Impressions of Milan

Almost everyone told me Milan was an industrial, ugly city that wasn't really worth the visit. I only received one positive recommendation from a friend.

Well, I loved it!

I don't know if I just love Italy in general, but I thought Milan was a bustling, vibrant city with a wonderful feel. Sure, it had some boring-looking areas, but the center is beautiful and I enjoyed the vibe of the place.

I thought the marble floors inside the Duomo were stunning


and the exterior was lacy and fragile looking


almost everywhere I looked there was beauty (and I'm not just talking about the men!)



Surprisingly the prices weren't as bad as I expected. Granted we didn't eat in fine dining establishments, nor in the Armani, Versace and Prada boutique area, but we ate in a restaurant or trattoria every day. The average price for the four of us, with a course or two each and some house wine and coffee, was around 60€. And the food was superb! Our cheapest meals were in a bar al panino and one night two of us went out for döner kebabs and a soda, which only cost 8€!

Another surprise was how nice and friendly everyone was. I think I'm so used to the brusque behavior from service people in France that I expect it now when I travel. How sad is that?

I traveled with three friends from New Orleans. Ron and another couple who became engaged while we were there. Congratulations you two!


we spent three hours sitting under the heaters in this outdoor café, watching the beautiful people


It rained the entire time we were there but it didn't ruin it for us. We had such a great time and I would be happy to visit again.