After 2 weeks of hiking in the Dolomites, I had one day in Milan before flying back to Canada. Milan is not the natural entry point for the Dolomites. The closest airport is in Venice and that’s where I flew into. Venice was also cheaper, but I really wanted to visit Milan before leaving, so I paid extra to fly out of there instead. It was another full day of travel on public transport to get from Val Gardena to Milan, but it was sunny and warm when I arrived, in comparison to the chill that had moved into the Dolomites.

Milan is a large city, but a lot of the attractions are centrally located. I would have liked to stay right in the city centre, but I was alone and it was very expensive, so I opted to stay near the Milano Centrale train station instead. This made it easier arriving in the city and getting to the airport, which is quite far outside of Milan. That said, I didn’t love the neighbourhood around the train station. I don’t want to say it was unsafe, because I don’t think it was, but I also didn’t feel totally at ease there. I stayed in a nice little AirB&B, but because I was a woman traveling on her own, something about the location felt a little off.

I arrived around 5pm and had a day and half until my departure flight. I found a nice little restaurant nearby on the first night and was determined to try some of Milan’s classic dishes, the most popular of which is ossobuco alla milanese. It’s a veal shank with saffron risotto and it was as delicious as it sounds. I had a nice glass of red wine with it and really enjoyed the experience.

But I only had one full day in Milan, so I had a lot to explore. My plan had been to take it easy after doing so much hiking the previous week, but walking is by far the easiest way to get around, so I ended up tracking 16km on my solo day in the city. I left in the morning and decided to walk into the city centre. If you want to skip the line at the major attractions, I highly recommend getting your tickets in advance. The main thing I wanted to do while in Milan was visit the Duomo, which is one of the world’s largest gothic cathedrals and took nearly 6 centuries to build. It is the most iconic structure in Milan and absolutely worth the extra money I paid to fly out of Milan. I bought a timed entry ticket a few weeks before the trip so that I wouldn’t have to wait in line when I visited. I bought the ticket that included the walk around the walls, the roof, and inside the cathedral.

I enjoyed a scenic walk from my AirB&B to the cathedral, stopping at a very instagramable cafe called Gelsomina for breakfast. Along my way to the city centre, I walked along the via Monte Napoleone, which is part of the high fashion district. It was then that I realized I just happened to be visiting Milan at the end of Milan Fashion Week! I did not plan this at all, but it was a happy coincidence. It resulted in the city being a bit busy, but I loved people watching. I’ve never felt so poorly dressed in my life, but I loved checking out all the high fashion outfits people were wearing on the street.

The Duomo was everything I hoped for. It was a beautiful sunny day and it’s impossible not to be in awe of the intense level of detail sculpted into every inch of the massive cathedral. Even if you don’t go inside, it’s still awe-inspiring from the square. My favourite part was walking around the outer walls of the cathedral. It’s cool to walk on the roof as well and it has nice views of the city, but from an architectural perspective, I thought the walls were the most detailed.

It was also a Sunday when I visited and I realized when I entered the inside of the cathedral, pretty much exactly at 11am, that I’d arrived just in time for church. There was a procession of priests walking into the center of the cathedral and I sat in the pews for a while to watch the spectacle, even though I couldn’t understand anything since it was all in Italian. Somehow the cathedral feels even bigger from the inside, it’s hard to imagine how much stone the enormous columns are supporting.

Honestly, if I’d gone to Milan and just done the Duomo, I would have been satisfied, but it still wasn’t even lunch time yet, so I had lots of city left to explore. I spent some time walking up via Torino, which is another shopping district next to the cathedral, but much more affordable than the high fashion district, which was packed with names like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Versace, Hermes, Valentino, and any other high fashion name you can think of.

The other popular attraction, which is located right next to the Duomo, is the Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II, which is basically another shopping centre, but has a beautiful glass roof. This area is also well known for the Camparino, which is a staple in Milan. While the rest of Italy is known for Aperol, Milan is known for Campari, a bitter Italian liqueur. I sampled a few Aperol Spritz during my time on the Alta Via 1, and I wasn’t a huge fan, but I figured, when in Milan, you have to try the Campari Spritz.

I decided to make a meal of it and found a nice restaurant in the Galleria. This probably wasn’t the wisest choice for my wallet, but I enjoyed the experience anyways. There were long lines at all the restaurants in the Galleria, but I was traveling solo and as a result, I was able to quickly find a table. The restaurant I picked had one table that sat only one person because of some restriction with the aisle, and I was more than happy to take it! I ordered a Campari Spritz with my meal, which cost a small fortune, but I reasoned it was all part of the experience. Unfortunately, it turns out I hate Campari. Like I said, Aperol isn’t my favourite, but Campari is so much worse. It’s incredibly bitter and while I’m sure it’s an acquired taste, I disliked it so much I didn’t even finish the drink. Oh well, when in Milan…

From the Galleria, I continued walking to see the Teatro alla Scala and the Castello Sforzesco, which is an old castle located in the enormous Parco Sempione. I saved my park exploration for a little bit later in the day and walked over to the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio. If you’re familiar with Milan, you’ll know that the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie is the home of The Last Supper, which is painted directly on the walls of the church.

I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t realize The Last Supper was located in Milan until a few weeks before my trip. Once I learned, I was keen to buy tickets, only to discover I literally couldn’t. Unfortunately, viewing The Last Supper is pretty much the biggest scam in Milan. The government sells entry tickets months in advance for viewings. They’re all timed and the number of people allowed in the church at a time is limited. Tickets aren’t expensive, only ~15 euro, but because there’s so few of them, they are immediately all purchased by scalpers, whom you must pay anywhere from $150 to $300 for tickets. I’m not sure if I would have been willing to pay this much if given the chance. I did look into purchasing scalped tickets, but due to the influx of visitors for Milan Fashion Week, I literally could not find a single ticket anywhere on the internet for the one day I was in Milan.

I walked to the church anyways because I wanted to see it and thought there might be a slight chance of getting a ticket on location. There was no chance, but it was a pretty church. Sadly I couldn’t go in, so I opted to visit the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio instead. This was a great choice as this church is free to visit and was steeped in history. It was first built in the year 387AD, and re-built in the 11th century. It’s one of the best preserved churches in Milan and it has the most disturbing crypt. Underneath the pulpit is a sarcophagus housing the skeletons of Saint Ambrose, Saint Gervasius and Saint Protasius, still perfectly visible to visitors! Saint Ambrose died in 397AD and it blows my mind that you can see his attired skeleton still resting under the church.

After my little foray into history, I walked back to Parco Sempione and on impulse, made a quick stop into the Museo Pieta Rondanini. It’s a small museum that houses the last (uncompleted) marble statue from Michelangelo in 1564. While unfinished, the statue depicts the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of Jesus. Entry to the exhibit is pretty cheap, so I think it’s worth the visit if you have the time. I was happy to soak in the art history after 2 weeks of hiking.

I finished my day with a walk through the rest of the park to see the arco della pace, before catching the train back to my accommodations. I was tempted to walk the whole way back, but after 16km, my legs were finally starting to tire. I caught the train to the airport the following morning, which concluded my time in Italy. It really was an incredible trip and I’m so glad I made the time to visit Milan before flying home. I haven’t done a lot of traveling by myself, and while I was with Kristine for the majority of my trip, it was a nice experience to spend a few days traveling solo at the end. I enjoyed doing what I wanted when I wanted and I’m keen to go back to Italy one day to see more of the country. I still haven’t been south of Venice, so one day I need to visit Rome and the Amalfi Coast. So much world to explore!