GROW WITH SARAH GRACE

With Italy at my disposal, it’s easy to make short trips to nearby cities, and this past weekend, I did just that. I left Rome on Friday morning by train and got to Milan three hours later. Even if I stayed in this fashion-central city for only one night, I got a good taste of the amazing city. 

My Uncle’s Fiance, Jaclyn, studied abroad in Milan so I knew she would have the best recommendations for my friends and I and after receiving a long list of items, we made it our mission to complete as many as we could in the short time we had. Here are the major highlights from our trip and it’s the perfect itinerary if you are planning on completing a short trip to Milan yourself.

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Duomo di Milano

This is obviously a given. If you’ve seen any tourist photos from Milan, I’m sure you’ve seen this Cathedral. The Duomo di Milano is the largest Cathedral in Italy since the Vatican City isn’t considered a territory of Italy and St. Peter’s Basilica is out of the running. Sadly, because we had such little time to see so much, we weren’t able to see the inside but my roommate went on a separate trip with her family and said it was huge and worth it if you want to get a ticket ahead of time!

The outside is beautiful and although the city has put billboards on the side of it, you can still see the gorgeous stained glass and structure of the church. Outside of the church, in the front, you will find many and I mean many pigeons. A tourist trap is to have a man give you pieces of bread and get pigeons to approach and then take a picture of you and they will charge so be aware. 

**BONUS TIP: If you are in the mood to try and venture into the subway system (which is an easy trek from the train station!) the subway stop titled “Duomo” isn’t lying. You will in fact exit this station and walk out face-to-face with the beautiful Cathedral.  

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele ll

Next to the Duomo, you’ll find the Galleria which is full of luxury shops and food but amongst the “rich life”, you’ll find a spot on the floor near the center of the structure with a bull. At this place, you can spin around on your right foot with closed eyes for good luck! The tourist attraction is found between Prada and Christian Dior (I wasn’t kidding about luxury stores). 

This is the perfect palace to spoil yourself with a Prada bag if you want since it’s straight from the source. I know if I had a little extra buck in my bank, I would have fulfilled my dream of owning a Prada bag but that’s for next time. 

The restaurants in the Galleria are also on the pricier side but you can find some on the cheaper side if you want to still eat luxuriously, but on a budget. My friends and I ate dinner at Motta Milano 1928 for a (semi) affordable price but it felt nice to eat fancy for a night! The restaurant had a rollin’ 20s theme and it had the best mushroom pasta and burrata antipasti (appetizer)! 

L’erbolario Lodi

In a slightly different area from all the tourist attractions, you can find an Italian perfume and body care store that is found in most major cities in the country. My friends and I made our way to the Milan store and it was so worth it! For starters, the prices are affordable and the smells are immaculate but the customer service is what made our experience so fantastic.

The man working knew what he was doing and gave me and my friend lots of free samples and even a free calendar and planner. When you are a college student, you can’t turn down free samples but he also gave us his card for any purchases we want to make when we get back to the states so I look forward to keeping his perfumes in my mix. 

Luini

If you come to Milan and need only one thing to do, this is it. It was hands down the highlight of our trip and was so good. Found just near the Duomo and the Galleria is a small fast-food place with a line wrapped around the block. Inside this joint, you will find Milan’s famous Panzerotti which is basically just a pizza like an empanada. Not entirely sure how to describe this masterpiece but trust me, it is delicious.

The long line outside of Luini was concerning as we were in a bit of a time crunch to get to the train station but we persevered and the line moved super fast and we got our Panzerotti in less than ten minutes. We found a nearby piazza to sit down and enjoy our warm snacks and we were pleasantly surprised at the tasty, simple thing we were eating. The price is cheap and you have a wide variety of options for fillings. We all chose the basic tomato and mozzarella and it was heavenly. 

Shopping

If I wrote this without mentioning shopping, it would feel incomplete so I must include this. Whether it’s shopping at Louis Vuitton, Zara, Urban Outfitters or a local boutique, be sure to take the time to enjoy the fashion industry of Italy. Without even trying, my friends and I showed up just as Milan Fashion Week was about to start and it was so interesting to see the fashion on the streets so if all else fails, people watch and get your next outfit idea.

Milan is a popular city in Italy but if you aren’t considering adding it to your bucket list, I would reconsider because it is a great city full of many things to experience. I am forever grateful I listened to Jaclyn and did all the gems in an amazing city.