mosey

My family and I are going to Milan May 13-16 due to a last minute business trip for my husband. My children and I will be alone during the day of the 15th and 16th and I am still trying to get my itinerary together. Unfortunately, The Last Supper is sold out through May 31st. My children, 10 and 11, boy and girl, know quite a bit about Leonardo Da Vinci so it would have been wonderful....oh, well. Anyway, we will go to the museum that has his inventions, etc. When I read about visiting The Last Supper, I read that there are clothing requirements, no short skirts, no bare arms, no shorts, etc. Is this the case with all churches? My family and I dress nice, but I may have my son in khaki bermuda shorts and a polo for the day. Should he be dressed in slacks so that we can enter the churches? While my daughter's skirts are short, they are not inappropriate. Please advise.

Thank you!

mosey

While my title may not help me...are there any day tours in Milan that would be good on the days when it is just my children and me?

RonZ

One of the lesser known attractions in Milan is Leonardo's Horse, the largest equestrian sculpture in the world.

ashields

I usually play it safe and cover knees and shoulders for churches, whether or not there is a potsed dress code. You could look in to getting some of those zip off pants for your son, some brands have started to make these pretty nice.

Cicerone

The Last Supper is only one of many Da Vinci works in Milan so I would not stress out over not seeing it. Go to the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana museum which has the famous Unidentified Musician also by da Vinci, really beautiful, just not nearly as hyped as the Last Supper. You will get in with no line at all. It also has some wonderful Caravaggio's and other beautiful paintings. Go to http://www.ambrosiana.it/ita/index.asp. The Cenacolo Vinciano also has several da Vinci works.

I don't know of any day tours, you might check with your hotel. However, the whole Duomo area is very compact and walkable and I really don't think a bus tour would be any good, as a lot is car-free. A walking tour with a guide would be good, I don't know of any tour guides, again your hotel might have a recco. Check to see if Fodors or Frommers.com has put together a walking guide to the Duomo area that you could do yourself.

The S'Forza Castle is quite interesting and has some good exhibits, I would put that on the list. It is walkable from the Duomo area.

Be sure to climb to the top of the Duomo for great views and the kids would definitely enjoy that.

If you kids are soccer enthusiasts, I believe you can visit and take a tour of San Siro stadium, where AC Milan play. You might want to check into this.

A visit to Peck's Deli (maybe every day for lunch) would be a fun thing for the kids, the food on offer is amazing, you cuold even do a take away picnic:

Peck's Deli
9 Via Spadari

(about 2 minutes walk from the Duomo)

As for the clothing, in mid-May you may in fact find it too cool and/or rainy for shorts anyway, take a look at weatherbase.com. They are strictest in the Duomo, but in general out of respect you should observe this rule in other churches even if there are no entry guards. I think that Bermuda shorts on boys are actually going to be OK, it is more short shorts on women that seem to be the issue. However, I agree that the zipper pants might be the best thing.