"My Milano" Milan by sierralyndon

Milan Travel Guide: 2,765 reviews and 6,830 photos

Il Duomo - Milan
Il Duomo
The city that grows on you

Milan has been home for nearly 5 years. I don't have many photos of the city, seeing as how I actually live here... and take things for granted, not needing photos to remind me of landmarks, etc. But I'm going to start filling in these pages with tips anyway for others' benefit. And get round to taking more shots of the city.

Milan is the capital of the region of Lombardia. It is also Italy's financial and industrial centre. Milan is often left off many travel itineraries, probably because it does not have the obvious abundance of tourist attractions like the overwhelming number of art works in Florence, the glorious monuments in Rome or the quaintness of Venice.

However, give yourself some time in Milan and you could discover many delights on a smaller scale. What is NOT on a small scale is the Duomo (pictured above), reportedly the third largest cathedral in the world. To me, the Duomo is the heart of Milan: geographically as a reference point to make your way around the city, as well as socially as a convenient meeting point and a darn good place from which to start exploring the city or to embark on a shopping expedition.

As with many larger cities around Europe, many residents you encounter in Milan may not necessarily be from Milan originally. Milan is one of those places that people migrate to - for higher studies, for jobs, etc. etc.

The general public in Milan can be really nice and really strange at the same time. Milanese have a reputation for being snobs and really nit-picky. I can vouch for the nit-picky bit actually, especially the older generation - I've witnessed many altercations on trams over nothing. It's amusing more than anything else.

All in all, I wouldn't live anywhere else in Italy all things considered. This city works for me better than any other in this country. I've had several people on VT saying that was "crazy talk" - it is not the most loved city in Italy, To each their own I say .....................................................................................

Top 5 Things About Living in Milan

1) It's quite cool to be able to say "I live in Milan"

2) Aperitivo!

3) The shopping

4) I understand the Italian here (unlike the Roman version of Italian!)

5) Milan is near gorgeous lakes, mountains, Switzerland and France (to go "overseas")

5 Worst Things About Living in Milan

1) How expensive everything is compared to other parts of Italy

2) Too much traffic and bad parking (which is why I don't drive)

3) Pollution - of the air and noise variety

4) Mosquitoes in the summer time

5) Fog in the winter time

  • Intro Updated Sep 12, 2005
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Comments (38)

  • Reply
    Roadquill's Profile Photo
    May 24, 2012 at 12:07 AM

    Great info on Milan, Karl

  • Reply
    Herkbert's Profile Photo
    Dec 2, 2009 at 9:49 AM

    Thanks for sharing the tips and pics, Kaz. We'll be in Italy in the spring and hope to see some of the sites you mentioned. Happy travels.. Tom

  • Reply
    RickinDutch's Profile Photo
    Mar 21, 2007 at 11:23 AM

    Birthday greetings from Alaska (again)! The year has passed quickly.

  • Reply
    sayedaburas's Profile Photo
    Mar 21, 2007 at 1:03 AM

    ♫•:*¨`*:•Happy birthday to you♫♫Happy b-day to you♫HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ღ ღ ♫♫Happy b-day to yoou•:*¨`*:•♫ What a lovely stuff you have (~_~)

  • Reply
    fipsi's Profile Photo
    Mar 18, 2007 at 3:09 PM

    Thank you especially for the restaurant-advises! Looking forward to coming to Milan next month! greetings from vienna :-)

  • Reply
    Feb 16, 2007 at 9:43 AM

    Thanks ! I'll be traveling there this April.

  • Reply
    caravaggio's Profile Photo
    Jul 27, 2006 at 1:29 PM

    what about night life in Milan??? jUST SLEEP?;)

  • Reply
    Dec 7, 2005 at 10:41 AM

    Very nice page on a great city!

  • Reply
    Nemorino's Profile Photo
    Oct 21, 2005 at 1:02 AM

    I'm sure I would have said "una zucca" if you hadn't warned me. Your husband seems to have found the ideal method of mosquito protection, LOL.

  • Reply
    Wild_Orchid's Profile Photo
    Oct 12, 2005 at 2:52 AM

    food, style, people watching-sounds like my kind of place-but oops, it's a bit pricey. :) well, I enjoyed the virtual tour!

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