Milan, the city of shopping and fashion, in the shadow of the greats of Italy such as Siena, Rome, Florence or Venice. It is a city that is worth knowing in one or two days, if on the trip we add a visit to the beautiful medieval city of Bergamo or the Lake as, it will be a perfect getaway. We leave you our diary of what to see in Milan and Bergámo in 4 days.
Day 1: GERONA - BERGAMO AIRPORT - MILAN
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
We took a flight with Ryanair and we arrived that it was almost 12 at night, the Ryanair bus picked us up to move directly to Milan, where we arrived at the train station and we went directly to the hotel that was about 200 meters away. We can do nothing but go directly to rest. Tomorrow we have many things to see in Milan and Bergamo and you have to charge energies.
Book your Airport⇆Milán transfer here
Make the hotel reservation here: Andreola Central Hotel
Day 2: MILAN (Duomo, Vittorio Emanuele Gallery, Theater of the Scale, Sforceso Castle, Golden Quadrilateral)
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Milan, the capital of the Lombardy and fashion region, has a population of 1.3 million people. It is a magnetic place for designers, artists, photographers and models.
The first thing we did was go to Piazza del Duomo, where there is the most emblematic monument of the city the Duomo.
Duomo of Milan
The Duomo began to be built in the fourteenth century by order of Prince Gian Galeazzo Visconti, but it took almost 5 centuries to complete. Its most photographed element is its facade that combines several architectural styles, from Gothic to Neoclassical. The entrance doors are made of bronze with bas-reliefs. It is the third largest church in the world after San Pietro in Rome and the Cathedral of Seville. It is made entirely of marble, with immense statues, arches, columns, pinnacles. The statues are about 3500, including the 96 gargoyles. The highest pinnacle has a height of 108.5 meters, and it has in its upper part the statue of the Virgin Mary, better known as the “Madonnina”, clad in gold. Inside the church there are many interesting works of art: the tomb of Gian Giacomo Medici di Marignano, known as "Il Medeghino"; the crypt and the statue of San Carlo Borromeo; the Tivulzian candlestick; the position of the wooden choir; the Egyptian porphyry basin and there are also great old stained glass windows of the fifteenth century.
We must not miss the climb to the roof of the cathedral where we can see the spiers closely and the gargoyles. You can book here the entrance to the cathedral with access to the terrace without having to queue.
Duomo roof
In the Duomo square near the church we will find the Vittorio Emanuele Gallery, a commercial gallery designed in the 19th century by Giuseppe Mangoni, well known in Italy and famous for finding in it the best clothing stores, many of them luxury, the Best bookstores and exquisite bars.
A good way to know the history of the city and curiosities is to book this visit with a guide in Spanish that passes through the main monuments of the city or this free tour of Milan Free !.
Vittorio Emanuele Gallery
A curiosity, under the dome of the gallery you will see tourists circling with the heel in a hole, if you are superstitious do not leave there without stepping on the testicles to the bull that you will find in the form of a mosaic there.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Milan
- How to get from Milan airport to downtown
- 10 essential places to visit in Milan
- 10 essential places to see in Bergamo
- 50 things to see and do in Milan
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Milan
- The 10 best tours and excursions from Milan
- The best free tours in Milan for free
If you go through the entire gallery you will reach Piazza della Scala, where the famous Teatro de la Scala is located. It is one of the most famous theaters in the world. It was the first monument rebuilt after the 1943 bombings and has the privilege of having hosted the premiere of many famous operas and having maintained a very special relationship with the composer Giuseppe Verdi.
We could not visit the theater since it was closed, if we could visit the museum in which in addition to an exhibition on Maria Callas you can see a hand in plaster of Chopin, the spine where he learned to play Verdi, Toscanini batons, the mask mortuary of Puccini or a locket with a lock of Mozart's hair.
Then we went by Via Dante until we reached the Sforceso castle that was built in the 15th century by the Sforza family. One of the things that most attracts the attention of the castle is without a doubt the "clock tower", built in 1450 by the Florentine artist Antonio Averlino.
Sforceso Castle, one of the best things to see in Milan
Behind the castle there is the Sempione you can leave through the Arch of Peace
In the afternoon we went to the Quadrilatero d'Oro (Golden Quadrilateral), formed by the streets: Montenapoleone, Sant 'Andrea, Manzoni, della Spiga, Borgospesso and Santo Spirito where we will find the most expensive stores in Dior, Armani, Cavalli , Dolce and Gabbana… . Just to see the windows is worth it. It is one of the places there what to see in Milan and Bergamo.
In the evening we went to the Plaza del Duomo to see the cathedral at night and enjoy a delicious ice cream.
Make the hotel reservation here: Andreola Central Hotel
Day 3: MILAN (Brera Zone, Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie)
Friday, August 15, 2008
That day after visiting the area of Brera, composed of buildings of the eighteenth century, highlighting the Palace of Brera, in Corso Como, which houses the famous art gallery and the academy of fine arts.
Throughout the area you will find numerous outdoor cafes, countless exclusive shops, bars, restaurants and four churches with their particularities: San Simpliciano, San Marco, Il Carmine and L'incoronata.
We went to see the famous Santa Maria delle Grazie church because it is Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper, it is a little out of the way and above all you have to book tickets well in advance online. They give you an hour to make the visit and you have to arrive on time, you wait in an anteroom until you leave the shift before and they take you to a room with a projector and some helmets, where they explain the history of the church and the painting.
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Leonardo was hired in 1494 to work in the church and make a fresco on the north wall of the refectory. He chose The Last Supper to capture the moment immediately after Christ's announcement that one of his apostles was going to betray him.
The masterpiece is made in tempera directly on the dry wall, this technique has caused it to be quite damaged after so many centuries, so it is continually applied restoration techniques.
A good option to see Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper is to book a guided tour in Spanish or this offer that also includes a guided tour in Spanish through the city.
On the night of August 15, 1943, the Anglo-American bombings affected the church and the convent. The refectory was razed, although some walls were saved, including that of "The Last Supper."
In the afternoon we went to the train station to go to Bergamo to spend the night and visit the town in the morning. We still have many things left what to see in Milan and Bergamo.
Make the hotel reservation here: Mercure Bergamo Palazzo Dolci
Day 4: BERGAMO - GERONA
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Bergamo is 40 kilometers from Milan, you can not miss it, it is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, it is a medieval town with its narrow stone streets and walls. All accompanied by the natural beauty offered by the Italian Alps that begin north of the city.
The city of Bergamo is divided into two, the upper and lower city, called Bergamo Alto and Bergamo Bajo. The high city is the one that retains all its medieval appearance, since the low one is the one that has spread outside the walls and is the newest part.
Bergamo
We were interested in the upper part, to get there as we had the hotel near the train station there is a good piece of climb, once you reach the wall you take a funicular to reach the top of the town, we travel all the streets to the Piazza Vecchia which is one of the most beautiful in Italy and the most characteristic feature of this square is that the bells located in its bell tower ring a hundred times at ten o'clock at night. The buildings surrounding the square are the most interesting due to its history: the church of Santa María de Maggiore, the Colleoni chapel, the baptistery and even the Palace of Reason.
Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish in Milan by travelers:
- Excursion to Lake Como and Bellagio
- Swiss Alps at the Bernina Express
- Milan tourist bus
- Guided tour of the Teatro alla Scala
- Excursion to Venice
- More excursions and tours here
Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish in Milan by travelers:Walking north we can reach an area with great views of the Alps, it is full of cyclists not only in this area but also throughout Bergamo.
In the upper part you can also find souvenir shops and restaurants of all kinds. After lunch we went to the hotel to collect our bags and take a bus to the airport.
The best offers of Flights to Milan here
The best hotels at the best prices in Milan here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from Milan in Spanish here
Book your Airport⇆Milán transfer here
The best offers of Flights to Milan here
The best hotels at the best prices in Milan here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from Milan in Spanish here
Book your Airport⇆Milán transfer here
