Villas & Apartments in Milan
The stylish city of
Milan will enchant and excite you. This city is one of the world’s fashion capitals and there is seemingly endless shopping opportunities. Despite being heavily bombed in World War 2, the city has developed itself into a pretty and modern place. The Milan lifestyle is very famous and many enjoy dipping into the heady world of shopping, opera, sport and cuisine. Milan has many elegant and stylish hotels, and well as more budget accommodation such as hostels and guest houses. By renting an apartment or room from a Wimdu host you’ll experience Milan from a different perspective.
Fun Facts
Milan’s well-known opera house
La Scala means ‘the staircase’ in Italian!
Milan’s name comes from the Celtic ‘Medelhan’, which means ‘in the middle of the plain’.
Between 7pm and 9pm, Milan celebrates
Aperitivo time – bars and cafes offer finger food!
Milan is home to 12,000 companies and 800 showrooms!
Milan is home to Italy’s highest earners.
Things to do in Milan
There are a wide variety of things to see and do in Milan. You’ll find
beautiful churches,
interesting museums,
pretty streets,
lively bars and
lots of shops! Without a doubt Milan’s most famous landmark is the
Duomo, the largest gothic cathedral in the world. It is over 600 years old and is astonishing in terms of design, scale and beauty. It has 135 spires that stretch high up into the sky above the piazza del Duomo. There are 3,500 statues too that adorn the marble structure and it’s no wonder the cathedral took over 500 years to build! We recommend you take the lift to the top for some fantastic views over Milan and, on a clear day, the Alps.
Milan is home to
Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ and you can find this extremely famous mural painting in the church of
Santa Maria della Grazie (Holy Mary of Grace). This 500 year old church has a beautiful vaulted ceiling and airy central dome and is a pleasure to walk around. It is something of a miracle that the painting exists today after nearly being destroyed during World War 2 and being used as target practice during Renaissance times. Booking online to see The Last Supper is advised as understandably seeing the painting is on a lot of tourists to-do lists.
The city’s best art collection is housed at the
Pinacoteca di Brera Museum and features works by Italian artists from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Look out for Mantegna’s ‘Dead Christ’, Caravaggio’s ‘Supper at Emmaus’ and works by Titian and Tintoretto. There are lots of plasters casts as well as contemporary works in the museum. If you visit the museum, check out the area behind the museum as the
Orto Botanico di Brera is a very nice spot to relax.
Eating and drinking in Milan
Coffee culture in Milan is huge – it’s where Starbucks’ CEO first got his idea for the chain’s espresso bars! Baristas remember your name and the coffee is of course excellent quality. Around the Duomo you’ll find some great cafes in which you can soak up the sights and sounds of Milan life. Eating in Milan is a joy and is a different experience compared to other Italian cities. Pasta is not so common in Milan and several staple dishes don’t include it.
Risotto alla Milanese is a delicious risotto using yellow saffron rice and ox marrow.
Cotoletta alla Milanese is a rib of calf, breaded and fried in butter – a treat during the winter months!
Getting Around
Malpensa Airport, the airport serving the Milan area and is located 25 miles northwest of the city.
The Malpensa Express train runs between the airport and the Milan Cadorna central station and the journey takes just over 30 minutes. Milan has a reliable metro system operating in the centre and outlying neighbourhoods with 4 lines that run from 6am until midnight. There are also trams and buses serving the city. Riding one of Milan’s streetcar style trams is a must! They closely resemble the trams seen in San Francisco and the city has the second largest tram network in the world. You should find that you don’t need to use the public transportation system too much however. Milan might be a very large city but most tourist attractions are a short distance from each other and can be found in the city’s centre.