jialin

Is there any shop restaurant or museum open on 1st Jan? I am looking for things to do during the public holiday. Or it is worth making a day trip to lake Como or Verona?

sandralist

If it is a sunny day and you are bundled up, you can go up to Varenna (on Lago di Como) by train and probably find someplace open for lunch, but I would reserve ahead.

There is not a lot of reason to go to Verona, as you are unlikely to find more open there, but if you have never been, Verona is architecturally quite beautiful, so you could just walk around and see how pretty it is, so long as it isn't pouring rain or snowing, and you would probably find some places open to get something to eat.

If it is pouring rain, you could take a chance on going to Bologna (50 minutes south by train), because Bologna is largely covered with porticoes. You will still need an umbrella, and you will not find a lot open by way of sights except maybe some churches, but you will probably find some open bars and restaurants (not a lot).

If the weather is truly bad, don't take too many chances heading out of town, because you don't want to have a miserable trip getting back. Also, check out websites like Hello Milan and CiaoMilano to see if there are music concerts you might enjoy that day or other attractions (ice skating?)

bvlenci

Last year, there were a number of museums open in Milan on January 1st. These included the Palazzo Reale, which is at the moment hosting three different art shows: Van Gogh, Chagall, and Segantini (an Italian painter of the late 19th century). We saw all three on a recent trip to Milan; the Van Gogh show was very well done, although it didn't have many of his major works. The Chagall show was very extensive, although a bit lacking in information. The Segantini show was interesting, because I really didn't know this artist, who had a lot in common with the impressionists.

The Museum of Natural History was also open on January 1st, 2014. That's supposed to be an excellent museum, although we haven't seen it yet.

There is also traditionally a free band concert in the piazza in front of Palazzo Marino, near the Scala. Palazzo Marino itself hosts every year around Christmas a free exhibit of one famous painting, and that is usually open also on January 1st. This year there are three paintings, the most important of which is Raphael's Madonna Esterhazy, on loan from Prague. (We saw that also on our recent visit.)

I really think there might be more to see and do in Milan than in any other place you might go on January 1st. Here is the page (in Italian only) describing what was open on January 1st 2014.

http://milano.mentelocale.it/56285-m...-musei-aperti/

bvlenci

Sorry, the Madonna Esterhazy, as the name would indicate, normally lives in Budapest, not Prague.