This video, “36 Hours – The New York Times – What to Do in Milan”,
by Ingrid K. Williams, provides a lively picture of Milano business, art, and culture.
The few monuments you can’t miss:
- Roman – The columns of St. Lorenz Basil
- Middle Ages, Romanic – St. Ambrogio Basil, The Merchants’ Square
- Middle Ages, Gothic – The Cathedral
- Renaissance – The Church of “Santa Maria alle Grazie” (the Last Supper is nearby)
- Neoclassic – The Opera House “La Scala”
- Modern – The Pirelli Tower (in front of the Central Station)
- Contemporaneous – The Directional Centre around Gae Aulenti square
Important tips:
- Book your visit to Leonardo’s Last Supper well in advance (Official booking site). Last Supper booking for July opens April 19 and it’s likely to be rapidly sold-out.
- The Opera House “La Scala” is ending its season on July 22 (ballet). Nonetheless, any day (9AM – 5:30PM) you can visit the Museum and admire the theatre from a box (loge).
- To discover Milano Google “Visit Milan”
- For the surrounding area, which embraces many beautiful ancient towns, lakes, and the Alps, Google “Day trips from Milan”
Towns easily reached from Milano by train
Milano sits right in the middle of Northern Italy plain. So the major beauties of Northern and Central Italy can be quickly reached just by train (T) or fast-train (FT).
A survey is given below: Railway connection – Monuments to be seen.
The snapshot is chosen to intrigue you; the rest is to be discovered.
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- PAVIA – Twice hourly, 30 min T – The ancient university and town on the river
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- COMO – Twice hourly, 1 hour T – The old town and the lake sightseeing from Brunate hill
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- BERGAMO – Twice hourly, 1 hour T – The skyline of the old medieval town up hill
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- CREMONA – Hourly, 1.30 hour T – The cathedral, the tower, and the museum of lutherie
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- MANTUA – Hourly, 2 hours T – The palace of the Gonzaga Dukes and the Mantegna frescos
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- VERONA – Hourly, 1 hour FT – The Roman Arena and the medieval town
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- VICENZA – Hourly, 1.30 hours FT – The Palladium buildings and villas
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- PADUA – Hourly, 2 hours FT – Giotto’s frescos in the Scrovegni chapel (booking required), the medieval town, and Galileo’s university
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- VENICE – Hourly, 2.30 hours FT – Needless or impossible to say!
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- TURIN – Hourly, 1.15 hours FT – The royal palace and the Mole Antonelliana
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- PARMA – Hourly, 1 hour FT – The renaissance palaces of the Este Dukes
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- BOLOGNA – Hourly, 1.30 hours FT – The medieval square, the porches, Europe oldest university
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- FLORENCE – Hourly, 2 hours FT – Again, no words: just go!
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- ROME – Hourly, 3 hours FT – Caput mundi!
Conclusion
Our virtual trip ends here, knowing we have limited time. However, just in case we were allowed a couple of sabbatical years, we could decide to reach all the less easily connected centers we left behind by train, scattered over a beautiful land. Or even, we would travel further towards the Alps, or the Mediterranean Sea, or the South and the Islands.
Why not? At least in our dreams.