Exploring Italy From North To South ( Part 1 - Milan)

I have been waiting for quite some time to start this series. I and a group of friends had planned this trip to cover Italy from north to south in 10 days. We started planning in January to visit Italy in June which is although a bit hot is the peak season to visit the country and this is probably the longest I have planned for any trip. So, we planned to cover most of Italy in 10 days which included Milan, Venice, Lake Garda, Tuscany, Florence, Chianti, Rome, Vatican city, Pisa, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi coast, Capri, and Anacapri.

Unarguably Italy is the most enticing country in Europe not in terms of just travel but the food, architecture, history, and diverse scenery. You can see unparalleled beauty both manmade and natural as you move from city to city.

Now, coming back to the trip I am going to share my experience and the little tips and tricks that can help you out while traveling to or traveling in this beautiful country. Since we just had 10 days and there were many places to explore we were prepared to be tired as hell by the end.

So, let’s start with the first city- The City of Fashion Milan.

Reaching Milan

We started our journey from New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport. We booked our flight in January and opted for the cheapest flight available Alitalia airlines. There is a whole story about my experience with this airline but for that, you will have to wait till the end of this series. Anyways we boarded our flight at four in the morning, it was an eleven hour journey. We had a a four hour layover at Rome’s Fiumicino airport from where we took a one hour flight to reach Milan.

If you are planning to shop from the duty-free or buy something branded include this airport in your plan. There are endless stores and this airport houses the biggest brands in the country. I was overwhelmed even by the duty-free which is huge and the collection of drinks and chocolates is just too good.

However, just one small tip if you have a layover at this airport and you are planning to buy something from the duty-free while you are entering the country (not leaving) don’t tell them you have a layover otherwise they won’t let you buy anything from there. Show the boarding pass from your place to Rome that will do the job.

Rome Airport

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Why and Where To Get A Sim Card?

Internet is the first most important thing that you will need once you enter the country. Now, most people will tell you that there is wi-fi at most places so you don’t need to use your own data. Although you will have access to wi-fi at airports, restaurants, hotels, etc. but once you are out on the street you will need to use your data to commute from one place to another, especially in cities such as Venice and Florence where the only way to travel is by foot.

So, once you reach your destination buy a sim card. We bought two sim cards for 60 euros with 50 GB data from Milan airport. There are even cheaper plans you can opt for.

Why I am recommending buying a sim card from the airport is because language will be a problem in Italy. You might find a few people here and there who can speak English but most people can speak just Italian. So, even basic things such as asking for directions could become a task. Even the signs and boards are mostly in just Italian.

Renting A Car

If you can drive a car and are confident enough to drive in a new country renting a car is the best way to travel from city to city. Since we had to visit a lot of cities and time was a major factor, ditching trains and buses and renting a car was the best decision.

Even if you have ample time at hand I will still recommend renting a car rather than going for buses and trains as this will reduce your traveling cost by a lot. The view and scenery you will get to enjoy while traveling by car are what made this decision worth every penny and you get the freedom to stop anywhere and enjoy the moment.

There are a number of options available at the airport to rent a car, you can even book the car in advance to save time. We rented a Peugeot 3008 in advance from an agency “Budget” for 10 days at 360 euros which is much less compared to what we would have paid if we had gone for some other mode of travel.

The car we got was brand new and in excellent condition. There is hardly any dust on the roads so you don’t have to worry about getting the car washed before returning, although make sure to keep the car clean from inside.

One very important tip don’t miss out on car insurance. Make sure that you get everything from theft to external damage covered in the insurance as the penalties are pretty heavy.

The last thing don’t travel by car within the city as parking is expensive and will be an issue, also people in the city are a little impatient. Even the locals recommended traveling by trams, metro or bus within the city as getting a parking spot won’t be easy. In fact, don’t expect to get a parking spot just next to the place you are staying. Check with the hotel or Airbnb whether there is a place to park in their premises or nearby. Highways are great and there is not much traffic so driving will be a lot easier there.

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Where To Stay?

Although we stayed in a mini hotel in Milan, we opted for Airbnb’s for the rest of our trip. This was my first experience with Airbnb and it was absolutely amazing. They are a lot better than hotels and you have complete freedom. You can opt for a complete apartment or just a room with a shared common area or even a shared room. The best thing about Airbnb is you can choose according to your budget and requirement.

You may or may not find a parking place within their premises. Contact your host to get all the details in advance and do check their reviews before making a booking. I would recommend Airbnb over hotels any day.

If your Airbnb doesn't offer breakfast don’t worry just grab eggs and milk from the nearest supermarket and cook your own breakfast, that is how we survived our mornings. One more advantage of an Airbnb is you can pack light as some of them even have washing machines.

Also Read: No Internet, No Cell Phone- The Best Place To Enjoy Nature Luxuriously !!

Places To Visit

Before I start with the places you should explore let me tell you we lost a lot of time because our flight was delayed and then the airport misplaced our luggage. So, we reached our hotel around 6 in the evening, 6 hours late than what we had expected plus our luggage was lost and we had nothing to wear.

So, doesn't matter how much you plan, things will not go exactly how you planned. Anyways to make the most of whatever time we had we left the hotel at seven. The good thing about Italy is the sun sets at around 9 in the night, so you won’t feel that it’s too late to go out.

We took a tram from our hotel to the city centre. You can buy the tickets for the tram at any Tabbachi store which is the tobacco store.

1. Sforzesco Castle

This castle was constructed during the 14th century as a fortress, the Sforzesco Castle is one of the many places to visit in Milan, Itlay. Today, the castle houses the Museo d’Arte Antica, which features the Pietà Rondanini – Michelangelo’s final masterpiece. This place has a beautiful fountain and a lawn in front of it. The place closes at 7:30 pm.

2. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Constructed during the late 1800s, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the oldest enclosed shopping malls in the world. This mall with blue glass vaulted ceilings, mosaic flooring, and the towering central dome is a major tourist attraction. It offers some high-end couture shops, which include Louis Vuitton, Borsalino, and Prada. Tradition has it that turning on one’s heel over the mosaic bull under the central dome brings good luck.

3. Milan Cathedral

Dedicated to Saint Mary Nascent, Milan Cathedral is the largest and the most beautiful cathedral in Italy and the fifth largest in the world. You will find this cathedral just next to the Galleria Vittorio mall. This is an architectural marvel and you will have to have a look at it up close to see the delicate carving that has been done on its exterior.

I would recommend that you visit the place in the evening. First, visit the Sforzesco castle and then the Cathedral. The place around the Cathedral and Mall comes to life at night. You can find food trucks and stage performances going on. The place is full of life and the crowd is super cool.

Walk through the streets where you can some high-end stores lined up one after the other. If you are an HnM fan just like me, there is a huge HnM store just next to the cathedral and the prices are not very high compared to India and you will get a huge collection there.

Do try the gelato ice-cream especially the trademark Italian tiramisu flavour. There are a number of restaurants too but you might be disappointed by the pizza. The authentic pizza is too thin so you have to roll and eat each slice and it’s not what you might have been expecting, especially with my Indian tastebuds it was difficult to gulp it down.

Our first bite in Italy (This is not the pizza you will find in most Italian restaurants-they have extremely thin slices)

Gelato Ice-cream

This is all from my first day in Italy. Stay tuned to catch up more on this series as I will be covering each city one by one.