Buongiorno, Milan

Friday

We arrived in Milan on Friday night, after a morning of transport connections followed by an 8-hour train trip. This is how it all slotted together...

Ferry from Lipari to Milazzo. Taxi to Milazzo train station. Train to Messina station. Walk to the port. Ferry to Villa San Giovanni on mainland Italy. Walk to the station. Train to Milan. We left Lipari at 8am and arrived in Milan at 9.30pm. Phew, what a day! Amazingly, we made all the connections - testament to Brent's planning - despite the ferry in Messina being delayed by half an hour, leaving us 15 minutes to find the station and platform in Villa San Giovanni! 

We were on our way to Milan just before 1pm. The train was comfortable and the first half of the trip was really scenic, travelling along the coast - the Mediterranean sea on one side, alternating rocky mountains and farmland on the other. 

From Milano Centrale station, we made our way to the taxi stand for the trip to the apartment. The apartment is in a pedestrian section of the Brera district, so the taxi dropped us on a nearby road and we headed into the narrow, cobble-stoned streets to find our address, rolling our cases behind us (in between the restaurant diners seated at sidewalk tables - I'm sure if I knew more Italian I would have heard some annoyed comments!) A brief stop to refer to Google maps and we were there...picked up the key from the tapas bar next door and two weary travellers had arrived...happy to see a tiny elevator to bring our cases up to the first floor!

The apartment is quite beautiful and very comfortable for a few days stay.

Saturday

We slept till almost 10am on Saturday! Spent the day wandering the Brera district, beginning with scrumptious pastries and coffee, sitting in the shade at a sidewalk table, and a walk through the Parco Sempione gardens, adjacent to Castello Sforzesco (the local castle!). We did head down to the Duomo cathedral, but the area was chaotic and crowded with weekend visitors, luxury shoppers at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and winding queues of patient young things, all waiting for Milan Beauty Week giveaways at various pop-ups and events. We made a beeline through the crowds to a quieter side street and agreed the Duomo would have to wait for another visit.

The Brera area is really hopping, with lots of restaurants, bars, cafes and bakeries, and people everywhere! There are many pedestrian-only areas, interesting shops and architecture, and we came across a couple of street markets with vintage and handmade items. After Lipari, it feels like another world!

Sunday

We spent the day in the Navigli district...centred along the Naviglio Grande man-made canal. Originally the district was a network of canals for transport and irrigation, but most have been built over to enable modern modes of transport. These days, the Navigli district is known for its young creatives and artisans, abundance of bars and restaurants, and for the early architecture still evident along the canal. The market stalls along the canal were in full swing today and we had a great time browsing and wandering.