Milan Advice

[phatty]

Heading to Milan for a few days for work. Will have some time to check out the city. Any advice on must see/do things? Planned on the Duomo, but free other than that. Any advice on areas of town to stay?

[Swine]

It's definitely a living city here, not much to see/do tourist wise. For food check out "Same" and hit up the all you can eat sushi at the corner of Sabotino and Ripamonti.

I always stay somewhere off Ripamonti - my only advice is to stay near a main tram line or near the metro. Because of Expo they are checking tickets a lot more FYI. If you're taking trams near the heart of the city don't risk getting fined for riding free. I'd take a day if I were you and head up to Lake Como or farther to Lugano - Switzerland is spendy though. Also the best gelato I've ever had was right near the corner of Barletta and Ripamonti, just a minute or two walk north from there on the west side of the street.

Also, go to the canal area after six. There is a legit beer bar - good beer is hard to find around here, but the wine is awesome and cheap. Another good beer place near Ripamonti and Isonzo is Beve Buona Birra, great couple beers on tap and a fantastic bottle selection.

Clearly, food and drink is the main thing here, I mean, it's Italy. Milan has a great location to travel elsewhere though. Hell, get on a train and go hit up the Dolomites hiking for a day. Or when you're in Lugano or Como rent a mountain bike, word on the street is the trail system is awesome, I haven't been though.

I assume you're fling into MXP, it's a lot more manageable to take the train to the Cadorna station instead of going to the Centrale station - which is huge and slightly disorientating if it's your first time and you're half awake and jet lagged.


From a fone

[phatty]

Thanks. I'll be coming from 4 days in Luxembourg so hopefully the jet lag will be worn off. I had been thinking of Como. Would it be worth going to Venice for a day?

[neck beard]

Venice in summer is fucking awful. But great when there are not many people and it is cool weather.

When my wife lived in Milano we would hit up aperitivo pretty often. It seemed to be a Milano habit and heaps of cafes and bars would be offering it. Basically it is a 'happy hour' where drinks are more expensive, but you get unlimited access to some really good finger food buffets. Some places serve shitty chips, other places serve amazing stuff, and the price varies. There is heaps about it on google.

http://www.swide.com/food-travel/top...aly/2014/06/23

Walking on the roof of the Duomo is cool.

I saw some wild stuff at a club called Gasoline.

Have fun, Milano is grubby but cool.

[stfu&gbtw]

PM Benny. He's a local.

[iceman]

"A bit grubby but cool" is a good description. Definitely kind of a working-class place despite the fashion industry and all the history/culture stuff. But as opposed to say Florence, where you feel like you're in a museum ehibit, it has real people and real life going on all around, which is cool.

Definitely go to G. Lorenzi, the coolest knife store I've ever seen by far. Also a crazy shitload of shaving implements. Unbelievable the variety of stuff they have in there, it's like a museum itself. Was killing time waiting and wandered in, ended up spending hours there. Well worth it.

http://www.lorenzi.it

http://www.thegentleman.com.br/around/glorenzi_milan

edit: oh shit it apears they closed. http://www.thesartorialist.com/photo...zi-is-closing/ That's a real loss. Website is still up so maybe something changed and they're still open.

[::: :::]

Vicenza is a cool little town architecturally and just a train ride away

[Benny Profane]

Pretty cheap airfare right now. About 650 rt from JFK nonstop.

[liv2ski]

We got to spend a day in Milan, stayed by the Duomo and had a great day walking around the area and through the Cathedral (which is a must see for the architecture). We came in by train from Lugano (which is a pretty spot as is Lake Como).
We liked Milan enough that we definitely want to go back some day and spend 3-4 days there seeing more of the area before moving on to other spots in northern Italy and then over to Split, Croatia to see that area.
Have a great trip.

[Benny Profane]

I'll just leave this here. Good luck.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/europe-b...ush-1432847803

Thanksgiving is a great time, I learned. Just do as your mother said and wear a sweater.

[liv2ski]

I'll just leave this here. Good luck.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/europe-b...ush-1432847803

Thanksgiving is a great time, I learned. Just do as your mother said and wear a sweater.

My wife the teacher has two weeks off for Christmas holiday. Man I would love to fly to Edinburgh for Xmas. Need more Sky Miles
https://www.google.com/search?q=chri...ed=0CAYQ_AUoAQ

[markb]

Venice is disney world for retired and old out-of-shape people. But need to see it once; one day is enough. In Como right now and temps are nice. Water quality is pretty incredible for the number of people in the basin. Take a windsurfing or kitesurfing lesson unless you know enough to rent.

Careful for the dried lake fish pasta dishes. Super fishy.

[plugboots]

^^^Yeah Man Venice Sucks!!!

I've been to Milan 3 times for visits in the last 3 years, (and also a few times flying through Malpensa). I tend to stay at Hilton properties for points, so I've stayed at the airport for a 6:00 flight, and at the Hilton downtown, which is a nice big old room style hotel, and the Doubletree which is an awesome new hotel with great rooms and fitness center, etc. I walked to La Pobbia which is oooold school Italian. Very nice, and I had a prostitute grab and harass me on the way home near the hotel.
Duomo roof is worth it, as is the Galleria, maybe the Duomo Museum, but I was bored. The Museo del Novocento was way cool across the street. It has great Duomo views. I saw an Egon Schiele exhibit when I was there:


I ate at the Armani store during fashion week once and looked at the models. Food was good too. I like old stuff sometimes and Cova is incredible for a nice stylish afternoon cocktail http://pasticceriacova.it Of course do cicchetti somewhere or everywhere.
People always suggest someplace to go nearby, but Milan is a big cool city, so why? But since this is TGR I'll suggest taking the every half hour commuter train to Bergamo. It has an upper old walled city, and the newer city below. The old city has a typical no cars allowed streets with cool shops and restaurants:
Eat this pizza like the school kids on the steps of the square near the Cathedral, and the Cathedral is densely decorated:


Oh yeah, I forgot: everybody wears black. Even my dark grey coat stood out.

[PNWbrit]

Will you be able to manage without GPS?

[phatty]

I'll have GPS. My phone has international data (thanks T-Mobile). TGR always delivers. Thanks for the tips, guys.

[WTF is dat]

go to lake como, and take the ferry to the town of Bellagio. A beautiful town that inspired the Las Vegas hotel.

Spend a while checking the place out and then head to another one of the lakeside towns by ferry. Can't remember which one, but one of the towns had a castle on the top of a huge hill wi incredible views of the lake and surrounding areas.

Milan is only worth a day imho

[phatty]

Ended up choosing Lake Como for the weekend. Looking to do some hiking and via ferrata. Anyone have any recommendations?

[Mott the Hoople]

Say hi to Moochelle and her Mom and kids while you're there for me.

[Benny Profane]

Rent a bike, either road or mtb. Amazing for both, I am told.

[old goat]

If you drive to Bellagio, take the road to Mennagio and the car ferry (cheap) to Bellagio. The road to Bellagio is brutal.

There are two good smaller indepentdent airport hotels at Malpensa. Can't remember the names. One has an excellent restaurant, the other is next door to one. Just far enough from the airport to be free of airport mess. Nothing like any airport hotel in the US I've ever seen. sorry I can't be more specific. We probably found them in Rick Steves or Frommer's, not on a booking site.