Milan Italy ~ Overview

Overview

An intoxicating mix of the latest fashion trends and world-class art and culture, Milan appeals to fashionistas, art lovers, socialites and opera buffs alike. The shop windows on Via Montenapoleone dazzle with Armani's new styles, sophisticated cocktail hours give the Milanesi an excuse to mingle and the Triennale's cutting-edge ideas challenge conventional design concepts. All this beauty and culture is undergirded by Milan's steel heart: This is Italy's commercial center, the place to coolly strike a business deal.

Things to Do

Rent a bike to experience Milan at your own leisure, taking in the Gothic white-marble Duomo, the steel-and-glass-sheathed Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the redbrick Sforza Castle as you zip past businessmen and supermodels. The nearby Parco Sempione fills with locals during the afternoon siesta and is the gateway to Gio Ponti's steel Branca Tower, with bird's-eye views of the city and the Alps beyond. Art lovers can admire Leonardo's Last Supper in the Santa Maria delle Grazie church and Renaissance gems in the Pinacoteca di Brera art gallery.

Shopping

Look all around you for inspiration, then enter designer heaven in the Golden Quadrilateral, just north of the Duomo, where you can walk away with the world's most coveted brands. For a budget-friendly alternative, scour the racks of Papiniano Market, which is packed with designer seconds for both men and women. Antique collectors and art lovers search for gems along the Canale Grande in the Navigli district.

Nightlife and Entertainment

Be moved by classical opera at Italy's premier opera house, Teatro alla Scala, or hear great orchestral works at the Auditorium di Milano. Art students and young locals enjoy the latest music and cocktails in the university area of Brera. For fine live jazz in quirky surroundings, head to legendary Le Scimme in the Navigli, which has its own bar-boat moored in the canal, then dance the night away with celebrities in Garibaldi's long-standing nightclubs.

Restaurants and Dining

Since the 1980s, the aperitivo (predinner drinks with snacks) has been a social affair in Milan. Centrally located bars please business types with restaurant-like buffets, while the trendy joints of the Isola quarter offer food for thought with contemporary art displays. For dinner sample hearty polenta and tender osso buco in Magenta; portion-conscious fusion food from a designer restaurant in Sempione; or good-value pizza from the eateries in Brera.

My short time in Milan doesn't allowed me to experience all the great adventures Milan offer. However I search Frommer's and shared their most Favorite Experiences ~ a must do while you were in Milan.

For me, just take a leisure walks along Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 11 are good enough.

Frommer's Favorite Experiences

• Climbing to the roof of the Duomo: The roof of the city's principal landmark gives you an eagle-eye view over the busy streets and alleys downtown. More importantly, this is where you can get up close and personal with the sculptures of saints and spookily realistic gargoyles, who are also keeping tabs on deeds good and bad of the inhabitants below.

• Window shopping for a sleek home: Milan is the modern furniture capital of the world, a superlative that is a lot more fabulous than it sounds once you see the latest designs. There's no better way to immerse yourself in the height of hipness than peering through the store windows along Via Durini, metaphysically reclining on ergonomic sofas, while drawing the lines of the next Alfa-Romeo under the spotlight of the sleekest of lamps.

• Taking in a match at San Siro: This is Italy's cathedral to calcio, or football, and home to two of the nation's top teams, Inter and AC Milan. Tickets are scarce when the two play each other in the derby, but there are usually dozens of opportunities in the cooler months to put on the team's colors and make the pilgrimage to one of the most venerated stadiums in the world. Beware: fans can be rowdy so families should definitely stay away from the mobs behind either goal, known as the curve.

• The aperitivo hour: They don't call it Milano da bere ("Milan in a glass") for nothing. This city celebrates the art of the cocktail with free finger food and pasta starting around 5pm until people get hungry for a real dinner at about 7pm. A few of the more hopping venues are Le Biciclette (via Conca del Naviglio 10), Victoria Cafe (Via Clerici 1) and really anywhere in the Brera district. The free food is not as remarkable as the people-watching and the Campari-based cocktails.

• Hear the 'fat lady sing' at La Scala: This is the apex of Italian opera, and the audience at Teatro alla Scala expects the very best, every night. Tickets for opera performances go on sale about two months in advance and are in high demand; it is easier to catch a concert or ballet. What you see on the stage may not even matter: One of the most memorable parts of the experience is taking in the grandeur of the interior and the elegance of its guests.

• Fashion shopping in the 'Golden Triangle': This neighborhood around Via della Spiga and Via Manzoni is the number-one destination for most tourists in Milan. Pack your plastic and fill up your bags at big names like Armani, Cavalli, Valentino, and Versace, but don't miss out on some of the smaller, less-crowded boutiques on nearby Via Solferino, or in the southern quarter of Porta Ticinese.

• The majesty of the lakes: If you have an extra day in Lombardy, a day trip to Lake Como is nearly obligatory. The heart-stopping scene of Alpine slopes crashing into the cobalt water, whose coastline is studded with medieval burghs such as Bellagio and ringed by palm trees and bougainvillea, is unique in the world. Small wonder that superstars from Versace to Clooney have chosen this backdrop for their second (or third) homes.

* As it was, I'm lucky to make an acquittance with Samy Bahr, an Egyptian guy married to a local Milanese. He provide transportation services around Italy by car or if you want to cross border to Switzerland which we does. Anyone interested can leave a message here. I will connect you to him.

Hello Milano! Finally I'm Here. One of My Fave Cities!

My first time in Milan was on 27th May 2013. Honestly...being in Milan invokes the fashionista's desire  in me.Wait for my next posting for my personal experienced here.Ciao! Till then.