Bologna vs. Milan

That sounds good, many agree with you about Bologna vs Milan. Milan is the financial center of Italy, they say for every church in Rome there's a bank in Milan. Milan's Duomo, Galleria, and Last Supper are worth a day or two in many travelers' itineraries. But note that whether you can arrive in Milan by 4 and see the Last Supper before closing time that day depends on whether you already have, or can get, a time slot for that late in the day, either directly through them or with a tour--advance reservations for the Last Supper are required, not optional, unless you're on a tour. Post back if you don't have a reservation, don't think a tour will work, and need to know how to do get a time slot, phone is best rather than online.

I'm very excited about my trip to Milan this fall! The Last Supper tour is at 2pm. Even if you go on your own, if you arrive at 4,I'm sure it's going to close too soon.
Milan has many things I'm interested in. Everyone had different tastes, so find out for yourself if you like Milan or not. I love this Milan website that lists some really neat places to visit. http://www.world66.com/europe/italy/lombardia/milan/sights

I vote for spending more time in Bologna.

I'm going to Bologna for the first time this month.
I leave next week and will spend 2 days in Bologna before starting the Rick Steves Village Italy tour.
I saw the Samantha Brown travel program on Bologna and decided that I must see it.
I like Milan - but it is a big big city.... and I prefer the smaller places.
I'll let you know about my Bologna trip.

It's always very nice to go to a smaller town after being in a big city. I hope to get to Bologna myself.
I also saw Samantha Brown's show on Bologna that made me want to go there also!
Happy Travels!
Lisa P.

I had a wonderful time in Bologna last fall. Wonderful market area, central piazzam shopping, and churches, plus incredible food. A great city to walk and stroll around in with the arcades. The university gives the city a youthful feel, and compared to many places in Italy it is relatively untouristy. Big enough to have a lot to do, but not too big to be overwhelming.

Haven't spent much time in Milan so I can't compare the two, but I recommend a visit to Bologna.

I've been to both and deciding between the two depends on what you're interested in. Milan is the fashion capital of Italy and has amazing people watching for that reason. The main piazza in front of the Duomo is very cool, as are the Galleria, the Duomo itself, the Sforza castle and Teatro La Scala (opera house). And of courese the Last Supper. But the city of Milan as a whole is pretty ugly.

Bologna is prettier than Milan and has better food, but no major tourist attractions.

Your plan sounds like a pretty good compromise, providing you can get in to see "L'Ultima Cena" (Last Supper)

Thanks for all the valuable info. It sounds like Bologna is more my style than Milan, so I'll probably skew my day more in favor of Bologna. If I can't get a late reservation for the Last Supper I won't be devestated. I'll attempt to book that this weekend.

Thanks Again!

-Matt

Hi~

I haven't been to Milan except in the train station, so it's hard to compare, but I loved Bologna! Like the others have said it's not real touristy but that's what I loved. As far as fashion is concerned it's nothing to sneeze at. Beautiful beautiful shops - very fashion forward. Food is amazing. I bought two pair of Italian leather pumps there, can't wait to wear them. I wish we had more time in Bologna. We stayed at the Albergo delle Drapperie www.albergodrapperie.com and loved it. Our room overlook the fresh food and flower markets below. Beautiful women in Bologna, the men are very handsome too, and everyone is very well dressed. Have fun, I'm so jealous!!

I just returned from Milan and hated it.
Its a bustling city and I found the crowds
to be too much. We spend 2 and a half days there and it was more than enough. One day was spent at Lake Como and that was a breath of fresh air and the rest of the time we did a tour to see the city and visited the Duomo and the shopping areas. Given a choice I would skip Milan or spend as little time as possible there.