Euroventures 2011 - Milan

Now here is an example of a greater part of a day lost to travel.  The Czech Republic doesn't appear to offer any efficient train routes to Italy, and one of the cheapest flights I found leaving Prague flew into Milan's Malpensa Airport.  I decided this was a good idea because Milan was the only major destination left in Italy (after booking my initial flight into Venice) that I have not visited, plus, hello...fashion capital! (Also the only one of the big four I've never visited).  So I booked the mid-day flight on Easyjet.  This was my first time flying Easyjet, and I have to say it was a lot more humane that Ryan Air!  There was still no assigned seating but that's not a big deal, and this time I didn't fear for my life during the landing.  I'd been doing well physically through the trip, but for some reason felt a bit groggy during the flight, so after we arrived I was moving a little slower.  I get the feeling we arrived a little late, I was moving underwater-like as I hauled my ass onto the inter-terminal bus at Malpensa (that was the longest ride from one terminal to another I've ever taken by the way, I had to check a few times to make sure I hadn't mistakenly left the airport!) to go catch the train into Milan, a train that came every 30 mins I should add and I just missed one when I got there... all in all it took us until past 4pm to get to Ivy's flat.  Poor woman waited hours for us and her calls to my iphone weren't coming through.  She remained the greatest of hosts though, helping me haul my lead weight of a bag up to her 3rd floor flat (that's the equiv of the 4th floor in North America) and showing us around the flat.  She has a truly wonderful place, it's cozy but not cramped and had everything I could ask for in a vacation flat.  She's even got a good selection of teas and coffees in the cupboard and a washing machine in there!  It's right by the train station so it does require a short metro ride to the centre of the city, but since we were arriving and leaving Milan from said train station and we were only there for 2 nights it made sense to stay by the station.  If you're ever in the same boat, I would strongly encourage you to book a stay at Ivy's flat, if I ever wind up in Milan again I'm definitely staying there.

It was close to 6pm by the time I set foot in the square to marvel the gothic architectural wonder that is the Duomo di Milano, the 3rd/4th largest church in the world.  Much as I love the Baroque interiors I saw in Vienna and other religious adornments in other cities, I have to say nothing excites the church-architecture geek in me more than a gothic church.  Call it a weakness for flying buttresses haha. I can prob tell directions better from looking at an old church than by the sun/moon.

As much as I hate to admit it, I didn't do all my research on Milan.  Even with the guidebook that was sitting on Ivy's dining table, I didn't read as carefully as I could have.  The Duomo, Castello Sforzesco, The Last Supper (where tickets were sold out for the day that I was able to go) and shopping streets aside, I wasn't armed with any info on Milan.  Luckily my shopping ventures took me past the Colonne di San Lorenzo, which I recognized from skimming Ivy's guidebook to be Ancient Roman remains (they're 16 Corinthian columns dating from the 5th century when Milan was the capital of the Roman Empire, the columns were constructed from parts dating back to the 2nd & 3rd centuries...AMAZING how long they've survived and the fact that you can just go up and sit on em). What I missed out on was the San Lorenzo Maggiore, the church right next to the columns that also dates back to the 4th century (despite having been repaired and parts rebuilt) with a rich history of its own.


All was not lost though, I made up for all cultural shortcomings with additional shopping destinations!  Milan isn't called a fashion capital for nothing, after Singapore and Manhattan, I think Milan has the highest concentration of fashion retailers out of all the cities I've visited.  My only criticism would be for the disappointing selection and general store decor at Custo (another Barcelona label whose clothing I admire, and can sometimes even afford).  The Custo store in Soho, Manhattan is far superior.  I did buy myself the intended souvenir...a pair of leather boots specifically marked "Made in Italy", they are the new love of my life.

It's hard to say if I'll ever be back in Milan, I certainly have no objections to this bustling city and loved Ivy's flat, but unless travel between two other destinations takes me through here, I likely wouldn't go out of my way to re-visit.  I think that if I'd done my homework and managed to get tickets to see The Last Supper, two full days would've been adequate to take in all the highlights of Milan.


The final day of my trip was spent making my way back to Venice to catch my flight home.  Having ridden on Trenitalia trains before I was pretty confident I'd get to where I was going -- that almost wasn't the case though when I stepped off the train at Venice Mestre for a few seconds before I realized we were still one stop away from the stop I wanted - Venice Santa Lucia! Haha.  It's just a short boat ride, but still, that would have made a difference in time & money.


At Santa Lucia we got stuck behind a tour group stopping in for the day at the Left Luggage queue, but Venice is small so there was still time to wander back to the Rialto Market to blow the last of my euros on Venetian masks and gelato.  Walked through San Marco square one last time (and crossed the Academia and Rialto Bridges twice each... I tell ya Venice gets smaller and smaller the more familiar you get with it!) before making our way to the airport and home to Toronto.