Places We Go : Magic Milano

Last October/November, John, Jim and I spent 3 weeks in France and Italy. I've published posts on French and Italian fashion and this year, I'll be reporting once in a while on some of our favorite adventures during that trip.

I didn't see that coming. My first trip to Milano was absolutely magical. Sunny, stylish and delicious. And seemingly romantic! Let's take a look.

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The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics start this Friday, February 6. When John, Jim and I were in Milan last November, you really wouldn't have known the eyes of the world would be on this city in three short months. The Duomo was undergoing a cleaning and a large white tent was being erected in the Piazza del Duomo but that was all that was apparent to us. This photo (Reuters) taken last week still shows the Duomo with scaffolding in the rear and the piazza fenced in. Maybe for construction or crowd control?

Coming from Nice, France, we took a 30-minute Uber to Italy and then a 5-hour train ride. The Milano Centrale train station was inaugurated in 1931, a mix of Art Deco and neoclassical styles. During WWII, the station's platform 21 was used to deport Jewish citizens and political prisoners to Nazi concentration camps. The site serves as a Holocaust Memorial. The station now serves over 300,000 passengers daily.

We arrived late in the afternoon, checking into Hotel Sin de la Ville, a block from the "main" attraction. We stayed in Milan just two nights. We were busy - the one full day we were there, we walked 6.2 miles.

My little balcony provided an amazing surprise. I could hear the bells of the duomo as well.

After we checked into our hotel, we walked a block and turned the corner. I let out an involuntary, audible sigh which drew the attention of John and Jim. The Duomo was magical. The Duomo di Milano is the largest cathedral in Italy and holds 40,000 people. (Turns out St. Peter's in the Vatican is larger but not in Italy.)

We loved this sweet scene as it looks like the father is explaining the church to his children.

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Duomo di Milano construction started in 1386 and ended in 1965. 579 years later. It suffered major damage during WWII bombings. It was bombed by US and British forces.

Just steps away, we arrived at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It was crowded with promenadors on late Saturday afternoon. The 19th century , four-story glass covered shopping arcade was a grand site but I was mesmerized with the floors.

Iinside the Galleria, we ate at an outdoor restaurant as promenadors strolled by.

The Teatro alla Scala (the opera house), built in 1778, has gone several reconstructions, including after WWII bombing and a major renovation in the early 2000s. See the streetcar? Those were familiar to us as San Francisco runs 9 Milano streetcars in their streetcar fleet. Those have wooden interiors including one with wicker seats. They, too, were damaged in the bombings of WWII and were rebuilt in the late '40s.

The only Christmas decor we saw in early November was the top floor in the La Rinascente department store dedicated to all things holiday. I wanted to buy every one of these Christmas treats in their decorative tins.

I loved the Brera district, a historic artists' quarter with its outdoor market, cool restaurants, shops and a school all in 18th century buildings.

The Brera Academy of Fine Arts is a top public art university founded in 1776.

Fresh produce at the outdoor market in the Brera district. I loved to see the fresh chestnuts.

Always interesting to see local fresh fish..

We had an outdoor lunch in the Brera neighborhood. I ate Milan's signature dish, Risotto alla Milanese (saffron risotto). I was surprised at how absolutely yummy it was. Pasta portions are small in Italy as they are meant to be served as one of several courses. This plate was huge but less than an 1/2" deep.

The Brera district is filled with 18th century buildings. The 4-story Milanese Baroque style home was built in 1719.

We wandered Via Montenpoloene in the fashion district. I'm still curious about what's in those orange bags.

I wanted to buy Connie an Olympics tee. I asked the hotel concierge for a recommendation where to buy. He responded crisply, "Signora, Milano simply doesn't sell souvenirs." Hmm. I'm guessing he has a different attitude this week. Google led us to an official souvenir shop. It was a portable building but they had a red tee for Connie. Connie promises me she'll wear it during the upcoming Olympics and hope you are as excited to watch as we are. In the meantime, enjoy your Sunday!

PS ~ Milano was founded in 590 BC by a Celtic tribe and conquered by the Romans in 222 BC.  In the Lombardy region of Northern Italy, Milano is the second largest city in Italy with 1.37 million residences. With the country's largest metropolitan of 6 million people, it's consider Italy's major center for economic, science, art and fashion.