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Bookmark & shareSights 'n' Bites
Milan is to shoppers as breweries are to alcoholics. If you have a problem spending your hard-earned on overpriced jeans that look like they've just had a fight with an angle-grinder, this tour is for you. Make no mistake, you will see some of Milan's most famous sights; but more importantly by the time you finish the tour - at the threshold of Milan's fashionista-heavy Golden Quadrangle - your little ol' feet should be able to go not one step further. This should help curb your consumer impulses a little.
We begin our tour in the city's belly button, the Piazza del Duomo. Gather your forces as you contemplate this late-Gothic wonder and its 135 spires, each one of which is trying to distract you from the fact that the cathedral has no belltower. The southern side of the piazza is dominated by the Palazzo Arcivescovile and Palazzo Reale, the traditional seats of Milan's ecclesiastical and civil rulers from the 11th and 12th centuries. Walk around and behind the cathedral along Via San Radegonda, curving left into San Marino and to Palazzo Marino, between Piazza della Scala and Piazza San Fedele, a masterpiece of 16th-century residential architecture. This has been the seat of municipal government since 1859.
On the other side of the Piazza della Scala - which is dominated by a monument dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci - is the eponymous theatre, recently restored to its fullest splendour. On the right-hand side of the theatre, and at right-angles to it, take Via Alessandro Manzoni northwards; a block further on you'll come to the Muso Poldi-Pezzoli, which is filled with collections of jewellery, porcelain, sundials, tapestries, ancient armaments, period furniture and paintings. Head further along Via Manzoni and pop into Bar Biffino on Via Andegari, a side street to your left, to gather your forces with a sandwich and ultra-frothy cappuccino. Back on Manzoni, continue to the intersection with Via Monte Napoleone. You can make a strategic retreat at this point and take the subway back to your hotel, or turn right into Via Monte Napoleone and walk on a couple of blocks. You will know you've hit the Golden Quad when you notice yourself drooling at the ultra-chic fashion in the window displays.
A Top Day in Milan
My top day is kick-started with an espresso at Zucca in Galleria at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. I always find that a morning of art provides an inspiring start to the day, and never tire of visiting Da Vinci's magnificent The Last Supper . The Pinacoteca de Brera is equally irresistible, with its wonderful Raphael's, Bellini's, and Caravaggio's. Or if I'm in the mood for something more modern I'll head to the Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea (PAC). Another favourite museum of mine is the wonderful Museo degli Strumenti Musicali, a must for musicians and music lovers. For lunch, I generally head straight to Trattoria Bagutta where I can count on sincere service and excellent old-fashioned Milanese cuisine. Although I know I should probably have a siesta, it's hard to resist a visit to the roof of the Duomo, its views are all the more breathtaking after a few glasses of wine. If I eat three courses at lunch, I'll take the stairs, and the lift, if I stick to two. Lining up for tickets to an opera at the renovated La Scala is worth the wait, before heading down to the Naviglio Grande for a Milanese must - aperitivo hour. If I'm still hungry after grazing the snack tables at a couple of bars I'll grab a quick pizza at Officina 12, before racing back for the opera. I'll walk back to the hotel through the Quadrilatero D'Oro, when the streets are at their most atmospheric - the window displays look best lit up at night. If I didn't have any luck getting opera tickets, then I'll save myself for a memorable meal at Cracco-Peck. If I'm up for more, I'll stroll down Via Torino to Porta Ticinese and join the locals for a nightcap among the atmospheric columns of San Lorenzo alle Colonne.
Author: Terry Carter
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