Milan: The beginning of a summer adventure

After a long day of travel first by bus from Hov to Aarhus, then by train from Aarhus to Copenhagen and then by flight from Copenhagen to Milan, I finally arrived in Italy at 4 PM, nine hours after I’d set off from my childhood home in Denmark. Milan was the first destination on my month-long summer trip around Southern Europe.

I hurried to find some food as I was starving and then headed to the bus to the city. The ride took an hour, so I was in the city at about 6.30 PM and then had to find my hostel! A wee bit late considering the amount of time I’d have in the city, which was literally only that evening! I know it’s short but I’m not much of a city person (especially touristy cities), so I really just wanted to see the main sights and then get out. Actually, my only reason for going to Milan was to take a bus the next day to San Marino, one of the smallest countries in Europe and the least visited, which is only a four-hour ride away from Milan!

Still, I did want to see a bit of Milan, so I quickly walked to my hostel which wasn’t far from the train station, dropped off my bag and jumped on the metro towards Piazza del Duomo.

Piazza del Duomo (“the Cathedral Square”) is the main square in Milan, located at the geographic center of the city. The square includes some of the most important buildings in Milan, including the Duomo (Milan Cathedral), which dominates the square.

The square was created in the 14th century, but its current form dates back to the late 19th century and is designed by architect Giuseppe Mengoni with the exception of the cathedral. The construction of the Gothic style cathedral began in 1386 and ended in 1965, taking six generations to complete! It’s the largest church in Italy, the third largest in Europe and the fifth largest in the world.

Piazza del Duomo is a great place to begin a sightseeing tour of the city, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many tourists in one place before! But I mean, it was to be expected in July in Milan, one of the most touristy cities in Europe.

The cathedral is incredibly beautiful, but sharing it with SO MANY other tourists ruined the experience a little. One woman asked if I would take pictures of her (okay, she actually demanded it), and then spent the next five minutes doing different poses in front of the cathedral. I gave back her phone and quickly slipped away, happy to be able to roam free again, but nope. Not so fast, Melissa. Not long after, she spotted me again near the entrance to the cathedral, and asked me AGAIN if I would take pictures of her. She must’ve liked my photography skills, hehe! We did another session which she apparently loved as she shouted “ohh nice, grazie grazie!” at me as I left. As soon as I’d left I regretted not asking for a picture myself – because that angle really did look great. Oh well, at least I made her happy!

Selfie time – solo travel woes!

The most notable of Giuseppe Mengoni’s buildings on the square is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a fancy four-storey double arcade which is Italy’s oldest shopping mall.

I peeked inside the mall but quickly left again as the shops were waaaay out of my league (think Prada, Chanel, Hilfiger etc.). I hadn’t come to Milan to shop, especially since I had no room in my small backback, and I felt out of place there amongst the rich folks. The architecture is beautiful though so I am glad I braved it.

After I’d finished exploring the square, I took a stroll down Via Mercanti to the old Piazza dei Mercanti, the heart of Milan in the Middle Ages, and the busy Piazza Cordusio to the beautiful Sforza Castle.

The castle was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, the Duke of Milan, on the site of a destroyed 14th-century fortification. It has since been through several renovations, latest in 1891-1905 where it was rebuilt to the castle that stands today. While it was once a princely residence and later an active citadel, today it houses several museums and art collections.

I decided to buy my dinner in a supermarket, so I bought some fruit, nuts and a couscous salad and then headed back to the cathedral as I wanted to see it light up in the dark as well.

Right before entering Piazza del Duomo, I heard that a demonstration was going on. I usually stay away from demos as they can get violent, but this one was peaceful and the message absolutely wonderful.

Open the harbours – saving lives is not a crime!

It had become dusk by the time I sat down near the cathedral to eat my dinner, and the cathedral was already lit up.

I people-watched for a while, enjoyed the special atmosphere at the square and watched as the night got darker and the cathedral more illumined. It was the perfect way to end my short visit to Milan.