Milan

Gail,

Milan isn't as "attractive" as many other locations in Italy, but does have some worthwhile sights (such as those mentioned in the previous post). If you haven't been there before, spending a couple of days there would be good.

The Duomo is quite impressive, both inside and out. Be sure to get the extra ticket and tour the roof area. The Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele has some nice shops (and of course a McDonald's - great coffee!), and there's a large selection of stores next to the main entrance that take up about five floors. Most of them are somewhat "high end" including Giorgio Armani, etc. The top floor is a large food court and restaurants.

If you're planning to see The Last Supper, you'll need reservations long in advance. Check the Guidebook for details on that and visiting La Scala.

In addition to the city, Milan is also a great "home base" for taking side trips to Lago di Como (Varenna), Lago Maggiore (Stresa), Verona or other nearby locations.

Happy travels!

Thanks for the positive replies!

Gail - if you are at all into fashion, I would not leave Milano without at least a stroll down some of the fashion "alleys". I am not much of a fashionado but was intriqued by that whole area.

If spending a couple of days in Milan means you spend less time in places like Florence, Rome, Venice, Cinque Terre, Sorrento, Siena, Tuscany, and a bunch of other places I can't think of right now, then it is NOT worth the time. It takes half a day to see all the important sights in Milan. Unless of course you like to shop and spend lots of money. In which case you'll love it there.

I agree with all the earlier posts. I would visit Milan because it's such a contrast to Rome. It's a huge fashion and banking center. I liked it a lot better than I thought I would. Go and enjoy!

It's not at the top of the list of cities we've been to in Italy, but we're glad we spent two nights in it when we did. I would throw in the Castello Sforzesco and its park as well worth checking out. And, as I posted elsewhere, a sizeable number of the Milanese are walking fashion plates. Even the teenage boys were sporting some fun fashion.

We enjoyed walking all over Milan, through the parks, the open produce markets, the side streets, popping into old churches along the way. The Science museum there is really good, we spent several hours there, as it has a lot of Da Vinci stuff in it. The Duomo is fantastic, we thought it was really cool walking on the roof and we got great photos. Liked the Galleria next door, but the prices there for food are off the charts! Eat someplace else!

Didn't go see the Last Supper, but maybe next time. Milan lets you just enjoy being in Italy without having to rush around and see one tourist attraction after another. One can simply relax and just stroll around, finding nice little restaurants and stores.