Towards Italy
We went to Milan last spring. A friend of mine had lived in Milan and knew the city well, so he could recommend good places to visit. She focused in particular on locally popular restaurants, local cultural meeting places and natural attractions around the city. It was my first trip to Italy and Milan was an easy place to go. Or so we thought. But we didn’t think about all the things that could happen on a connecting flight. My friend and I booked the trip on a short notice and planned to stay for a week, as we had just that much time off from work.
Read more: Wish I Was There: MilanA series of coincidences
We headed first from Oulu to Helsinki and then towards Warsaw. We took a different airline for each flight, as we thought of this as an adventure to try out different airlines. Well, we ended up stuck in Poland for two days, because our first flight to Bergamo was cancelled due to a bomb threat. By that time, refugees were already arriving from Ukraine and Warsaw airport was full of rush. There were also a lot of vacationers on their way to Italy. Our second flight was also about to be cancelled because the weather conditions were very bad and there was a fault with the aircraft which took several hours to fix. All flights were delayed and no one was told the real reason immediately. The information from the airline was very poor, so passengers became irritated. Finally, after another 24 hour wait, we were able to fly to Italy at night. During this two-day wait, we had got to know several other passengers and when we finally arrived in Milan, we kept in touch with these new acquaintances, who taught us Italian and recommended places to visit in Milan. In the middle of all this, we got sick and I had a sickness attack just before the flight, so the journey started to feel heavy even before the actual holiday started.
Thoughts about the city
However, once we got started on the holiday everything went very well. The city of Milan is full of life and there was plenty to see and do. Although Milan is very internationalised and full of tourists, there are also places where you can experience the authentic Italian way of life. Local public transport was also easy to use and the apps for using it also worked well. The taxi apps also worked well and it was easy to split the fare if there were several people in the car. We explore the city on foot, by metro, tram, bikes and electric scooters. There is much to see for the next time. It would also be nice to learn more Italian, as I have Italian friends. The Porta Venezia, where the Navigli canal is located, was particularly attractive as a district. As its name suggests, it reminds of an atmospheric Venetian canal.
6 visit recommendations for holiday
1. Piazza Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and Terazza 12 Bar
Piazza Duomo has very good fine dining. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is an arcade-style shopping centre in the heart of Milan. You’ll find lots of branded stores, but also smaller local shops and cafés. Terazza 12 Bar has a very good service and atmosphere with a 360 degree view of the city.
2. QC Terme Milano, authentic spa experience
The wellness centre is built in accordance with the philosophy of ancient imperial Rome, which placed water at the centre of the satisfaction of body and spirit. Customer service is very good and the spa is varied and experiential.
3. Santa Maria Delle Grazie
Santa Maria delle Grazie is a late Gothic Renaissance church in Milan. The church is famous for Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Holy Communion, which is located in the chapel attached to the church.
4. Sforzesco Castle
Castello Sforzesco is a large medieval fortress. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remains of a 13th century fortress.
5. La Scala
Il Teatro alla Scala is a famous opera house. It’s located next to a monument dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci.
6. Navigli and Porta Venezia
Navigli like a gateway to Venice. It’s a beautiful canal near the centre of Milan. Navigli are interconnected canals in and around Milan, in the Lombardy region of Italy, dating back to the Middle Ages. Porta Venezia is a beautiful district full of neoclassical buildings near Navigli.
Sum up
All’s well that ends well. It was a memorable and educational trip in many ways. I can warmly recommend Milan as a holiday destination and also for a longer stay, as the services work well and are also available in English if you are not so fluent in Italian. Milan has many great urban areas and the city is constantly growing. There are also many nice shopping centres and events a little further away from the city centre. With a little wisdom from the trip, next time when I travel to Italy, I’m considering taking direct flights just in case.
If you could go to Italy right now, where would you go?
So much bad luck along the way. But useful for getting to know other passengers and to get information from them about Milan.
I liked your six visit recommendations. I’ve been Milan and few of them were familiar to me!
You’re right, anything can happen on a trip and you can’t always be prepared for everything. As you mentioned, the experience and knowledge of other travellers often helps, so you get a lot out of the interaction if you dare to open your mouth. Glad to hear that you’ve visited Milan too!