npiazza

Hello,
Am I nuts to consider this? Please help me with the logistics...if we arrive in Milan at 8:30 AM on a Sunday morning, with carry on bag only, can we make it to 11:00 Mass at the Duomo, grab a quick slice of pizza, see The Last Supper, then catch an afternoon train to Varenna (Lake Como)? Once in Varenna we will crash for a couple of days before continuing our 2 weeks in Italy. Thanks for any tips on how to make this happen!

npiazza

I should add that this is not our first trip to Italy. Typically we are pretty energetic that first day after sleeping a few hours on the plane. Can anyone help with how to get from the airport to the train station, then on to the Duoma? Are there lockers at the train station where we could leave our bags, then retrieve them before going on to Varenna? Thanks!

flanneruk

It's years since I lived in Milan, but let's see.

You don't say which airport you're arriving at, or which airline. I'm guessing that you're American, and arriving at Malpensa Terminal 1. If you're arriving at Linate, the following information is close to useless.

As far as I'm aware, there's no left luggage at Milan's Cadorna station, where fast trains from Malpensa arrive, so you're best going to Centrale, which has slower connections from Malpensa but has a left luggage office (and trains to Varenna). I might be wrong on this: other posters can advise.

Buses leave Malpensa 1 about every 20 mins, taking 50 mins (www.autostradale.it/pdf/Orari%20Mxp.pdf) There are less frequent trains (www.orariotrenimalpensa.it/) If you're out by 0930, you can just get to Centrale by 1030 ish. Ten mins to leave your bags (follow signs for deposito bagagli), ten mins for a cab the 2 km max down to the cathedral: the metro's a bit faster but it'll be a hassle. You'll probably miss the Asperges (though given the lamentable quality of Italian interest in liturgy, they don't do it) but you'll probably be in time for the Kyrie.

If you're delayed, there's also (said) Mass at 1230. Book at the Cenacolo around 1430, allow an hour, and there are trains from Centrale to Varenna every hour, taking an hour.

You'll have little difficulty going to Mass at the cathedral, getting to the Leonardo and being in Varenna for dinner. You may well struggle to get to the 1100 Mass (if it's music you're interested in, it might tell you something about what to expect that the cathedral hasn't bothered updating the music diary on its website since 2006. Never underestimate just how awful Italian church music can be), but you'll easily meet your obligation. Personally, I really don't think you'll get anything out of the Leonardo after an overnight flight except a box ticked on the list of things you've "done". But...

npiazza

Thanks for you response flanneruk. I'm now thinking it might be too much of a hassle to try to do it all that day, and we should skip trying to get to Mass, and just see the church and The Last Supper at the end of our trip, since we will have an afternoon back in Milan before our return flight. At any rate, I now gather that the thing to do is to take the bus from Malpensa to Centrale, where we will get the train to Varenna.