24 Hours in Milan

Finally, I have time to to sit down, open my MacBook and start typing... I had a hard time getting inspired to write about my trip in Milan which I visited 4 months ago because I hardly felt any connection to that city. Also, we moved from Venice to Milan on the 25th of December, which honestly was the worst timing to depart ever. Because on that day, the whole city was having Christmas holiday and the train wasn't operating as usual. At the end, we spent our Christmas on train eating McDonald's. Unlike Japan, where most of the city is lighted up with beautiful festive illumination decoration, and most of the people enjoy walking on the street, the Italians seems to enjoy spending the holiday with their close ones at home because the city was so quiet with hardly anyone on the street. Catching a cab was a pain in the as. #lessonlearnt

So, what came into your mind when someone mentioned about "Milan"? For me, all I can think of is Duomo and Fashion Week. Well, that was actually what Milan is all about (for me). haha. But we did explored Sforza Castle as well as Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in our one day in Milan.


1. Duomo

My first reaction when I first saw Duomo was "woaaah". That expression was an understatement. Do you know that Duomo of Milan is the largest church in Italy and the 5th largest in the world? Not forgetting to mention that it took nearly 60 years of construction to complete!

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2. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Being known as the oldest shopping mall in the world, the Galleria connects two of Milan's most famous landmarks -- The Duomo and the La Scala Opera. The most interesting shop inside the galleria is the 2-storey bookstore which has the most interesting books and collectibles that you can ever imagine. Also, I made 3 complete turns on the bull's genital for good luck ;)

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3. Sforza Castle

You know, you gotta go where the crowds go when you are lost. So we found this place by chance when we were strolling around the city. We had no idea what this place was but we did enjoy the unique architectural of the castle which is now turned into museums of famous art collections like Leonardo Da Vinci's and Michelangelo.

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4. Venchi 

Those who know me well know that I don't like chocolate unless it's really really REALLY good. Turned out I found one of the best chocogelateria I have ever tried in my life. Venchi has been producing Fine Italian Chocolate since 1878. Although their chocolate do not come cheap, but it's worth every cent, like seriously. 

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5. Gallerie d'Italia

After a few hours strolling around the city, we stopped by an art exhibition/cafe for a short break. In Italy, everything from drinks to desserts are caffeinated. It's uncommon to see other flavours besides coffee, chocolate or latte (milk). So I had a coffee dessert at this beautiful place before we continue exploring the city again.

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So that was basically the places I visited while I was in Milan. It was unfortunate that we didn't had a chance to visit the famous La Scala Opera because it was closed. Although we spent a little time in Milan, I think we pretty much covered everything that we needed to see. If you aren't interested in visiting Duomo or stepping on the bull's genital, I truly think that you can skip Milan and give yourself a day extra in Rome when you visit Italy. By the way, Venchi is available throughout every big city in Italy. So don't worry :)

Hope you enjoy the post and I can't wait to write about my experience in Florence soon.

x

To get to Duomo, use Milan metro (MI, M3 line) to reach Duomo station.