I have been all over Italy. I love the country for so many reasons, including the people, the food, the scenery and the culture. You name it; I enjoy it. Until recently, one of the few places I had never seen was Milan. I have always wanted to spend some time there. But because of circumstances and several other reasons, it never really happened. That all changed not too long ago when I suddenly walked into a situation where I could spend 24 hours in Milan as long as I was able to find a hotel room there in a matter of minutes. It seemed like a tall order at the time, as I usually spent hours researching places and taking my time before making my ultimate decision. That simply wasn’t going to be possible this time, at least not if I wanted to see this wondrous place.
I searched for Milan hotels on HotelTonight and was quite impressed with the quantity of choices that were available. I was also impressed with the quality of the properties and the reasonable rates. I decided to go for it and booked a room. To my amazement, I had one booked and confirmed within a matter of a minute or two. I was all set and going to Milan on a one-day adventure. All I needed to do now was research which parts of this city I wanted to visit.
Piazza Del Duomo sits in the middle of Milan, and in English it means “Cathedral Plaza.” That makes sense, as the dominant attraction here is the Milan Cathedral. After seeing it for the first time, I can understand why it would be so prominent. It is gorgeous, historic and it supposedly holds nearly 40,000 people. It is enormous and breathtaking. After gawking at this incredible piece of history for quite some time, I walked around the rest of the piazza and took in the entire scene. Milan was what I had imagined so far, and I couldn’t wait to continue on my adventure.
The Quadrilatero d’Oro, or “Gold Quadrilateral” in English, sits right next to the Piazza Del Duomo, so it was an easy walk to get there and see its sights. What I saw appeared to be a big part of the world-renowned Milan fashion industry, as there was high-end shopping everywhere. I window-shopped for a while and then realized I could use a bit of an energy boost. I found a very nice cafe with sidewalk seating and had a cappuccino, watching the people hustle by as I relaxed and enjoyed the ambience and the view.
I went from history to high fashion, and now it seemed as though I was getting a look at how regular Italians lived in Milan. Porta Magenta is largely a residential area, but it seemed as though every other group of homes was near a breathtakingly beautiful church. I walked around some more in open spaces and then figured it was time for some lunch, as that’s what my stomach was telling me. I found a little local bistro that served one of the best and freshest salads I had ever tasted, and I followed that up with a bit of pasta. It was perfect.
While I had spent a lot of time looking at historical artifacts and older buildings, I soon realized I was somewhere new when I saw Brera. Brera felt familiar in that it looked like a lot of reinvestment had occurred here. I talked with a local who said that yes, for a time this was a part of town that was not desirable, but that it had come a long way. I found some unique shops here and made sure to fill a few bags with gifts for my family and friends.
Navigli means “ships” in English, and that made sense given the canals that were there. This was another trip into older Italy, and it was fascinating in its own right. After taking some photos, I asked around for a nice restaurant and followed one man’s recommendation. If not for his tip, I would never have even seen this place because it was so small and unassuming. I was thrilled that I had discovered it, as the food and the wine were exquisite. I had eaten like a king while here, topped off by this last fantastic meal.
As I made my way back to my hotel, I started thinking about all that had happened over the past couple of days. Out of nowhere, I stumbled upon an opportunity to see Milan, and thanks to HotelTonight, I was able to make that happen. Without HotelTonight’s ability to help me book a Milan hotel room in a minute or two, I would’ve missed out on this incredible day. I got back to my room and almost immediately fell asleep on my comfortable bed. It had been a great day.
