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Abroad, Italy, Milan

The happiness to be an Italian #Milan

posted by Dario
Oct 10, 2017 1576 0 18
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The modern suburb of Italy

I visited Milan at the beginning of the year on a gloomy rainy day, but exactly that combination of the weather showed me the authentic atmosphere of the city. Milan is one of those dynamically moving and evolving cities where one does not feel how fast time flies and should not be behind the rhythm of the city. Also known as one of the fashion points of the world, Milan has established itself as one of the favourites for tourists to visit.

  • The “Little” Cathedral of Milan
  • The first universal place for shopping in the world
  • Leonardo’s footprint

The “Little” Cathedral of Milan

The Cathedral of Milan is one of the most beautiful in the world, there is no dispute. It is surrounded and painted in beautiful white marble, which becomes even more beautiful when the sun lights it up.

But why do I call it little? If most fans of the publications for Florence and Verona remember the cities have introduced a law banning building something higher than the cathedral. Not in this case! Milan, as the fastest growing city in Italy, has skyscrapers and other higher buildings that hide the cathedral.

For visiting the Cathedral, you have two choices: to upload and explore the architectural diversity on the balconies and to get on the roof, which will open a fantastic panoramic view over the city or just enter the cathedral. More details in useful information.

I, as a lover of high views, preferred to take advantage of the climbing of the building. The queues were miles long and I did not have time to afford both things at once, but I strongly recommend if you have the opportunity to take advantage of it.

Curious fact:
Did you know that the cathedral has 3591 statues and 135 towers. On those towers are the Madonnas.
It is interesting to mention that you can “adopt” one of the Madonna by paying for its maintenance.

Useful Information:
Opening hours of the Cathedral: Every day 09:00 – 19:00;
The entrance to the cathedral is free, but there is a tail in the busy days;
Working time of the terrace:
Every day 09:00 – 19:00, with the last boarding at 18,10 and descent 18,30;
on Christmas and on the May 1 the cathedral does not work;
Price for climbing the terrace by lift:
Regular ticket: 13 euros;
Reduced price for children under 12 years of age, retirees and groups: 7 euros;
Price for climbing the terrace by the stairs:
Regular ticket: 9 euros;
Discounted price for children from 7 to 12 years of age, retirees and groups: 4,50 euros;
Children under 6 and disabled: free of charge;

The first universal place for shopping in the world

The next significant landmark is close to the Duomo of Milan, the unique Gallery of Vittorio Emanuele II. It consists of two streets crossing in the form of a Latin cross and all covered under painted glass and iron.

Also this place has the title of the first mall in the world. The place has rapidly gained popularity in the time and became the favourite place for meetings of citizens and tourists. Nowadays we can enjoy numerous restaurants and high-end shops. On the facades we see an abundance of art. Starting from the dome where Europe, Asia, Africa and America are depicted in the form of mosaics, many statues of prominent artists and scientists from Italy are placed around them.

Useful information:
The place is always full and there is no specific time when I would recommend you to visit it except early in the morning. However, you definitely will not feel it as it is when it is full of people and life is boiling;
The four corridors of the gallery depict the emblems of the four cities – Rome, Florence, Turin and Milan. It is said that if you step on the bull genitals (Turin’s coat of arms) and turn three times, it will bring you a lot of luck;

Unfortunately, my time in the city was limited, and that is why I focused more to walk across the city to feel it. You know how each city carries its thoughts, emotions and feelings, and to feel it, you have to take time and immerse yourself in it. That is why it is sometimes fun to just walk without a certain purpose and direction without having to tour 10 museums for 2 hours and forget everything you have seen but know that you’ve picture of it. What I did was to explore the cultural monuments of the city, such as La Scala Opera House, the Leonardo da Vinci statue, the Sforcesco Castle, and the arch of the Peace.
(I apologize for the photos, but back then, I did not have a photocamera available)

Sforcesco Castle
Аrch of the Peace
La Scala Opera House
Milan’s Green Railways
Leonardo da Vinci statue

Leonardo’s footprint

But before I go off and say my final ciao to Milan, I had to go to another place. Namely – The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci. A masterpiece that is worth seeing at all costs! Here is the time to say that I was really lucky because I had not made a reservation before, and then it turned out that there was also a monthly quota for tickets to visit. But anyway, I took the last ticket for the month in the last hour for the last group of the day. (I know, I am lucky!)

The Last Supper (in Italian, L’Ultima Cena) is a wall painting by Leonardo da Vinci, painted for his protector Duke Ludwigo Sforza in 1498. The painting depicts the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus as described in the Bible.

It is depicted on the wall of the small church of Santa Maria delle Gracia, which is a little risky in terms of what can happen in time. And the last damage to the masterpiece was done during the Second World War, on August 15, 1943, when the dining room was hit by a bomb. Protective bags were protecting the picture from rupture but shock vibrations partially damaged it.

Useful information:
I advise you to book a ticket at least three months earlier! Tickets can be purchased here:
They enter groups that are up to 25 people;
Works every Monday without a Monday:
8:15 to 19:00;
Holiday days: 1 January, 1 May and 25 December;
Ticket prices:
6.50 euros;
You can rent an audio guide on the safe itself;

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Dario Dionisi



If you want to know something more about me – my soul is a traveler, my origin is Italian and my true essence is a faithful friend. I am always open to new ideas and will be very happy if you want to contact me at dario@beyondsofia.com

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Comments

18 Comments
  1. posted by
    Dave P
    Oct 14, 2017 Reply

    Great post! this makes me want to visit Milan even more! very informative and i did not know you could get on the top of the cathedral! looks like I’m going to visit next year! love the photos too!

  2. posted by
    Paige
    Oct 14, 2017 Reply

    What an interesting fact about the other buildings not being taller than the other buildings; I hadn’t noticed that in Florence. I also love that you can literally go on top of the cathedral. That’s so cool! I’d love to give that a shot! I also had no idea that you had to book those tickets in advance for the Last Supper. Interesting!

  3. posted by
    Jim
    Oct 14, 2017 Reply

    WOW. Amazing photos and a great post! Man, I wish I were going here soon…

  4. posted by
    Anneklien Meanne
    Oct 15, 2017 Reply

    Ive been to several big cities in Italy Rome-Florence-Venice but never Milan- i thought i will just see the Doumo and the shopping mall but i was wrong! I think its about time to organise a visit.

  5. posted by
    Dinh-Long
    Oct 15, 2017 Reply

    Nice! I think it’s the first time I see pics from the top of the Duomo. What I loved about Milan are the canals and all the “recycled” old factories and building 🙂

  6. posted by
    Rhonda Albom
    Oct 16, 2017 Reply

    Our time was very limited in Italy and in the end we decided to skip Milan, but we’ve always regretted it. Recently, my daughter had to write a whole essay about The Last Supper and she’s been complaining about how close were to seeing it. I didn’t realise that other cities had banned buildings being higher than the cathedral, that’s very interesting but I suppose makes sense religion-wise.

    • posted by
      Dario
      Oct 16, 2017 Reply

      Yes Rhonda! In Italy they always wanted to show that religion is equal to the power. So people can see that nobody have all the power in one hand and do whatever they want.

  7. posted by
    Megan Jerrard
    Oct 16, 2017 Reply

    I never thought about the idea that gloomy weather gives you authentic atmosphere of the city – so true though, and usually makes for more dramatic photography too – so win/win right! The Cathedral of Milan was the highlight of my time in Milan – definitely my favorite building. I did the roof, though I didn’t know that the cathedral has 3591 statues and 135 towers – quite impressive!

    And we did a lot of window shopping at Gallery of Vittorio Emanuele II which was also really fun, so was glad to see this on your list too! It was pretty packed when I was there but I loved the art around the facades.

    Really cool city, glad you enjoyed your time!

    • posted by
      Dario
      Oct 16, 2017 Reply

      Thank you for the wonderful comment Megan! I think every type of weather bring a new way to see the city and every combination have his personal charm. 🙂

  8. posted by
    Jitaditya Narzary
    Oct 17, 2017 Reply

    Loved these sights. EVen the “modern” suburbs of Italy seems stuck in a time warp and that is what I love about Italy. Every statue here seems to be livelier than the other. I like the little details you have provided. Separate rates for climbing the stairs and taking the lift? That’s something that should make lazy people develop healthier habits… he he

  9. posted by
    Efthimis Kragaria
    Oct 17, 2017 Reply

    Milan is ideal for a quick break with a balanced dose of food, culture and architecture. I really liked your curious and useful facts. The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci seems gorgeous in the picture, let alone in person!

  10. posted by
    Mansoureh Farahani
    Oct 17, 2017 Reply

    I love Milan, It is my Favourite city in Italy, I know everyone thinks Milan is not as beautiful as Florence, but I love the city more. I have been there sometimes, but I haven’t been inside the church. The queue always is too long. But your photos make me to give it a try next time

  11. posted by
    Sandy N Vyjay
    Oct 18, 2017 Reply

    Milan is a historic and lovely place. We cannot forgive ourselves enough for missing out on this place when we passed through it on our way to Venice from Zurich. The Cathedral looks exquisite and of course The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpieces has to be seen. We will get back there next time around!

  12. posted by
    Bizarre Globe Hopper
    Jan 28, 2018 Reply

    I’m so happy that you got the chance to see the Last Supper! I couldn’t get tickets while visiting Milan and yearn to return someday. Seeing Leonardo’s amazing pieces was for me one of the highlights of visiting the Vatican!

    • posted by
      Dario
      Feb 1, 2018 Reply

      Thank you! 🙂 I hope you get better luck next time when you visit Milan.

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