Milano by Rain

Milano is a city of fashion - if you return home without at least a single day spent on a shopping spree, you've certainly wasted your time. The Duomo might prove the most memorable sight - or not, if you're not into monumental gothic architecture. Don't miss the importance of a good meal in a fancy restaurant - all money-consuming activities, but if you're into budget travels, Milano is best left alone.

Quick Tips:

Quite a few places near Milano are worth a day trip, if you're ready for a getaway from the bustling city life. Lake Como and Lake Maggiore are captivating targets for a day out, especially in the summer.

Best Way To Get Around:

Milano is an easy city to get around in. The subway is fast and efficient and covers most of the city. Trams and busses supply your transport needs with over-the-ground connections. Same tickets are used for both the subways and trams, and are valid for one metro ride or 75 minutes of tram/bus hopping.

Pretty decent hotel with clean, simple rooms. A few steps away from Piazza della Republica and Republica metro station makes it easy to get out and about. The staff is friendly, helpful and always good for an advice. Breakfast is nothing fancy, but enough to get you started on a new day.

For a good dinner nearby, check out the streets around Viale Tunisia on the east side of Republica. For night-life spots nearby, head westwards toward Moscova - a lot can be found within walking distance.

One of the world's largest cathedrals, the Duomo towers over the city, its gargoyles spitting out rain water into the lenses of camcorder-armed tourists. Kept in a late-gothic style, the cathedral is a maze of spires, statues and pillars. Over 130 spires and 3000 statues pride the rooftops of the building - even with about 400 years of building history (1386-1813), a quite impressive result.

The spacious interior can keep a congregation of 40.000 god-botherers inside on a good praying day. The cathedral is said to house a nail from Christ's cross, which is publicly displayed once a year (2nd sunday of September). Far more accessible is the Christian baptistry (entrance inside the church, €1), which is build around 378 AD and so predates the church itself by a millenium.

A stairway on the north side of Duomo leads up to the rooftops of the magnificent cathedral (entry €3) - an elevator is also avaliable for those weak of heart or foot, for a slightly steeper price (€5). The rooftop terraces provide an unparalleled close look at the architecture of the Duomo - and one of the best panoramas of Milano. The walk up allows you to burn off some of the italian-food-induced calories and get ready for your next large meal with something akin to a clear conscience.

Packed with elegant, expensive cafées, fashion stores, gaping tourists and milanese suits, the Galleria is one of Milano's central points. Dating back to 19th century, the magnificent building was designed by Giuseppe Mengoni (who, due to his apparent clumsiness on the scaffolding, never lived to see his work complete).

The Galleria also houses some of Milano's historical restaurants - Zucca overlooking Piazza Duomo and Il Salotto with its glass-covered winter terrase are two worth mentioning - altough the prices might not exactly be backpacker-friendly.

Remodelled from the original fortress by Francesco Sforza in the 15th century, the magnificent Renaissance castle houses today several art and castle museums, alongside museum of egyptian artefacts, museum of musical instruments and several flocks of local cats.

The massive main portal features a welcome area, where the occassional invader could experience the pleasures of being bathed in boiling oil and fired upon, whilst battering down the massive gate. Just to the left of the entrance is the castle bookshop, featuring mainly art books.

Leonardo da Vinci, who spent quite a few years in Milano working on (among others) his Last Supper, didn't fail to meddle in the construction of the castle, aiding in designing some of the defences. Nearly demolished in late 19th century, the castle nontheless pulled through and was fully restored to its current state by 1905.

Placed in a 12th century monastery, the museum features a permanent Leonardo da Vinci exhibition. Spending 18 years in Milano, Leonardo left many lasting impressions on the city and helped design, among others, defences for Castello Sforzesco. Samples of his work as well as copies of his journals are on display - if you're fluent in italian, your only problem will be deciphering Leonardo's mirror-side writing.

Another exhibit worth mentioning is the Telecommunication, Radio & TV gallery, featuring examples of the earliest machines within the field to the modern day. For a fun comparison, whip out your cell phone near some of the early transmitters and experience the progress in the palm of your hand.

The Transportation Exhibit features both naval, overland and air transports, with many examples of magnificent machines throughout the ages - among them one of the few rocket-driven race cars.

Several more exhibits fill the spacious rooms of the museum - Metallurgy and Physical Sciences among others - avaliable for your viewing pleasure, as far your mood and time permits. You can grab a quick refreshment in the museum cafeteria or snatch a few souvenirs in the local shop (which, incidentally, does not carry AA-batteries for your camera).