DAY 40: A DAY IN MILAN – WITH MY MOM!

Monday, May 26 (Milan) – My mom arrived in Milan this morning to spend a week with me in Italy! Our plan is Milan – Cinque Terre – Florence and then she heads back to Milan to fly home to NYC, while I continue on to Rome and then Turkey.  I’ve been to Milan once before and don’t remember it being too memorable, so I only allotted one day and night in Milan while my mom was here.  But we ended up having such a great time in this city, that I kind of wish we had more time to stay!

My mom’s flight landed in the morning so by the time she arrived at the hotel we were both ready for breakfast.  We started walking in the direction of the Duomo and stopped off at a cute little sidewalk café for a brunch of tea, a shared veggie panino and a café gourmand, which was a coffee that came with a teeny tiny ice cream bar that came in foil like butter. Delicious!

We detoured a bit after eating and found ourselves walking up and down the streets with the most high-end stores like Fifth Avenue.  Many of the stores were familiar, but some I had never heard of, and we enjoyed window shopping (and I almost bought a leather jacket, but I couldn’t buy something like that in the first store I entered in Italy… could I?).

As we approached the Duomo, the sky started to open and luckily the line was short so we got inside the massive cathedral before getting soaked.  Entry was free, but it costs two Euros for a wristband if you want to take pictures inside.  It was beautiful with detailed stained glass windows throughout, but to be honest, I thought many of the cathedrals in Spain (particularly in Malaga and Sevilla) were even more stunning.

Being Monday, many of the museums were closed, so we opted for walking around (luckily the rain was short-lived) and eventually had lunch at Antica Focacceria San Francesco, a delicious café serving Sicilian specialties mixed with international cuisines and filled with locals on their lunch break.  Then, we had our very first gelato (of many) - yummm!

I then allowed my mom to rest a bit (after walking another mile or so to our hotel) by relaxing in our hotel spa.  We each got a massage which was very nice except we had to walk through the hotel lobby in our bathrobe and slippers – awkward!  I wouldn’t let my mom go to sleep or take a nap and succumb to jet lag, so we kept moving and arrived at the Navigli district just in time for my favorite Milan tradition:  aperitivo.

Aperitivo (the Italian version of happy hour) is common throughout much of Italy, but only in Milan is it customary to have a free buffet with your drink.  Kind of like ordering a drink in Granada, Spain and receiving a free tapa, except more food to choose from!  We enjoyed a sampling of all kinds of Italian food and drink while looking out at the canal and people going in and out of bars and restaurants.

Finally, we ended the night with some live music outside the Duomo where the philharmonic was performing.  Two friends of a friend back home were nice enough to take me (and my mom) out and we enjoyed cocktails on the rooftop bar of La Rinascente, the famous high-end department store.

It was a long, fun day and a great way to kick off our stay in Italy!