After a very relaxing train ride through Italian countryside, we found ourselves at Milan Central Station. It was pretty obvious straight away that we’d arrived in a fashion capital- not many train stations have Prada, Guici and Louis Vuitton stores next to a McDonalds!
We decided to try and walk to our hotel (great idea, Mark!). After wandering with our bags for about an hour, Mark caved in and decided that we either needed a map or a taxi! Lucky for Jess, a taxi came along first and took us to our hotel. Note: He also gave us a map!
After a quick freshen up, we took to the streets and jumped on a tram (very Melbourne of us!). The tram was quite fancy, with antique-style seats and interior (it was the only one like this we came across, all the rest were very modern!). Whilst on the tram we spotted a market, so quickly jumped off and headed in its direction. There we found an array of food, clothes, wine and other bric-a-brac. We also found an Indian-Italian fusion cocktail bar called ‘Maharaja’, where it cost 7 euros for an amazing cocktail, or 7.50 euro for a cocktail plus an Indian-Italian buffet! Not ones to shy away from a good feed or a cocktail, we snapped up the drink and buffet deal!

After getting our money’s worth in dinner, we wandered back through the Italian streets. As the sun was setting, we passed through gorgeous parks, amazing architecture and designer stores. People everywhere were gathered in big groups, enjoying the warm weather and a few beers that were sold from small stands every 100 metres or so.
On our way back to the tram stop, we stumbled across the famous Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral). The cathedral apparently took six centuries to complete. Construction started in 1386 but was not completed until 1965! It’s the fourth largest cathedral in the world and by far the largest in Italy. It was breathtaking in the Milanese sunset.

With tired feet and full bellies, we boarded a tram that should’ve taken us straight to our hotel. However, we realised after quite some time that we were actually headed in the wrong direction. Never fear, we got some directions from the driver who spoke about as much English as we speak Italian (next to none!). We nodded politely and jumped off the tram at the next stop, where some guys at a pizza shop thought our lack of Italian was hilarious but kindly pointed us in the right direction!

The following day we decided to visit the Milan Cemetery. We know it sounds a bit grim, but we’d read incredible reviews telling us it was a must-see while in Milan. We were apprehensive at first, and unsure of the etiquette of being a tourist in a cemetery however we were soon at ease exploring the huge mausoleums with the other tourists, taking in the unbelievable sculptures- many of which were made by famous Italian artists of the past 500 years. There were huge family plots where hundreds of thousands of euros had been spent on creating these memorials for loved ones. On the whole, a little strange but definitely worth seeing.
We then picked up fresh croissants and espressos and made our way back to Duomo. We were desperate to see inside it after seeing the outside the previous night. As we entered, we were treated to enormous stained-glass windows, intricate murals and a very impressive pipe organ (as far as pipe organs go!). The 5 manual, 225 rank pipe organ was built on Mussolini’s command and it currently the largest organ in Italy. We ventured down into the ‘basement’ area of the building, where we saw the sarcophagus of the Archbishop Alberto da Intimiano from the 14th century. We also saw a red light bulb, which supposedly marks the spot where one of the nails from the crucifixion of Jesus is placed. The most renowned piece of artwork we saw there was the St. Bartholomew statue by Marco D’Agrate.

After exploring the interior, we climbed the huge staircase leading to the roof. Here we were treated to incredible panoramic views of Milan as well as an up close look at the intricate architecture. Jessie also took the chance to rest her sore feet (NOT a result of a poor choice of footwear..).
From here we wandered through an open air shopping mall with a huge glass roof that was worth stopping and staring at. The mall housed THE Louis Vuitton and Prada stores!
After some hardcore window shopping, we stopped off for a cold drink to take the edge of the Milan summer sun. This stop over reminded us just how generous the Italians can be! We had noticed a trend of being given complimentary crisps or olives, however this place took complimentary nibbles to a whole new level! Upon being seated, we were given a lovely bowl of crisps. After finishing these off, they were replaced by another bowl of crisps and a bowl of olives. Now we’d worked up an appetite, and being lovers of anything ‘free’, we naturally ate up. However, to our surprise, the empty bowls were quickly replaced by a platter of Italian breads, cheeses and meats. Deciding that we would not need dinner if they kept this up, we enjoyed these yummy snacks as well. However, we almost fell off our chairs when this empty plate was again replaced with another complimentary platter of bread and cheese (while the crisps and olives were also topped up regularly!). Feeling a little guilty that we’d only bought a couple of drinks, we decided it was high time we experienced our first ‘grappa’, a light Italian spirit served as a shot. We made a toast to what we hoped was free Italian food, and nervously asked for the bill. Turns out, it was indeed complimentary and also one of the better meals we’d had! Lucky for them we don’t visit more often!

Feeling rejuvenated, we visited the Michelangelo Museum which is housed in an impressive castle not far from the centre of Milan. Here we were lucky enough to see a range of sketches and sculptures by this famous Italian artist and inventor. We also got to see letters exchanged between him and his nephew which a fascinating insight into life in his time, as well as one of his most famous sculptures, the ‘Pieta Rondanini’- his last work.
That night, after dining in a quiet Italian restaurant we fell into bed, exhausted. While we were hoping for a solid night’s sleep, to our dismay we were woken at 1am to the sound of a fire alarm. While Mark took some convincing that it was in fact a real emergency, we eventually evacuated our room, passports and camera in hand wearing nothing but pyjamas. Turns out, it was caused by someone smoking in their room- which is lucky, because apparently Italians don’t take fire alarms very seriously. The teenage boy working on the desk at the hotel told us all to relax in the foyer while he went upstairs to investigate. There was no sign of a fire truck or even something resembling a roll call. We were soon sent back to bed with a warning about opening a window should we feel like a cigarette in the night!

The next day we went to find the markets before flying home but to our dismay they were closed. We did however stumble across a restaurant offering incredibly cheap lunches so we decided to indulge one last time before heading back to the fried food of England. This turned to be one of the best meals we’d had. Mark ordered a calzone that was the size of a small child (really, see the photos!), and Jess got a creamy gnocchi gorgonzola.
Satisfied but sad to be leaving, we jumped back on the plane to London town.
Arrivederchi Per Ora!
(Good bye for now, we are definitely not finished with Italy yet!).