10 Christmas highlights of Milan

For a Christmas break with a difference, join Rachael Martin as she heads to Milan and nearby Lake Como to soak up the festive atmosphere…  Milan photos by Comune di Milano unless otherwise stated 1. Christmas starts early in Milan with the Sant’Ambrogio festival On 7 December it is the feast day of Milan’s patron […]

Five reasons to visit Milan

Cooking risotto Milan, Italy

Yes, it’s packed with architectural treasures, fantastic shops and historic sights, but here are five reasons to visit Milan for its food and drink. How many of these have you tried? 1 Milan has lent its name to many famous dishes, and risotto alla Milanese is probably the best known.The saffron-flavoured rice, often served with the hearty […]

Making Tracks, Part 5: Milan to Genoa

Train

Two decades ago Rachael Martin arrived in Italy, exploring the country by rail and dreaming of rooms with a view. Twenty years, one Italian husband and two kids later, she still has the memories of those first voyages of discovery… Photos by Rachael Martin It’s that same scene every time I leave Milan early in […]

A Very Milanese Christmas

Pretty Panettoni at Cova, Milan, Italy

Milan has something to offer the visitor at all times of the year, but Rachael Martin finds its café culture particularly appealing in the lead-up to Christmas… Photos by Rachael Martin unless otherwise stated It’s late afternoon along Corso Magenta. The streetlights have come on, and the orange Carrelli trams wind their way through the […]

Milan travel guide

Milan

Join Amanda Robinson to discover some Milan’s very best sights and attractions, plus top places to eat and great accommodation to suit all budgets… Photos by Amanda Robinson unless otherwise stated What to see and do San Bernardino alle Ossa The walls of this 13th-century ossuary chapel are almost entirely covered with skulls and bones. […]

48 Hours in Milan

Galleria Milan Italy

This is a city full of iconic must-sees, but there are also hidden gems and lesser-known spots just waiting to be discovered, says Amanda Robinson Photos by Amanda Robinson unless otherwise stated   Like all large metropolitan cities, Milan sets a busy pace. A centre for international business and at the cutting edge of haute […]

Looking for Lodi

Rachael Martin descends from Milan into the Po Valley to discover the home town of her mother-in-law. Lodi, one of those quiet Lombardy towns so easily reached from Milan by car or by train, is often quoted in the Milan newspapers as the perfect day trip for the Milanese. It’s south of Milan in the […]

Top ten Italian cities for apartments

Incase you can’t decide on your ideal Italian city to settle in – we have made a list of the top cities for you to make the choice a bit clearer.  1. Rome – population 2,850,000 Italy’s brash, loud, vibrant capital is a confident, thick-skinned place, secure in its achievements and completely unsurprised to receive […]

Viewpoint – Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

A spectacular example of 19th-century architecture, this elegant arcade in Milan had a central part to play in the birth of the modern-day malls in which we shop today Gazing up through the central octagonal glass dome of Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to the blue skies above gives a whole new twist to the […]