Hi all,
This group has been incredibly helpful so I thought I might give back.
1)We just left Milano after 3 nights. It is HOT. It is pretty packed around the Duomo and Galleria. Other places like the Sforza castle had plenty of tourists but felt normal (even yesterday when the museums were free).
2) We arrived on the Bernina Express (from Tirano). Since from Tirano it’s a regional train, we waited to buy tickets day of. The day before we found out that train was suspended until September because of track work. So they substituted a bus to Colico followed by a train to Milano. Man in seat 61 says the same thing that Trenitalia app offered (2:50 pm bus/train substitutes 1:08 pm train. There were people who has 2:29 pm bus tickets so you may want to check Trenord site. Plan accordingly though because you arrive two hours later than originally planned in Milano.
3) There will be a taxi strike tomorrow in Milano (not sure if it will also happen in other cities). The hotel concierge was giving people instructions on how to use the metro and trains to get to the airport. He mentioned another taxi strike later in July, so keep this in mind. Again, other cities may join.
5) Check your restaurant bills and when in doubt ordering, ask. On the first restaurant we went to I asked for the Cotoletta a la Milanesa. They brought it with potatoes (which I did not ask for) so I assumed the dish came with them. Well I was charged 5€ for them. If I had known, I would have chosen another contorno. At another place husband and son ordered each a pasta dish and then a main to share. They specified they were sharing. They were brought and charged two dishes. So buyer beware. The last place we went to we walked quite a bit, but a world of difference.
6) Face masks required on trains and they have to be N95 (or similar).
Hope this helps future travelers.