Milan is the
Italian centre for food and fashion. It's
also an economic centre. Originally Celtic
in origin, the Romans conquered the city
in 222BC and it became an important trading
and transport centre. Not much has changed.
Milan is home to Ferrari, Alfa Romeo,
Armani and Versace.
CHURCHES AND
CASTLES
Castello Sforzesco
This was originally a Visconti fotress
but was entirely rebuilt in the 15th century
for comfort. There are museums inside
with collections of sculpture. Admission
is free. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am
to 5.30pm. At the end of Via Dante. Behind
the castle, Parco Sempione is a 47-hectare
(116-acre) park with plenty of places
to stroll and an interesting (if a bit
dilapidated) arena that was inaugurated
by Napoleon. Duomo This Duomo was comissioned in 1386 and its spiky structure and marble facade
are impressive. It is the world's fourth largest church with late Gothic
features, and a gilded copper statue of Madonna. The finest relic in the
duomo is a nail supposedly used to pin Jesus to the cross. Each September
the Archbishop of Milan retrieves the nail from its perch and presents it to
the congregation. The neighboring Museo del Duomo chronicles the church's
six centuries and displays an interesting collection of art and artifacts.
Be careful in the square outside. It's a popular hangout for thieves. As is
the square in front of Stazione Centrale.
PIAZZAS
Piazza San Marco
A popular hangout during summer and an
area brimming with cafes, pubs and restaurants.
OTHER SIGHTS
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
shopping Hall
This covered shopping mall runs off the
square outside the Duomo. Cafes line the
pavement inside along with travel agents
and an extraordinary good book shop (with
English titles). La Scala
Go through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
II shopping mall for Milan's famous opera
house. Entry to the theatre museum has
a cost. La Scala first raised its curtain
in 1778 and has treated generations of
opera aficionados to arias aplenty over
the years. It was badly damaged in WWII
but reopened in 1946. Palazzo di Brera
This houses the Pinacoteca di Brera gallery
with a vast collection of paintings. Open
tuesday to Saturday to 5.30pm. Sunday
to midday. Cost? Cenacolo Vinciano
This is next to the Chiesa di Santa Maria
delle Grazie. Inside is Leonardo da Vinci's
The Last Supper. To see the recently restored
masterpiece you need to book ahead. To
join a group of 25 that go through every
15 minutes book by phone with your credit
card. It is open from Tuesday-Sunday from
8am to 1.45pm. Cost? Bergamo
Bergamo features Baroque and Renaissance
architecture - an influence of the city's
inclusion in the Venetian Empire for over
350 years. Bergamo is comprised of a walled
medieval centre atop a hill complete with
palaces and museums and a more modern
lower town with the train station, shops
and restaurants. Tourist Offices: Viale
Vittorio Emmanuele 20, lower town, tel:
(035) 210 204 Vicolo Aquila Nera 2, upper
town, tel: (035) 232 730 Coming & Going:
Both the bus and train stations are located
on Piazzale Marconi in the lower town.
There are frequent buses to other towns
in the region inlcuding the lake district
and Milan. Trains also operate a frequent
service to Milan, where you can transfer
to international services. Mantua (Mantova)
Mantua has a beautiful historic centre,
several palaces, and an assortment of
churches. The main attractions are around
Piazzas Erbe and Sordello. Don't miss
the immense Palazzo Ducale with its 450
rooms and numerous courtyards. Tourist
Offices: Piazza Andrea Mantegna 6, tel:
(0376) 328 253.
Coming & Going: Mantua is easily accessible
by train and within day-tripping distance
from Milan, Bologna, Parma, Verona and
Padua. The station is located about a
kilometre west of the centre.
WHERE TO SHOP
Milan is famous for its shoes, fashion, leather and cars and most people
come here to shop or gaze at the famous brands. The Armani superstore is in
Via Manzoni. On Corso di Porta Ticinese there are a lot of small funky shops
with up-and-coming designers.
Mid-priced fashions are available on Corso Buenos Aires, Via Torino, Porta
Vittoria and Via Paolo Sarpi. More affordable clothes can be purchased at
corso Vittorio Emanuele or corso Vercelli. For original handbags at rock
bottom prices try the street corner merchants outside the Rinascente
department store, via Fiori Chiari.
In Brera there are numerous cosmetics shop, lingerie boutiques, candle and
stationary stores along via Solferino and via Fiori Chiari.
Antique furniture is best found near the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio on vie
Lanzone, Caminadella and Santa Maria, more modern furniture is in corso
Europa, via Monforte and corso Venezia.
MARKETS
Mercato Communale - Piazza Wagner, West is a covered food market with stalls
for plants, dairy, groceries, dry goods etc. To get there take the Metro
Wagner, bus 67 or tram 24. Open 8.30am-1pm Monday, 8.30am-1pm and 4-7.30pm
Tuesday-Saturday.
Papiniano - Viale Papiniano, West is an open-air market with food, plants,
clothing, shoes, housewares and textiles. Be ware of pickpockets here. Take
Metro Sant'Agostino or trams 20, 29, 30. Open dawn-1pm Tuesday, dawn-5pm
Saturday.
The San Donato Flea Market is at Metro San Donato and is open 8am-1pm on
Sundays. There's plenty of food and all kinds of gadgets and other items.
OTHER
Pavia
Pavia is half an hour from Milan and has
a thriving industrial and cultural center
on the banks of the Ticino river. It is
probably best known for its prestigious
university (alumni include explorer Christopher
Columbus and physicist Alessandro Volta
of 'volt' fame). Attractions include the
forbidding Castello Visconti which was
built in 1360 for Galeazzo II Visconti.
The 14th century monastery Gothic Certosa
di Pavia was once among the most lavish
buildings in northern Italy. Tromp l'oeil
murals, a 1409 sacristy composed entirely
of hippopotamus teeth and scores of small
sculptures made this a rather comfortable
place to be a monk. Lago Maggiore
A series of blue lakes line the countryside
where the Lombard plains rise into the
Alps. Lago Maggiore is one of the more
popular ones and is overrun by tourists
at the resort town of Stresa during the
summer. From Stresa are the Borromean
Islands. Isola Bella is the most visited
but also the most interesting with a castle.
Isola Madre has its own royal residence
and Italy's tallest palm trees. Isola
Pescatore retains its fishing village
atmosphere. Parco Nazionale della Incicioni
Rupestre North of Milan along the Valle
Camonica are the three national parks
Parco dell'Adamello (with good hiking),
Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio (Alpine
rifugi), and Incicioni Rupestre (rock
carvings). The latter has a 30-hectare
(69-acre) open-air museum containing an
array of engravings that date as far back
as the Bronze Age.
