MILAN under the SPELL

This Milan travel guide shares the highlights, local discoveries, and practical travel tips to help you inspire your visit.

“I would really like, in fact, to be born again in another two hundred years’ time.”

Anyone who has read Alessandro Manzoni, Milan’s eloquent native son, in his compelling 18th-century novel ‘The Betrothed’ or ‘I Promessi Sposi’, as endearingly known by the locals, will be familiar with the writer’s proclivity and the deep, unwavering amore shared between his two young characters, Renzo and Lucia.

Anyone who has gone to the writer’s beloved city will also be familiar with Milan, a geographically flat industrial conurbation and a character in itself—snob, stiff, and seductive, often choked by smog, the place everyone yearns to skip and the place they cannot resist.

On a wet, notoriously cold midday in March, I arrived in Italy’s second biggest city and the capital of Lombardy. My four-hour train ride commenced with an early morning departure from the ‘petit’ Gare-de-Nice in the south of France to Milan’s ‘vasto’ Stazione Centrale.

A journey that included sporadic stops—from changing the train’s engine and security checks to passengers boarding and disembarking, as well as fixing a door that jammed occasionally when the train ran low on electricity.

There were moments of unconscious vexation, but most of the time, a sensory exhilariation—shifting sceneries that inspire dreams in young children and grown-ups. From manicured gardens to crumbling buildings, deserted piazzas, and sleepy fishing villages. The outside world whizzes by fast. One momentarily catches a glimpse of a remote parcel of land that opens up unto the temperamental Mediterranean quickly followed by undulating vistas of endless greenery often capped with snow.
 

 

Milan often surprises first-time visitors. Known as Italy’s fashion and design capital, the city offers far more than luxury boutiques and business districts.
Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Manzoni, born in March 1785, resolutely pined to be reborn two centuries later. Yet, fully aware of the impossibility of such desire, found consolation in his own words: “Certainly, the heart always has something to say about the future to those who listen to it.”

Girding myself with the writer’s affirmation, I alighted the crowded train and joined in the almost 400,000 daily commuters swarming the station that links Italy to the rest of Europe. Anyone traveling through Stazione Centrale is bound to take a pause and be transfixed by the balletic arches, concave dome roofs, and Benito Mussolini’s interpretation of power in its art form.

I have avoided coming to Milan until very recently. The city’s wealth, high-end fashion, and materialistic image of beauty didn’t appeal to me. Brad Goreski, a celebrity fashion stylist, once gleefully said, “My favorite thing about Milan is that you see these guys, and it’s as if a spaceship came out of the most attractive planet invented and just dropped them off all across the city.”

Milan is prosperous with good looks, talent, and wealth ever since Roman times. Coming across with ‘The Betrothed’, it was hard not to be charmed by Manzoni’s zest and convinced me to briefly leave the Riviera in exchange for the Lombardy’s plains, all the while listening in to the writer’s words that continue to haunt this evolving city.

In the Brera district, a historical core of the city, I stroll past stolid villas, hip restaurants, and exclusive storefronts, each one quietly guarding the kind of treasures that have long made Milan synonymous with elegance. Walking on a cobblestoned alley or crossing a gravel-filled street, I could only muse at the irony and the simple lack of thought: why not create platforms as catwalks for a city that proudly calls itself the capital of fashion?

Before the heels of my shoes could capitulate, I sliced my way to a narrow street in Via dell’Orso. The unassuming 18th-century palazzo stood quietly amid apartment blocks. Boutique shops and charming cafés festooned the street level. I heard from a friend that this former palazzo now run by Hotel Milano Scala features a foyer that stages music recitals.

That afternoon, I took advantage of the chance to peek inside while allowing my feet a quick respite. Lending an ear to the emotive melodies played at the hotel’s lobby was like enjoying an aperitivo before getting the ultimate Italian five-act visual and auditory highlights at the nearby Teatro alla Scala, Milan’s musical jewel. Under the glass-paneled roof that covers the old open courtyard of this palazzo, I thought of my chances of rubbing elbows with some of the musicians that performed with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras at the opera nearby.

I nosed up to the rooftop terrace and caught a glimpse of the Duomo cathedral that loomed in the distance. Up here among the scented herb garden, my impression of Milan, a narcissistically vain and superficially dull city, was melting away. A honey in a warm, comforting tea. The hubbub and the city’s materialism felt distant; Milan, for once, became real.

The following day, I walked along crannies and hushed side streets, skipping Quadrilatero d’Oro, the fashion district crammed with flagship stores. It seemed hard to get away from top brands and labels flashing before me, as every Milanese I have encountered was a walking boutique shop, all swaddled in fine coats, crispy collar shirts, leather shoes, and jewelry to boot.

Despite the self-indulgence and beyond the materialism, the Milanese are a bunch of extremely hard-working class. After all, the city lies in the heart of Lombardy, and it is Italy’s richest region.

It wasn’t long ago that the ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (now deceased) stepped down after allegations of corruption, ties to the Mafia, and an appetite for prostitutes. One would think that the disgraced Milanese-born mogul would be all over the news. Instead, the scandal was relegated to the back pages with glitzy fashion week and EXPO Milano World’s Fair as the main headlines, the two most important things that people could talk about.

Sitting at a café, I watched the barista preparing espressos and serving cappuccinos with hearts on the froth. An old woman leans in to check and nods with approval. In a corner, a monitor showed a football match. Men watching intently at the screen roared in merriment as the star player scored a goal.

Across the way, a shopkeeper glowered over the window and lit up a cigarette; bankers walked briskly in the cold weather, and nuns guided school children to cross the street after the tram had passed.

To be in Milan and witness the city’s quotidian as well as take part in its rituals even for a brief period, it felt almost surprisingly easy to see past the city’s imperfections only to admire the heartwarming image hidden under the surface.

Placing my finger to the city’s pulse is like leafing through the pages of Manzoni’s novel: a tale not simply of great love and misfortune, but of civic virtue tangled with ecclesiastical happenstances, of tragedies adorned with irony, of justice—divine or otherwise—taking its curious course. So much so like the city itself, as if Milan was possessed by the writer’s enigmatic spell, since then and forever. ✍🏻

Updated June 2026: Planning a trip to Milan? This practical travel guide will help you in getting to know Italy’s most stylish capital.

Before you go:

Is Milan worth visiting?

Milan is not one to miss. It is one of Italy’s most fascinating cities, combining historic landmarks, world-famous architecture, fashion houses and football clubs, art, as well as exceptionally good food. Its geographical location and proximity make for an excellent base in exploring Northern Italy.

What are the best things to do in Milan?

The city houses some of the top travel attractions. While in Milan, take time to visit the Duomo, explore the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and Sforza Castle, admire one of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpieces – The Last Supper; wander through and around the Brera district, and enjoy an evening theater performance at La Scala or an aperitivo in the Navigli district.

How do you get around Milan?

Milan’s public transport is extensive and has an efficient network that includes metro lines, trams, and buses. Most major attractions are easily reached via public transport and many central areas can be explored on foot. Visitors staying in the heart of Milan can often walk between key landmarks and stop for great coffee in between.

When is the best time to visit Milan?

April and June offer an ideal atmosphere for sightseeing with lively open-air festivals. Autumn (September to October) brings in cooler temperatures and a busy season for the fashion and art week, truffle harvest, and culinary festivities. Avoid summer as it’s often hot and too busy, while winter offers fewer crowds and holiday seasonal events.

Keep reading! And here’s how to inspire your future travels to Italy:

>> LUCCA under the skin: Hidden Tuscany, Slow Travel and the World of Puccini

>> Uncovering Florence in the quest for a U.S. Visa

>> de Bonart Naples – HOTEL REVIEW