till late. Behind the row of 18 grooved Roman columns stands the beautiful early Christian Basilica di San Lorenzo and nearby one of the two surviving medieval gates of Milan: Porta Ticinese.
GETTING AROUND
Metro Quick and cheap. There are three lines serving the city centre and suburbs plus the so called Passante Ferroviario (railway link) connecting rail and metro stations. A single ticket costs €1 and lasts for any number of line changes within a 75-minute time scale. Make sure you punch or validate your ticket as you do when you board a bus or tram.
Trams and buses A single ticket gives 75 minutes of travel on the entire metropolitan area and on all means of transport. You can also purchase for
€9.20 a 10-ticket booklet; 24-hour and weekly tickets are also available. Buy both tram and metro tickets from newsagents, tobacconists and dispensers. When entering the Metro you will automatically have to stamp your ticket, if you have a pass you need stamp it for the initial journey, thereafter go through the pass entry.
Taxis can be found in most of the city’s main squares. In Italy taxis may be hailed only if they are not in proximity of a taxi rank or posteggio taxi. Should a driver point ahead as he passes you by, it means there is a rank somewhere in that direction. You will see an orange “T” sign indicating the rank. Alternatively, you can order taxis by calling 028585, 026767 or 025353. The meter starts when the taxi is ordered, so take this into account if it’s going to take a long time to arrive.
SHOPPING
For gifts, try Peck (via Spadari 9), a three-storied delicatessen emporium that is a Milan institution for cheeses, hams, antipasti and wines. Look out for Mostarda di Cremona, a fruit condiment for meat and game dishes which is not well-known outside Italy. Truffles are sold whole, made into sauces or used as a flavouring in olive oil. Prices vary from the most highly prized white truffles from Alba in Piemonte to the woody black summer truffle, which are still very tasty.
Fashion, and particularly leather, is the other speciality in Milan, and one of the most interesting boutiques for shoes is Vetrina di Beryl, via Statuto 4 (Tel: 02 654 278). Mark Twain 150 years ago wrote about the wonderful gloves made in Genoa bearing French labels. Italy has long made the best, cheapest and most varied gloves. Try Sermoneta (via della Spiga 46; www.sermonetagloves. com) a fabulous glove shop from Rome where you can buy silk- or cashmere-lined leather gloves in any colour of the rainbow from €25.
Depending on what you’re after and at what price, the main shopping areas are via Manzoni, via della Spiga and via Montenapoleone for designer shops; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II for designer shoes as well as stores such as Zara, H&M, Stefanel, Benetton, Mondadori MediaStore (for DVDs, magazines and music) and the department store La Rinascente.
The fantastic, glass-roofed Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is home to the original Prada store. Louis Vuitton and Gucci are later additions to the gallery. Head to via Solferino and via Brera for Profumo (via Brera 6) which is a wonderful, well-stocked perfumier selling Creed, Carthusia and Acqua di Parma. Alternatively, for perfumes, the Florentine perfumery Santa Maria Novella off Corso Magenta (via Santa Maria Porta 1) sells perfectly packaged perfumes, soaps, elixirs and pot pourri that make lovely presents.
Visit Cavalli & Nastri (via Brera 2) for vintage womenswear, jewellery and bags. Further up the road is Kristina Ti (via Solferino 18) which has wonderful bikinis, with high heels to match. Other individual boutiques for women include Carla Saibene (via San Maurilio 20) for cotton dresses, tops and accessories and Luisa Cevese (via San Maurilio 3) for unique bags made from antique ribbons and fabrics moulded in a clear latex material. The Venetian firm of Barovier & Toso sell their beautiful glassware at Galleria Manzoni (via Manzoni 40, Tel:
02760008906). The family dates back to the 14th century and has the distinction of having rediscovered the method of producing colourless glass. Fabriano, a town in the Marches, has been making paper since the 13th century and it was there that watermarks were invented. A shop of the same name sells finest quality paper and writing accessories (Fabriano, via Verri 3, Tel: 0276318754)
The Victoria & Albert Museum showed an exhibition of Piero Fornasetti’s work in 1991 and Barnaba, his son, took over the business after his father’s death in 1988. Now the shop stocks decorative wall plaques, trompe l’oeil, objets d’art and eccentric Fifties furniture. (Fornasetti, via Manzoni 45, Tel: 026592341) Opened in 2004, Habits Culti (via Angelo Mauri 5, tel: 02 4810 0789) is a lifestyle emporium where you can buy flowers, gift items and home fragrances in one section, fine chocolates and coffee in another, take lunch at the restaurant and finally book into the day spa for a traditional hammam treatment. Similar in diversity, design-orientated 10 Corso Como (Tel: 02 2900 2674) is dedicated to books, music, women- and menswear and home accessories. Just around the block is High Tech (piazza XXV Aprile 12), an amazing store that looks like an underground cave where you can buy furniture and clothes.
Once you’re shopped out, complete the day with a haircut from the famous Pier Giuseppe Moroni (via San Pietro all’Orto 26), which is also half the price of a London equivalent.
For custom-designed hats see Lorenzo Borghi (via dei Piatti 5, Tel: 02 874705), where the shop windows are worthy of a museum. The maestro is not an artisan but an artist and has a worldwide clientele. Most of his designs are for women but men’s can be ordered as well. Bear in mind that most shops are closed all day Sunday, on Monday mornings and every day at lunchtime between 1pm and 3pm, although there are now exceptions among the bigger stores and those in the very centre.
For cheaper buys, visit more commercial areas such as Corso Buenos Aires, via Torino or via Paolo Sarpi (heart of Milan’s Chinatown). For designer labels from previous collections, Emporio Isola (via Prina 11, Tel: 02 3491040) is a good source of clothes, shoes and accessories. The best emporio stores are in Foro Bonaparte, 10 (Tel: 02 8054666) and via Prina, 11 (Tel: 02 3491040). If you’re feeling adventurous go to Milan’s best street market, which is held every Saturday (all day) and Tuesday (morning only) on Viale Papiniano (Metro stop S. Agostino).
THINGS TO DO
Tourist information Milan Tourist Office APT (via Marconi 1, Tel: 02 7252 4301; www.milanoinfotourist.com, apt@netitalia.it).
Tours At the IAT (Information and Tourist Assistance) presently in via Marconi 1 (piazza Duomo) but due to relocate in spring 2006, you can also buy a commercial city tour. Zani Viaggi runs a daily sightseeing and walking tour of the city centre (departure at 2.30 pm from Zani Viaggi Agency Foro Bonaparte, 76); Autostradale offers a sightseeing tour (departing at 9.30 from IAT office from Tuesday to Sunday) including a visit to Leonardo’s The Last Supper painted on the refectory wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Corso Magenta 2). For independent visits to The Last Supper you can make bookings on Tel: 02 8942 1146, wwwcenacolovinciano.it. Book in advance as viewing is restricted to allocated slots (entrance fee from €6.50 + €1.50 booking charge).
For group or private tours in the most common foreign languages refer to Centro Guide Turistiche (via Marconi 1, Tel: 02 8645 0433, www. centroguidemilano.it) There is also a tram city tour that lasts two hours, on the CiaoMilano tram (Tel: 02 7200 2584), departing every day at 11am, 1pm and 3pm from Piazza Castello.
Museums The Brera National Gallery (via Brera 28, Tel: 02 8942 1146) is one of the great museums of Italy. One of Canova’s two colossi statues of Napoleon stands in the courtyard (the other is in Apsley House in London) and within hang works by Bellini, Mategna, Caravaggio and Raphael to mention but a few. Open Tues-Saturday 9am-5.30 pm and Sundays 9am-12.30 pm.
Pinacoteca Ambrosiana (piazza Pio XI 2, Tel: 02 806921) was founded in 1609 and houses Leonardo’s Atlantic Codex as well as works by Raphael, Titian, Botticelli and Caravaggio’s famous basket of fruit. Enjoy a morbid chuckle while looking at the small wax sculptures of the soul in its three possible states after death. Open 10am-5.30 pm, closed Mondays.
Museo Poldi Pezzoli (via Manzoni 12, Tel: 02 794889) was bequeathed “to the use and benefit of the public” by Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli in 1871 and is one of the most refined collections of the 19th century. Pollaiolo’s Portrait of a Woman is used in silhouette as the logo of the museum. Open 10am-6pm, closed Mondays.
Civic Museums of Castello Sforzesco (Piazza Castello, Tel: 02 62083931) is a vast collection housed in an impressively restored castle. It includes applied arts, a musical instrument collection, and an archaeological collection, plus ceramics, furniture and painting. A highlight is Michelangelo’s last sculpture, the Rondanini Pietà. Open every day 9am-5.30pm (some rooms close from 1pm to 2pm).
A tour of Stadium San Siro (via Piccolomini 5, Tel: 02 404 2432 or 02 4042251 (www.sansirotour.com) encompasses a circuit of the grounds and changing rooms. The Inter & Milan Museum at Entrance 21 collects much memorabilia relating to the two famous teams, including trophies, original shirts and life-size statues of football greats. Open 10am-5pm (times may differ on match days).
TOURIST TRAPS
Avoid lunching around the Duomo and Galleria, where you’ll pay hiked-up prices for a plate of pasta or a pizza reheated in the microwave. Designer stores are grouped in the so called Golden Quadrangle (via Montenapoleone, via della Spiga, etc) but forget the idea that designer clothes are cheaper in Italy and don’t expect bargains! Finally, if you’re looking to get away from the crowds, don’t head to the Brera district or to the Canal area in the evening.
EXCURSIONS
Stazione Centrale The biggest train station on the continent is unfortunately quite confusing. If you are coming off a train and want a taxi you come straight out and take either stairs down to the ticketing hall or an escalator. Tickets can be bought from machines in ticketing hall or at the window. Tickets may also be bought on line from the site www.trenitalia.it. To do this you charge the ticket to your card and are given a reservation number that you should print out and later show to the conductor. The left luggage office, or consegna bagagli (there are no lockers) is in the upper hall, that is, the same level as the platforms. Be forewarned that since 9/11 only the larger train stations in Italy have left luggage service.
Lake Como If driving, head north for the autostrada towards “Milan/Laghi” (laghi means lakes). When the road divides into the A8 and A9, one to Malpensa Varese and the latter to Como, take the turning for Como. (You’ll have to pay a toll; the fastest method is to go through the blue Viacard gates and pay with a credit card). Ignore the first Como exit and continue heading towards Chiasso, Switzerland. The road starts going up and you will pass through three tunnels. At this point look for a sharp right exit for Como Nord. Following this, head for Cernobbio and make a stop in the town to have a drink at the Villa d’Este, considered one of the three best hotels in the world.
CONVENTION CENTRES
Milan doesn’t contain convention centres as such. For appropriate venues for meetings, see the business hotel listings (see opposite).