Everyone says that Milan was their least favorite spot on their Italian vacation so I decided that I would make Milan my first and only Italian stop on this trip to Europe. I have never been to Italy before and of course I was dying to go but I wasn’t entirely sure what this specific trip would consist of. We had already booked our flights from the states to Frankfurt, Germany for our New Years vacation. {hint: always look at surrounding airports and alternative routes to find your best flights. We ended up flying from Lubbock, Texas connecting in Dallas and onto Frankfurt for HALF what it would of cost us to start in Dallas} {it was also extremely cheaper to fly into Frankfurt and commute to Milan or Paris} {if you can only travel during a specific time due to work schedules its worth looking around to save the most money} Our first thought in planning this vacation was either train or get a connecting flight to Paris (haven’t been there yet either) but the strikes and protests that were going on over there pushed us to pivot. We hopped on Alitalia and made it to Milan by dinner time.
The Alps
What to do
We had two full days in Milan to shop, eat and take in all the sights. We stayed at the Hilton Milan super close to the Milano Central Train Station which was awesome because it was so easy for us to get around. We immediately made our way down to the Piazza del Duomo to see the Duomo di Milano. We bought cathedral and rooftop tickets from Get Your Guide the day before I think and all we had to do was show our voucher on my phone to get access! 10/10 recommend buying these tickets, the view was amazing and the history and architecture behind the Duomo di Milano is unbelievable. I was particularly interested in all the history because I had recently read Beneath the Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan (my favorite book of all time) which is set in Milan during World War II.
There were several other buildings and historical markers we wanted to see. We made our way to the Arco della Pace, Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, and the Castello Sforzesco and we actually walked to all these locations. It wasn’t a short walk but a scenic one with lots of exercise.
Where to Shop
Milan is one of the most prominent fashion capitals in the world and it has housed world-renowned fashion designers including Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana, and Miuccia Prada. The shopping here is out of this world are there are plenty of places to find everything you are looking for. First stop was at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II di Milano which is Italy’s oldest active shopping mall. Gorgeously decorated for Christmas, we walked this whole mall so facinated by the grandness of it all. La Rinascente, right next door, is more a one-stop-shop department store with 8 floors of fabulous finds. The 7th floor was probably my favorite with a large food hall consisting of sushi bar, champagne bar, mozzarella bar, steak house, lounge and market. Via Montenapoleone fashion district (Quadrilatero della moda) was definitely my favorite shopping spot! It has been considered “The most expensive street in Europe” and is lined with endless designer boutiques and posh cafes. This may be my favorite because I purchased my wedding shoes at the Valentino Flagship Store on via Montenapoleone. Fun fact: it is MUCH cheaper to buy designer items in Europe – my shoes were 40% less than what I would of paid at the Valentino store in Dallas.
Where to eat
So we didn’t plan our food out in advance since we pivoted our trip from Paris to Milan and I was a little nervous we wouldn’t be able to get reservations or find good dining so last minute. I hadn’t done enough research to know where to eat or what to order but Italy is easy right? All we needed to find was wine, cheese and spaghetti! And not to forget my absolute favorite, Limoncello. The first night we were there we didn’t know where to start. We began walking from our hotel and found a couple of cool restaurants along our way. Unfortunately, one wasn’t open and the other was completely booked up. We were kind of discouraged by where we might end up because it was getting late but thankfully we finally stumbled upon this gem, Terrazza Calabitto. WOW we lucked out. This place has now gone down as one of my top dinner experiences to date. Not only did we find our new favorite wine here Ornellaia Le Volte (also found at Total Wine) I unintentionally ordered the best pasta dish I have ever tasted and it was inclusive of this very fashionable bib. haha To top off the evening we had a glass of limoncello and all was right with the world.
After shopping at La Rinascente we made our way up to the 7th floor for lunch and of course we chose to eat at OBICA mozzarella bar. The food was fabulous and I went with the classic Italian cocktail the Aperol Spritz.
After our full day of walking Milan and seeing the sites we thought we could use a drink. We found out we were very close to the BVLGARI Hotel and this was a treat. The bar was very lively and these drinks were as good as they looked!
Dinner night two was a little bit easier because I actually took some time to look up where we should eat and make us a reservation. We ended up picking Rossini Ristorante Pizzeria just walking distance from Duomo di Milano. The atmosphere was so cozy and intimate and the food options were exactly what we were looking for. I LOVE mussels and the risotto was next level. Of course to top off the night we had another glass of limoncello.
