8 Things to See in Milan: I lived there seven years, almost three years ago I opened this travel blog, yet so far I had hardly even gone through the anteroom of the brain to present you a list of things to see in Milan.
Yes, some time ago I took the trouble to suggest some ideas on how to spend a Milanese weekend among museums and aperitifs; but more than anything, in the past three years, when I wrote about Milan, I supported the need to explain why I had left and why I had never regretted having done so.
Now, however, time has passed. The list of places to visit in Milan that you are about to scroll serves me above all to analyze the reflection made recently. Not that there is much to say, actually. It’s just that I sense a certain difference in thought. If three years ago, in fact, the reasons for my choice made me sick, today it is no longer so.
Today the reflection on Milan and what I wanted then changed. Let’s say that my thoughts and I have matured. Milan is no longer the ugly and bad city from which I fled. Milan has now become one of my many homes where I don’t mind returning. Where there are some deep affections.
Where I always find something familiar waiting for me. And, until a little while ago I never imagined typing what I’m about to type on the keyboard, sometimes I miss Milan. I miss some things about Milan (I don’t talk about loved ones, I always miss those. I really talk about the city). Always in small doses, eh, don’t believe; but it is still a novelty.
PIAZZA DUOMO
There is not much to say about Piazza Duomo and one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. If among the things to see in Milan I suggest you leave here it is because even now, after years, every time I pass by this square and my eyes focus on the Duomo of Milan I can not help but stop (which is not easy to stop on the street while everyone else runs) and stare at him for a few minutes. Much of the size (and beauty) of the city, in my opinion, starts right here.
PIAZZA CORDUSIO
I have always thought of her as the younger sister of Piazza del Duomo. They are really attached to each other and one thing I have never understood is how it is possible for each to have its own metro stop (on the same line, by the way; not on different lines) even though they are so close.
By day, Piazza Cordusio is a continuous succession of cars, pedestrians and above all trams (well, we are still in the heart of Milan). But try to go there in the evening, when the frequency of cars, pedestrians, and trams is reduced to the bare minimum; you will discover that the Duomo has to envy its older sister.
SEMPIONE PARK AND THE SFORZESCO CASTLE
“Green and brown” defined him Elio and the Storie Tese in one of their most famous pieces. I remember that the Sempione Park was one of the first places in Milan that I visited even before I moved. It could attract you if during your visit to the city you should feel an urgent need to take refuge from the chaos for even a couple of hours.
Parco Sempione will welcome you and give you the right amount of rest and relaxation necessary to go back to the Milanese frenzy. A tour of the Sforzesco Castle and its collections, right at the entrance to the park, is a must.
BRERA DISTRICT
In my seven years in Milan, I realize that I have never paid the attention it deserves to Brera. Mine has always been a passage, a too-fast walk between one stage and another.
Instead, Brera is one of those neighborhoods that you would never expect from Milan: narrow streets, colorful buildings, suggestive corners, restaurants, and trattorias for all tastes, original shops, and delightful shops. Not to mention the immense Pinacoteca di Brera, one of the things to see in Milan that you should not miss.
BASILICA DI SANT’AMBROGIO
Another thing that is not lacking in Milan are the churches. There will be hundreds of them. I am not an assiduous visitor to the genre but one of my favorites remains the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio, in the heart of one of the Milanese districts that I love most (Sant’Ambrogio, in fact).
Outside, it may seem like a mini abbey, with its bold geometric shapes, its arcades, and its color tending towards blood.
THE NAVIGLI DI MILANO
Let’s say instead that you don’t have much time available and plan to visit Milan in one day. Where can I advise you to spend some time if not in the place to which I am closest and to whom I owe many of the best memories of my Milanese life? Furthermore, we are talking about one of the most suggestive neighborhoods in the city.
So if you stop for a few hours or for a week, a jump to the Navigli in Milan must be taken into account by force. I advise you to see them both during the day and in the evening, perhaps at aperitif time.
THE COLUMNS OF SAN LORENZO
Once you are on the Navigli, another of the things to see in Milan are the nearby Colonne di San Lorenzo. Not so much for the columns themselves, or rather, not only. Around the Piazza Delle Colonne, where the Basilica of San Lorenzo is also located, there is an area of nice little shops, street art and clubs of any kind for dinner, after dinner, lunch and lunch break. And the inevitable aperitif, of course.
PIAZZA GAE AULENTI
To be honest, with the districts of Milan developed more in height than in width (see the skyscrapers of Porta Nuova) I do a little barrel. But I cannot fail to admit that they have done an extraordinary job with Piazza Gae Aulenti. To reach it you could walk the last remnants of Brera along Corso Como (which is teeming with life especially in the evening).
To explore the interesting places in Milan, you should need to hire chauffeur car rental services that offer you a convenient and comfortable experience of a ride from Milan airport transfers to various locations in Milan.
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