24 Hours in Milan

We had a quick stopover in Milan on our way from Pamplona to Cinque Terre - and by quick, I mean, 24 hours. Milan is the second most populous city in Italy and the main financial hub of the country. It is known as a fashion center and pays tribute to Leonardo Da Vinci, where the artist spent a good deal of his life.

Despite only having a day, we did see a great deal of the city. Because it was just a stopover, we really did not prepare for it, and we learned that Milan is a city where you need to plan ahead if you want to see the "big" attractions. Even so, here is what we did in our 24 hours:

Santa Maria delle Grazie - a world heritage site, this church was built in 1469 and houses Leonardo Da Vinci's mural, The Last Supper. Unfortunately, we did not book ahead and they only let in a certain number of people in to see the painting for 15 minutes at a time. We arrived early in the morning and even then, the entire day was sold out. We were able to go inside other parts of the church which were beautiful, but when we come back, we will definitely plan this ahead of time!

Left: Duomo / Center: Leonardo Statue / Right: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II - one of the world's oldest shopping malls, the Galleria was built between 1865 and 1877. It has an open air walk-through with a glass ceiling and dome above. Today, the galleria houses high end expensive name brands and boutique shops - Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc. The architecture is beautiful and elegant - it is worth a stroll through!

Random Statues - I probably should've titled this paragraph a bit more descriptive, but I did have to point out that as were walking around, we found the Leonardo Da Vinci Statue above and the lovely statue in the photo below... it's in front of Milan's stock exchange. Look closely, and you'll see that this building is really pointing a finger to everyone who walks by....

Left: Milan Stock Exchange / Right: Outside the Duomo

Duomo di Milano - the cathedral church of Milan, the Duomo is the 5th largest church in the world. Unfortunately for us again, we did not plan ahead and I was in shorts so we couldn't go in! They have a pretty strict dress code- shorts must be past your knees and you must have your shoulders covered. Even not going inside, the gothic architecture is breathtaking. It has 135 spires!

Left: Arch of Peace; Right: Sforza Castle

Sforza Castle, Parco Sempione, Arch of Peace - built in the 15th century, the Sforza Castle was much more contemporary looking and unlike any of the castles we've seen in the UK. On one side of the castle is the downtown city and on the other is the Parco Sempione, a large public park that has the arch of peace and Arena Civica (where Milan's rugby team plays). The park has tons of paths, benches and small lakes - perfect for a stroll on a nice day, with gelato of course!