LOL! Okay, adding Peck to the itinerary! Decided to cut the Milan stay from 5 days to 2 and a half then heading to Lake Como for another 2 and a half days before heading back to NYC. Recommended hotels in Bellagio (don't want to pay more than 150 EUR per night? Heard of Hotel Florence?

I've stayed at Hotel Gourmet in Bergamo. Its walking distance to the charming central piazza. Also Hotel Silvio in Bellagio. Both under $150 and both with websites.

<sigh> Everybody has it in for Milan. The sights you've listed are all worth seeing, and will take more than one day. Plus it's fun just to walk around the fashion district and look at the window displays. See http://www.straughan.com/italy/travel/milano.htm for some links and tips.

You can take a train from Milan Central Station to Varenna in about an hour. Varenna itself is well worth seeing, and it's a 10-minute hop across to Bellagio by ferryboat. You can get to other interesting places in the center-lake area, also by boat. See http://www.straughan.com/italy/travel/lake_como.htm for some links and tips.

For restaurants in Milan and Lake Como, see http://www.straughan.com/italy/travel/restaurants.htm

Enjoy!

Nobody can answer the how much is too much question for someone else. It all depends on your preferences and tastes. That said, I absolutely love Milan. It is sophisticated, busy, interesting and very Italian. It's one of the Italian cities where you'll be mingling with Italians, more than tourists (for the reasons everyone here cites, I'm sure).

If you do get sick of it, take the train to Como for a day, or Lago di Garda, or Vernoa, or Orta, or Maggiore (all about an hour away). The options are endless.

I'm wondering why Dierdre says "Everyone has it in for Milan." Were there nasty comments on the thread that were already deleted? I see nothing but positives on this thread, except for my brief comment that I don't actually like Milan, though I acknowledge that there are worthwhile things to see and do there.

CMT, You don't think that the several posts that say one day is enough for Milan (a world class city!) is why Deirdre says that?

I don't think that she was criticizing those of you who don't care for Milan. I agree with her though. It's similar to my frustration with people thinking all you need to see in Pisa is a leaning tower.

<<CMT, You don't think that the several posts that say one day is enough for Milan (a world class city!) is why Deirdre says that?>>

No, I don't think that's having "it in for Milan." People usually take relatively short trips or a week, two, three, and they want to see places that are unique and "foreign" and very different from home. Given that their total days are so limited, I think that's why many choose to "slight" Milan in favor of places that have a more intimate atmosphere and can more easily stimulate the historic imagination and conjure up images of the days or the Greeks, or Etruscans, or Romans, or Arabs, or Normans, or renaissance city-states. The time I stayed 3 or 4 nights in Milan more than 30 years ago, it was my second time there, and I was in Italy for about 5 weeks, so I could afford several days in Milan to see the places that interested me. When given the choice, I usually prefer to avoid the big modern cosmopolitan cities in a foreign country and opt for places that are radically different from anything I might experience at home in the USA. I also get the urge to turn around and leave very quickly when I see a lot of haze and air pollution in Europe, or in the USA.

Travel is personal and subjective. I was only reflecting what is most likely a majority opinion on this board. My intention was not to slam Milan or put down anyone who thinks it deserves more than a day or two.

Perhaps somebody can lay out enough places to see and things to do which will fill five full days. Do a text search for milan and see what comes up.

yes - - - five days is way too long! 1-2 days at the most is suggested.

Go to Lake Como - - you won't forget it or regret it!

Arrived in Milan last fall for a planned stay of 2.5 days before we flew home, immediately regretted the decision when I arrived at the Duomo and the whole front was covered for renovation and La Scalla was closed for renovations, and of course you need to plan well in advance to see the last supper (I didn't), I don't know if the renovation of the Duomo & La Scalla is complete as of yet. I'll be as blunt as possible: I would never go back to Milan again. I'd just as soon as take a trip to _________ (fill in any major city in the US near you). It completely lacks the charm of the other cities I've been to. While the Piedmont & Liguria are close, Emilia Romana (Parma & Bologna) isn't that far either (straight down the Autostrada).

" I'm wondering why Dierdre says "Everyone has it in for Milan." "

It's not just this thread or even this board - I've seen over and over again "don't waste time on Milan." Which is a pity, because there's a lot to see. You just have to look harder. I wrote a bit about this a while ago, see http://www.straughan.com/italy/living/seeing_beauty.htm

I suppose I prefer the places I have to work to discover. For example, I really don't care for Florence, it's too in-your-face touristy for me. Tuscany is something of a tourism whore; it's all slick and packaged, complete with t-shirts, mugs, etc. Lombardy, and especially Milan, is much more reserved. I won't claim that this makes it a more "authentic" experience than Florence or anywhere else, but it's an experience I personally prefer. <shrug> De gustibus.

Milan is a very modern city, however 5 days is too much...Why dont you stay 3 days in CT and 2 in Milan?

Deirdre, I'm with you. I think it takes a different kind of traveler to get Milan.

Funny thing, many of these same people love London. (Which I love too)

I say, try a place for yourself and see what strikes your fancy.

Dierdre, partly for the reasons you stated, I loved Basilicata, which is about as different from Milan as any place can be, and until possibly the last year, a lot less visted by Americans or other foreign tourists.

I think 2 nights in Milan will suffice. Train up to varenna for the other 2-3 nights. www.varenna.net we stayed there last summer and adored it!

Hope this helps:

A good Milan walk from Fodors.com


Start at the Duomo and visit its roof, museum, and the Battistero Paleocristiano.

Then move on to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, just beyond the northern tip of the cathedral's facade.

Continue across the transepts of the Galleria and head north to Teatro alla Scala, where Verdi attained his fame. Head northeast on Via Manzoni, stopping in the Museo Poldi-Pezzoli to see some fine Renaissance paintings. Via Manzoni leads to the Giardini Pubblici (great for kids), with the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale on the eastern side of the park.

Backtrack to Via Manzoni; take Via Fatebenefratelli west to Via Pontaccio and then to Via Brera to the Pinacoteca di Brera.

Next, a brisk walk west along Via Pontaccio will bring you to the imposing Castello Sforzesco.

A few blocks southwest of the Castello on Corso Magenta is Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to the renowned Last Supper.

Go east on Corso Magenta, across Via Carducci, to visit the city's Museo Civico Archeologico. Next to the museum, Via Sant'Agnese leads to the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio. Across from the church's main doors, turn left on Via San Vittore to see the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e Tecnica.

From the museum, take a right and walk down Via Edmondo de Amicis; then take a left on Corso Porta Ticinese to reach the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore. South of Corso Porta Ticinese is the bustling Navigli district. From San Lorenzo Maggiore, take Corso Porta Ticinese north to Via Torino, where, after a few blocks, you'll find San Satiro, yet another of Bramante's Renaissance masterpieces. Turn left on Via Spadari and then turn left on Via Cantu, which takes you to Piazza Pio XI -- here you can end your tour at the beautiful Pinacoteca Ambrosiana museum and attached library.

Thanks all! I decided to shorten my Milan trip to 2 or 3 days and am now researching Varenna in Lake Como for the rest of my stay!

Good idea--2 nites in Milan is adequate. Do not forget Lugano. Easy train to there, and Lake Como is only an hour away by local bus.

Varenna is lovely, too, and easily reached from Milan. For some links and tips on places in and around Lake Como, see http://www.straughan.com/italy/travel/lake_como.htm

Best, D'