Milan?

First trip to Italy? Unless I was visiting family in the area, I wouldn't go to Milan at all. I think The Last Supper and the Duomo are considered the key sights.

Second time to Italy and this Milan stop is mostly a pass-through from Nice to Zurich. My wife really wants to see Lake Como :)

I spent most of a day there in June, arriving from Lake Como in the morning and leaving for Florence in the late afternoon. That gave me time to see the Duomo (including walking on the roof, which was fantastic), the Last Supper, and several smaller sites.

Milan is special for La scAla opera, cathedral and the last supper. If those are not your interest then just use Milan as a travel hub. Otherwise reserve your tickets and plan accordingly.

There are many many other things to see other than the Duomo and the Last Supper. It is a city that's not so "obvious" and takes time to discover, because everything is spread out through the city, but the combination of the old and the new is really interesting and unique.

However, if it's your first time in Italy and you have to choose, then maybe Venice, Florence and Rome. If you are still passing through Milan give it 2 days and take your time to walk around the city, Brera district, waking up to Porta Nuova, the Navigli (water canals), the Sempione park, all the liberty architecture.... Don't stay just in the Duomo- Galleria- scala area.

I love Milano! If you want to see the things previously mentioned, you need advance tickets for Leonardo's Last Supper. One night would be a nice travel break, then take the train to Como or Varenna the next afternoon. If you feel like that is squeezing your time, skip it. But since you probably have to change trains in Milano anyway, I eould suggest using Milano as a break.

You could also check your luggage at the station and see a couple of things, and still get to Lago di Como the same day. (Leave time to retrieve your luggage.)

I also like Milan a lot. But it's not what most US visitors are looking for on their Italian vacation. It's a large and modern city (with, as MR quite correctly pointed out, very old things too, like some Paleo-Christian churches). It also feels more "European" and less "Italian" than other parts of the country. It has very good and efficient transportation (in particular a Metro that goes almost every place of visitor interest), so it's easy to get around and see things there in a short amount of time.

Rick has a very good chapter in his Italy book about Milan. Look at it and see if you find attractions that interest you. You can then determine if you want to just change trains there, spend a few hours seeing things in between trains (easy to do - Rick has specific tips), or spend more time there.

As for Lake Como being "stellar," I found it (specifically Varenna) very nice, but make sure you and your teens are looking for relaxation and a slow pace with no "turnstile attractions" and not a lot to "do." As Rick quite correctly says, the point of going is to "see how slow you can get your pulse," and "If relaxation's not on your agenda, the lakes shouldn't be either."

You guys are fantastic! Such great advice - I appreciate all of it!

Just to add...
We spent the better part of a day in Milan prior to a flight home from Malpensa, and were able to cover quite a bit of ground: the duomo, a pass through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and basilicas San Lorenzo Maggiore and Sant'Ambrogio, both of which were very interesting. Our long, circular walk also took us by the walls of Castello Sforzesco. While Milan is very different than the "Holy Trinity" cities, we were glad that we were able see at least some of it, and wished we'd had more time. Another trip, hopefully! :O)

Like some above, I agree that there isn't a whole lot to "see." That said, there's tons to do. The restaurant scene is fantastic, as is the aperitivo hour. Some bars have fantastic buffets, so for the price of a drink you've got a meal. There's lots of interesting, innovative architecture--Google "bosco verticale." Plus, there's great shopping and designer fashion windows. I know I sound like a broken record (remember those?), but Italy is more than things to see. It's the people, the way of life, how a modern society coexists with the old. Italians just plain look and act better than most doing normal things, and in the end, it's people that count, not a monument or two.

Teens? Check out the Cimitero Monumentale --- they'll have to keep their voices down as they exclaim about all the freaky, often lifesize, grave sculptures in this huge cemetery, but I think they'd enjoy the place. But, yeah, what everybody else has said, Milan is full of interesting things to see and do, but not on your second trip to Italy.

We like Milano not so much for what to "see" but as an opportunity to experience an Italian city that is not as widely touristed, (Ditto Torino.) I'd spend at most two nights for your purposes and move on to Lago di Como. Do aperitivo somewhere with a large buffet, wander Castle Sforza, see the Last Supper (if you can get tickets) and go to the roof of the Duomo and walk amongst the spires. Best place to stay is Hotel Berna.

When is this trip? That will,affect your plans regarding Lake Como.

If this is a spring or summer trip, and you are traveling between Nice and Zurich, I suggest you head to Varenna for your Lake Como time ( two nights recommended). Then continue North on the train to Tirano, where you can use the Bernina Pass route as your avenue into Switzerland. It does not necessarily have to be the designated Bernina Express train; regional trains ply the same tracks hourly and view the same scenery.

This route is much more scenic than the Gotthard route taken by the direct train from Milan to Zurich. That train does stop in the town of Como, but it is not as nice as Varenna. And then the train uses the long and deep Gotthard Basistunnel to go under the Alps--you will be in the dark tunnel with no views of the peaks at all.

As for Milan, I will say that the kindest and most welcoming people we met in all of Italy were in Milan. Maybe because they were not tired of tourists? We spent our last night of a trip with our daughters there, with tickets for the ballet at La Scala. We stopped by a pharmacy to get some ear medicine for my husband, and left there with not only the appropriate medication, but a bag full of high-end skin-care samples offered to the teen girls and to me by the cosmetologist. She knew we were tourists and would not be returning to buy, but was very generous and discussed the use of each product, then packaged it all in a lovely bag that I still use today.

Then we went to Princi to get focaccia sandwiches (the best in the world) for a picnic dinner on our deck at the hotel prior to the ballet. I spied a deli across the street and went in seeking some salad and maybe wine. The broccoli salad was perfect, and when Inasked if they sold white wine he said "Of course. Would you like it chilled?" (he spoke in Italian, but slowly and clearly). Then he proceeded to determine what else we might need----forks for the salad? Plastic cups for the wine? Did we have a corkscrew for the wine, or should he open it and replace the cork? I hadn't thought this through and of course did need all of that, which he provided for free and with a smile. I left with everything in a nice plastic bag, for €8 total.

I've never been to Italy, but going for the first time in the sping. We are fliying into Milan, spending 4 nights in Varenna and then 4 nights in Milan before flying back to the U.S. My wife has been to Italy before (Rome, Florence and Venice) but we wanted to do something different.

Based on most of your comments, Milan seems like a great place to travel to and not so congested with tourists. The food scene appears to be really good as well.

Looking forward to our trip in April.