Please tell me about Milan

Worth it is something very subjective. I love art and architecture, so to me it's worth it. The cathedral roof can be reached by stairs or elevator, and it might range from interesting to amazing to see the gargoyles up close; it's a different experience than most churches offer, definitely.

Leonardo's Last Supper requires advance purchase tickets with an appointment time; some people find it very moving, others check it off a "must see" list from a guidebook. I see it every time I am in Milano.

The main thing is to spend your time doing what you want to do.

If you leave Stresa at 8:40, then you can be in Varenna by 11:30 (which is a shorter connection time than those departing in the following hour). If you only have one night in Varenna, then you're pretty much choosing between seeing something in Milan or getting out onto Lake Como to see Bellagio or another stop. With this limited amount of time, I would choose to spend it all at the lake. After all, if Milan were your top priority, you might be sleeping there, instead of Varenna. If you had two or three nights in Varenna, then I'd make the stop in Milan.

Gosh, it's a tough call. If you were never going back to Europe again, I'd be tempted to hop off that train and spend a few hours in Milan. But your profile indicates you are a frequent visitor (as well as native!) to Europe. You might think about how tired you're going to be. If you're ready for a bit of a change after your long stay in Switzerland, a few hours of Italia might be just the ticket. On the other hand, if you're pooped and ready to go home, you might enjoy a peaceful day in Varenna.

Me, I'd probably stop in Milan. (I say that, even though I'm going through Venice this summer, and plan to see nothing more than the airport and bus stop!)

Thanks for your replies. Yes I am torn between spending time in Milan and spending time around Lake Como. My initial plan was to just connect through Milan and go straight to Varenna that day, but then I started to think about the possibility of doing both! As I only have one night at Lake Como, I am leaning towards skipping Milan this time around. I know too well that you can't see everything in Europe just because its on the way to somewhere else. Thanks for the heads up about the train leaving at 8:40. I had looked at that scheduled and planned to get an early morning start.

Then save Milano for another time. It's a convenient destination, next time fly into Milano and spend a couple of nights. It's a big, busy city, but not chaotic at all.

Given the limited time and the fact that you only have one night in Varenna, I'd skip Milan this time and get to Varenna as quickly as possible. As Laura mentioned you might want to take the short Ferry ride across to the elegant resort of Bellagio to have a look around.

You wouldn't really have much time to do anything in Milan, especially considering that you'd have to leave your luggage in the Deposito Bagaglio and then retrieve it again (all of which is going to take time). Come back to explore Milan when you have more time.

I think the cathederal is worth the stop. Otherwise, I think the city is sterile and too modern, not what I am wanting to see in Italy. If I wanted to see new modern building I could have stayed home.

A real treat in Milan is to follow the instructions in RS guide book and take the city bus to the
Cimitero Monumentale di Milano. You can go to the web and look at the amazing grounds. We spent a few hours there and really enjoyed the grounds, the monuments, the history.
You can read about it online and see photos too. There is a lifesize bronze statue of the Last Supper for the Campari Family. We took dozens of photos.
We usually visit cemeteries while traveling. Also would recommend the cemetery island in Venice.