2 Days in Milan - Fashion Capital of Italy

If you track the fashion industry in any way, you will be familiar with Milan’s preeminent position in this market. Milan has gained the label as one of the world’s four fashion capitals (along with New York, Paris, and London). It is also the second-largest city in Italy and features a very urban landscape. Milan displays a very modern façade in a departure from the sights of Northern Italy seen on this itinerary so far. However, mixed among the urban center of today are several great sights and museums documenting Milan’s history. The following is part three of a four-part Northern Italy Itinerary covering 2 Days in Milan.

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Day 6 – Milan

Drive to Milan

From our previous stop in the Dolomites, we will drive to Milan. This drive is about 3 hours and 30 minutes. The early part of the drive takes you through the Northern Italian Alps in a continuation of the scenery of the Dolomites. Once the journey moves south of the Alps, the vast majority of the journey is spent on major highways. This should be a fairly simple drive into Milan.

Duomo Di Milano

This is Milan’s main Catholic cathedral. The builders of the cathedral started construction in 1386. It has almost been in a constant state of construction from that time until today as it was only officially completed in 1965. The Duomo Di Milano is the largest church in Italy (due to the technicality that St. Peter’s Basilica is in Vatican City, not Italy). This church maintained a very important place in the history of Milan as evidenced by the majority of Milan streets radiating out from the church.

The Duomo Di Milan is a must-see for tourists. It has that initial wow factor when you first see it. Because the church is so large, it has several ticketing options. The first thing you will want to see is the cathedral itself. The inside of the cathedral is as immense as the outside would suggest. There are so many sculptures, carvings, and other art throughout the cathedral that viewing all of it in detail would take more than two days. Take time to observe the beautiful stained glass windows throughout. Even the doors have intricate carvings so don’t move by those too fast either.

Duomo Roofs

Visitors to the cathedral can also go up onto the roof of the Duomo and get excellent views of both the surrounding areas and sculptures at the top of the church. Visitors should place a visit to the roof high on their priority list for this stop. Of note, there are two access methods for the roof (stairs and elevators). You must pick an access method when purchasing your tickets. Tickets that include access to the elevators cost more.

Duomo Museum and the Duomo Archeological Site

The final two areas to visit in the Duomo are the Duomo Museum and the Archeological Site. The Duomo Museum is located across the street from the main cathedral. The museum replicated much of the art and architecture found in the cathedral. This gives visitors an opportunity to observe these objects up close. The Duomo Museum also provides an introductory timeline and history of the construction of the cathedral. The final location at the cathedral is the Archeological Site in the basement. This houses a lot of old church relics that actually predate the construction of the current cathedral. These include old baptismal fonts, crypts, and old church foundations. This is a neat exhibit that doesn’t take much time to explore. It is mostly a visual gallery as it lacks signage or descriptions of what is being displayed.

Galleria Vittorio

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a famous shopping mall in central Milan. Going to a shopping mall while on vacation may be unusual for many people. However, this mall houses some of the most luxurious boutiques in Milan. The mall was built in the late 1800s, is the oldest operating mall in Italy, and features a cross-shaped architecture with a glass-domed roof. Visitors should go just to see the grandeur of the building. However, many people will also stop in the stores of brands such as Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton that are located in the building. Plus, the galleria is home to a number of fancy restaurants, including one of the oldest operating restaurants in Milan – Café Biffi.

Visitors should take time to walk through the galleria to view both the building and the numerous boutiques. If you are interested in shopping, I encourage you to stop and visit some shops along the way. Be careful of the prices though as these boutiques are quite expensive. Be conscious of the timing of the Milan Fashion Tours next. This tour won’t take you far from the gallery, and since the galleria is open all day it will be easy to visit again.

Milan Fashion Tours

As mentioned in the title of this section of the itinerary, Milan has claimed a label as one of the fashion capitals of the world. Therefore, while you are here it would be appropriate to learn about the local fashion industry. One of the oldest tour providers in this area is Milano Fashion Tours. While you can find other companies that do these tours, this is one of the most experienced and personal tours that you can do. All the Milan Fashion Tours are just for your group. You will receive a personal tour experience tailored to what you want. This means that if you are a solo traveler or a couple, it will just be the two of you on the tour. However, this also means that those with smaller groups will pay a little more for this experience on a per-person basis.

Milan Fashion Walking Tour

The Fashion Tour offers two different tour setups. Which option you should pick is dependent on your interest in fashion. The first option is the main Milan Fashion Tour. This is the original walking tour that takes participants through the Milan Fashion District with a guide that has worked for one of the famous Italian fashion brands. This walking tour visits a number of workshops and fashion stores. While the actual labels that you visit change based on availability, options include Rubinacci, Re Ottavio, Bottega Veneta, Fontana Couture Showroom, Moschino, and Loro Piana. This tour provides an introduction to the fashion design process from measurements and concept to sewing and finishing the item on the model.

Milan Fashion Tour & Workshop Visit

The second tour option is the Tour & Fashion Workshop. This tour begins with a 1-hour fashion tour similar to that described above. However, this tour also includes a 1-hour tour of a fashion workshop. While you won’t tour as many labels in the outlets, you trade the breadth in a label for more depth in one of the workshops. You will be able to experience and see much more of the creation process for many clothing items. The workshop experience in this tour generally takes place at the Corso Como atelier (workshop). Depending on how many people are in the group, this can be an expensive experience. However, I highly recommend doing it since this is something that Milan has built a name in.

Italian Cooking Class

I am a firm believer that a lot of culture centers around the traditional food of a society. While this is primarily experienced by the restaurants you visit during travel, it isn’t the only way. Cooking classes in foreign countries are a fun way to experience this part of the culture. Also, with any luck, you will bring back some skills that will allow the opportunity to continue living the experience. Therefore, I recommend those that enjoy cooking participate in an Italian cooking class while in Milan.

There are several different class options available throughout the city. Many of these classes are actually taught in the private homes and apartments of local residents. This is a great way to get immersed in the culture and experience a typical Italian home. One of the best classes in my opinion is an evening/dinner cooking class lead by Chef Aurora.

Many cooking classes are limited to two recipes, and they are some of the more traditional Italian items like pizza and tiramisu. This cooking class offers participants the opportunity to cook four different dishes of your selection from many options. Some of the options include tagliatelle, ravioli, veal ossobuco, lasagna, cannoli, and panna cotta. While cooking you are able to learn about the history of various dishes and how Italians generally prepare them. You will also get instructions on many of the traditional ingredients used in Italian cooking. And if you aren’t excited about it yet, all this can be done while having a few glasses of local Italian wine.

Day 7 – Milan

Santa Maria delle Grazie (Painting of the Last Supper)

Santa Maria delle Grazie is a church and convent. The church’s claim to fame is that it houses The Last Supper mural by Leonardo da Vinci. While the church is still beautiful on the inside, it comes nowhere close to the Duomo Cathedral that was visited yesterday. Take a little time to explore the church when you visit. But make no mistake, The Last Supper is the real star of the show and where most of your time should be spent.

The Last Supper mural is located in an annex to the church. This painting from the 1490s takes up a whole wall, measuring approximately 15 feet by 29 feet. As the name suggests, the mural portrays the last supper meal between Jesus and his disciples. More specifically, the scene is meant to represent the moment after Jesus reveals that one of his disciples will betray him. This painting is outstanding for the use of depth and realist expression/movement in the figures. That is one reason that this mural has become renowned around the world. In addition to The Last Supper, there are also other remarkable frescoes and murals in the church including a 1495 Giovanni Donato fresco of the Crucifixion.

Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio

The Basilica di Sant’ Ambrogio is one of the oldest churches in Milan. St. Ambrose started construction in 379. The church was part of a major building campaign to bring several churches to the Milan area in the 4th century. The church has been added onto and restored several times in its history. However, as opposed to many more recent restorations, the Basilica di Sant’ Ambrogio stayed true to its last major restoration in the 12th century. This last major update left the church with the traditional Romanesque style architecture that is seen today. While the church was damaged during an Allied bombing campaign in World War II, the church was reconstructed in much the same manner as its 12th-century construction.

The Basilica has two bell towers, which is unusual for a church. The two bell towers are a result of the division in the church. Two different monastic communities shared this church, but those who controlled the bell tower would not allow the other community to use it for calling the followers to church. Therefore, over a couple of hundred years, the second bell tower was built.

The church is a great example of early Roman architecture. The church also houses a lot of Medieval art if you are interested. While this church is definitely not as immense or impressive as the Duomo, it holds its own for the ancient architecture. The church also has a small museum that houses some old church artifacts and paintings if you are interested.

Sforzesco Castle

The Sforzesco Castle is a citadel built by the Duke of Milan in the 15th century. The structure claims to be one of the largest citadels in Europe. The owner of the castle changed hands many times over the years due to the regular conflicts in this part of Italy. These varied owners added onto, demolished, rebuilt, and updated decorations over the years. As of the early 19th century when Italy became unified, the surrounding area no longer required the citadel. The city of Milan took over ownership of the castle. They now use the structure to house several city museums and art collections.

Visitors to the Sforzesco Castle will see two distinct things: the castle itself and the numerous museums and exhibits also housed there. Entrance to the main portions of the castle is free. While there are no overall guided tours offered, you can grab a map and have a self-guided tour. Just doing this is fairly remarkable. While the castle has obviously been restored in some sections, the structure is still very impressive. Those who want to go inside the different sections, exhibits, and museums can purchase a ticket to do so. A single ticket gives visitors access to all the exhibits. The majority of these exhibits are art, armaments, musical instruments, and other historical object-focused. The artifacts are primarily from the Renaissance to Baroque periods. While there is a lot to see and do, there are few descriptions of the items in the museums.

Parco Sempione

Parco Sempione is located adjacent to the Sforzesco Castle. The city of Milan created the park out of the original parade grounds of the citadel in 1888. At 95 acres in size, it is the largest park in Milan. This park provides a great opportunity to get outside and experience nicely manicured landscapes. The creators of the gardens followed traditional English garden norms to fill this large space filled with bushes, flowers, trees, sculptures, a lake, and lawns.

While you should wander the park a little, there are a few key sights to see while you are there. First, the Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) stands at the opposite end of the park from Castello Sforzesco. Napoleon built this comment to peace after he conquered the area (in a somewhat ironic fashion). The second key site is the Arena Civica. This small neoclassical stadium is located at the northeast corner of the park. While it still holds modern sporting events and concerts, the surrounding architecture makes you feel like you are in an ancient Greek or Roman stadium. The stadium is open for all to see during the day.

The park also makes a great place to stop and enjoy lunch. There are numerous cafés around the park. There are also several food vendors available if you would prefer to grab something and take it to a more secluded part of the park to enjoy a picnic lunch. A picnic lunch of this style is a great opportunity to rest and relax during the middle of a day filled with sightseeing.

Pinacoteca di Brera

The Pinacoteca di Brera is the foremost public art gallery in Milan. This gallery contains the largest gathering of Italian paintings from the 13th century to the 20th century. The majority of the art is of religious origins from before the Renaissance. This includes works by Mantegna, Raphael, Guercino, Titan, Tintoretto, and many others.

The museum offers an audio guide in many languages including English. For those very much into art, the audio guide can be worth the extra cost. The audio guide probably contains over 3 hours of content with a deep focus on the history of the paintings. For the more casual art fans, the descriptions and commentary at the front of the paintings should be sufficient. The museum has written all the descriptions in Italian and English.

This art museum flows very naturally and makes it a pleasure to wander through the various pieces of art. The curators display large portions of the museum chronologically making it easy to spot trends in the art subjects. This ordering also makes it possible to spot the main techniques from each era and when artists deviated from the established techniques of the time period. While the most famous pieces obviously draw the largest crowds, there are many other works of art that will undoubtedly capture your attention. The museum is filled with sitting spaces and a café if you need a break before, during, or after your visit. Tours through Europe often include a lot of art museums, but this is a particularly well-done one that I recommend you don’t miss.

2 Days in Milan – Fashion Capital of Italy