Why doesn't anyone like Milan?
 

Why does Milan get such a bad rap?

It's not as beautiful as the rest of Italy - for the most part it feels a lot like a city in the United States. It's worth 1 day though, if only to go to the Duomo - the most amazing, beautiful building, and you can go all over the roof - a great place to take pictures.

Milan gets a bad rap because it isn't Venice, Florence, or Rome. You see the pics of the beautiful churches and imagine that is similar (look and feel) to the rest of Italy. When you get there it's a big dirty industrial city...I definitely wouldn't go back to Milan (on my dime...)

Have been to Milan several times, primarily as a business stop before a visit to other places in Italy. Milan is a big, crowded, sprawling industrial/commercial center of Italy. It was very badly damaged during WWII so most of the buildings date from then to now. It does have an incredibly beautiful duomo which houses "The Last Supper", the Sforza castle, beautiful and very pricey boutiques and an outstanding opera. However, it really caters to business and not tourism so it's not easy for tourists to see. There's nothing wrong with it, there's just so many prettier more interesting places.

As stated before, it's a big, dirty industrial city, with a couple of interesting/pretty places dotted around the city. <BR> <BR>To see The Last Supper is really the only reason to go to Milan. La Scala is historical, but operas are presented around the world; Montenapoleone Street has all the Italian designer boutiques, but so does Neiman-Marcus and Rodeo Drive. The Duomo is very pretty, but there are other cathedrals in other cities just as beautiful. The castle is interesting, but Italy is crammed full of castles. <BR> <BR>If you have to be in Milan for business or layover, you can find things to do. Don't go out of your way to visit it and short change another location. <BR> <BR>In addition, we had difficulty finding restaurants; they aren't on every corner as in other cities.

The Last Supper, at the Chiesa Santa Maria della Grazie, is absolutely not at the Duomo. And unlike some other places where reservations are POSSIBLE, they are mandatory to see it. <BR> <BR>And I think that Milan gets an unnecessarily bad rap also. There are plenty of other cities in the United States that are "must-see" destinations for the excusrions they permit, less than an hour out. If Milan is allowed to "count" Monza, Bergamo, Modena, Como and Bellagio, then it belongs in the top ten of Europe. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex

I'm probably in the minority, but I enjoy Milan. It's true, parts of it aren't much to look at, but we always stay in the Brera district which is lovely (between Duomo and Castello Sforza). Plenty of good restaurants in that area, too. One street in particular has several trattorias. I can't think of the street name right now, but it's got the word "Fiori" in it. <BR> <BR>Also, a terrific small hotel called Antico Locanda dei Mercanti - very charming. <BR> <BR>We don't stay long in Milan - 2 nights is definitely enough, but we like it, and actually go back on purpose!

Rex is correct, the Last Supper is not at the Duomo. We saw it about 20 years ago first day in Milan when we had 5 hours to run around and look at things before a business dinner and then off the next day via train. Haven't seen it since it's been restored and it shows you what jet lag will do for you (or to you!) I could have sworn I was in the Duomo at the time, but see my memory is faulty. Thanks, Rex. Now I know where to find it, I'll try to see it again soon. Would recommend Tre Pini restaurant for an old fashioned "neighborhood" type place.

I think that Milan gets an especially bad rap because it doesn't meet people's preconceptions of what the "real" Italy is like -- picturesque, preferably Tuscan, and full of Renaissance architecture. It's not my favorite place in Italy, but it's not horrible, either. If you're willing to explore, there are some good museums (e.g., the Brera and the Poldi-Pezzoli) and churches (e.g., Sant'Ambrogio and Sant'Eustorgi), but they're not the places you've read about all your life and always wanted to visit, so they get unfairly ignored. <BR> <BR>

Oops -typo: that's "Sant'Eustorgio" (not that anybody's willing to go to Milan and check it out anyway, so what does it matter? :-) )

Well, I personally enjoyed our first trip to Milano this past June, and wrote about it here. <BR>No, it's not Rome or Florence etc., but it's not meant to be. I do think it's worth a day or two. We saw TLS without reservations on our won with the help of a taxi driver (which we had 3 different times while there - same guy), and found wonderful little ristorantes with our hotel's help, down on the canals.

One of my most sobering experiences in Italy was in Milan. While I was waiting for a friend to get off from work I went to the Museum of Torture. This is a collection of actual torture devices used during the Inquistion. <BR> <BR>Never in my life had I really experienced the depths to which human beings can sink until I saw these horrific and nauseating devices designed for human misery - in the name of God. I felt ashamed to be a member of the same species that came up with these things.

I really liked Milan. I loved La Scala, I was so happy to get standing-room only tickets to an opera there. The Galleria Vittorio Emmanuale is beautiful, the Duomo is magnificent. The Last Supper is incredible, and il Castello Sforza is great. I ate wonderful food at a self-serve cafeteria, although it was pricey, it was fun to eat with local business people.