29.5.11

Milan, mon amour

First post! what to write? so many thoughts, but since I don't want to bother you, I'm just gonna write about my city: Milan, wonderful, fashionate, chaotic, polluted, fancy Milan... I've been here for 3 years which seem an eternity,but still, some places of the city are unknown to me. It was kind of a false start when I came here, jobless and clueless, but now I can safely say that this city and me are getting along real fine. So, what's to know about Milan?

If this is your first visit, the sightseeing route is:
- Duomo: city's cathedral, beautiful gothic monument
- Castello Sforzesco: the castle, nice, I find it stange that it's built in bricks since most castles in Europe are in marble or some paler stone... howerver, it's gardens are calming
- Santa Maria delle Grazie: nice small church, its convent is home to Leonardo's Last Supper affresco, breathtaking. Remember to book online here
- Pinacoteca di Brera: that's where they keep all the famous paintings! Hayez, Raffaello, Bellini, Crivelli, etc. Really, something to see!
- Piazza Affari: this is where the Stock Exchange once took place, lately there's a "modern" (let's call it that way) statue of a middle-finger in front of the building (very nice building, btw); it seems a quiet place now that the exchange became electronic, but this is a reminder that Milan is always the economic capital of Italy
- Navigli: the nightlife's headquarters, bars, restaurants, street vendors: the place is fun! (please foodies, don't look for gourmet here)
- Brera: the Latin Quarter (if there's one, in this fashionable city), home to the Pinacoteca, the academy of the Arts, designer shops and many many stylish bars and restaurants. Visit Claudio's fish store and have a fresh raw fish aperitif (free sparkling wine included); Marc Jacobs' shop and bar and wander around its beautiful cobblestone streets.

There are many other don't-miss-it places in Milan, but I don't want to annoy you so, 'til next post!
xoxo
M