Memories from Piazza Duomo

The highlight of last week was the long awaited holiday I had planned to Milan, Varenna and Bergamo. I had already been on business trips to Milan several times but I never got to explore the city so this time...I had to dedicate a few days to it!

Milan is one of the well-known Italian cities, especially for Fashion, Food and Furnitures, the infamous 3-Fs. I spent about 3 days in Milan, because in between I went to Bergamo and Como but all in all, I think I've seen all that I wanted in the capital of fashion!

I stayed at an apartment rented on AirBnB, located in Brera and next to the Moscova metro stop. I would definitely recommend this area as HQ for your trip as it is so convenient!! You are 2 metro stops away from Central and Cadorna stations as well as Sforzesco Castello. You are at walking distance from Corso Como and its shops, restaurants (Eataly included) and bars. It's really perfect.

Arrival went smoothly, 1-hour flight with Ryanair to Malpensa and then hopped in the Malpensa Express (tickets can easily be purchased online and are valid for 4-hours) until Milan Central. The agency renting the apartment was located next to the station so picking up the keys took 2 seconds. And finally, 2 stops away with the metro I found the apartment and dropped my luggages. From there, I started to visit already, couldn't wait.

I headed to Duomo Piazza (green line to Central then yellow line to Duomo) to visit the cathedral. I had seen it so many times and yet never visited it. It was totally worth it and breathtaking. I am still trying to imagine the astonishing amount of work needed to complete this building and its thousands of statues and details...It is truly amazing. Luckily, I purchased tickets beforehand and it saved me about 2-hours of queues under the sun at 36 degrees....Plus I got to the terrasses while they weren't too crowded (around 2PM) so the pictures are pretty decent.

Duomo Cathedral - Ordinary Brussels

From the Aperol Bar - Ordinary B

Duomo Terrasse - Ordinary Brussels

Staircase Duomo - Ordinary Brussels

Statues Duomo - Ordinary Brussels

Duomo angel - Ordinary Brussels

The total visit of Duomo took a good afternoon including the Cathedral, Terrasses, archeological area and Museum. After this massive tour, I stop by the Aperol Bar just next to Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The view of the Duomo is stunning from up there and the pictures are crowd-free so don't hesitate to visit this restaurant/bar!

The next thing to do is visit the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and appreciate its architecture and details...And maybe do some shopping ;) In the area you can see the statue of Leonardo Da Vinci and La Scala and finally spend some time in La Rinascente if you like high end shopping. The other option is to head to Via Torino and visit the Magnum shop and then head to the Navigli area for dinner and a drinks. I must admit that I decided to shop a little bit before taking the Milanese apero next to Moscova to explore my new neighbour some more.

To see around Duomo area - Ordinary Brussels - Lifestyle & Food in Brussels

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II - Ordinary Brussels - Lifestyle and Food in Brussels

To see around Duomo - Ordinary Brussels - Lifestyle & Food in Brussels

Leonardi da Vinci statue - Ordinary Brussels - Lifestyle & Food in Brussels

Tips:

• Buy your tickets to Duomo beforehand to avoid long queues (up to 2h sometimes)

• If you have a guide, you will also skip the line to enter the cathedral

• Cover your shoulders and knees to enter the cathedral (ladies), shawls will do

• Superb view from the Aperol Bar next to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, if you don't want a drink, just enter and take your pictures

• If you are on a budget, get your drinks and food elsewhere, prices can get crazy on Piazza Duomo