Milan
Fashion, finance, and a marble cathedral
Italy's sharp-suited capital of style and money. You crane up at a Gothic cathedral bristling with spires, shop under the glass dome of a 19th-century arcade, stand before da Vinci's fading Last Supper, then aperitivo your way into a buzzing Navigli night.
How long to stay?
One or two days hits the icons: the Duomo and its rooftop terraces, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, La Scala, and the Sforzesco Castle with Parco Sempione behind. Book ahead for da Vinci's Last Supper.
Polished, fast-moving, and business-minded, more buttoned-up than Rome but with real swagger. Design, fashion, and finance set the tone. The reward is stylish aperitivo culture, serious art, and a nightlife that hums in Brera and along the Navigli.
The Centro around the Duomo is convenient but pricey. Brera is elegant and walkable; Navigli is the nightlife and canal-side choice. Porta Nuova and Isola show off modern, skyscraper Milan with a younger edge.
Book Leonardo's Last Supper weeks ahead, it sells out fast. Embrace aperitivo: from around 6pm, the price of a drink in Navigli or Brera includes a generous spread of snacks, often a cheap, fun dinner.
April to June and September to October bring pleasant weather and major design and fashion events. Summer is hot and humid with many shops shuttered in August. Winter is grey but quieter and good for culture.
Three airports serve Milan: Malpensa (farthest, with a train link), Linate (closest), and Bergamo (budget carriers). Fast trains connect the central Stazione Centrale to Rome in about three hours and to the lakes in under one.
Italian is the language; English is common in fashion and business circles. Euros are used. Milan is pricier than much of Italy, dresses up more, and August sees many shops and restaurants close.