Ciao!

Having found a super deal with Arrowtours.ie for a 4night city break to Milan, myself and a friend hit off for my first hol of 2009, ready to do some exploring, not shopping! With only one thing organised before departure, we were just going to take each day as it came. The forecast from the BBC website predicted showers and thunderstorms for the duration of our trip, so the rain gear was packed in.... I'm glad to say, the BBC got it all wrong and our rain gear stayed packed in!!

First things first... people think that Milan is going to be expensive because it's home to all the top fashion designers etc. and that in a city of such elegance, prices will be pushed up. This is NOT the case. On arrival at the airport, and trying to figure our way to the hotel, we caught the bus to the city centre expecting to pay c.€10-15. Our reaction was one of total amazement when the bus guy said €1 each (and that ticket was good for the Metro too!!!) Welcome to Italy :-)

After checking into the hotel and freshening up, we took off walking towards the central piazza of Milan where the Duomo stands. This is Italy's 2nd biggest cathedral- St. Peter's in Rome being the biggest. Catching your first glimpse of its white marble as you walk down the street, you know it's going to be impressive... and it is! Make sure to pay the small fee to walk about on the rooftop and see the amazing sculptures of gargoyles, statues etc. and to get a great view over the city.

Literally next door is the most impressive shopping mall I've every seen - Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Here you'll find Louis Vitton and Gucci and of course a McDonalds!! but Wow! what a piece of architecture and design it is. Just walking through it without shopping is an experience.

Of course, even if you're not into art, you have to go see Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'. However don't just show up at the door and expect to get in. This is the one thing you need to book in advance of your trip to Milan (they recommend at least 6 weeks before so that you can choose a time and date that suits you). Entry fee is not expensive but you only get a short time (no more than 15 mins) to view it. What was most impressive for me was the story about how they tried to protect it during WWII - when you see the photos of the building after it was bombed, it's amazing how this piece of art still exists in all it's glory!

Aside from these, Milan is full of great buildings and museums, all within an easy walk of eachother. What is different when walking around Milan, is that you NEVER have to walk up a hill, so it makes the city a great place to stroll around for anyone. Parco Sempione among many of the other smaller piazzas, is a great place to sit, relax and enjoy a gelato or two in the Italian sun and feel like you're out in the open countryside.

And finally for the best bit that most guidebooks won't tell you about... the Italian food!!! Yes, we know all about the amazing dishes etc. but here in Milan, you can get a taster of all of them for a mere €8 and that includes a huge cocktail!!!!!! From about 5pm onwards, almost all of the cafes/bars put out a great buffet of a variety of yummy dishes and all that's expected of you is that you buy at least one drink!! The first night there, we couldn't quite get our heads around this until we saw a group of about 12 Italians tucking into as much food as they liked and all they did was sip on one cocktail for the night!! I couldn't believe it, but apparently that's the done thing here, so who were we to go against it. Every night, we had our fill of great food and a really nice cocktail and all for just €8 - Happy Days :o)