Reasons I Love Milan

The glorious onion at Al Pont de Ferr
The glorious onion at Al Pont de Ferr.

During my first visit, I fell head over heels for Milan instantly, just as I did with Paris and Rome. I visited Milan twice during my four-week Italian adventure in early 2012….the first time for two nights, the second time for four. People like to hate on Milan. They don’t find it comparable with other Italian cities and some even say “It’s just like New York” and “There’s nothing to see there besides The Last Supper.”  This is not true.

I was captivated by the pace, vibe and rhythm of the city, and knew that I could count it among Paris and Rome as a European non-English speaking city where I could live, and I swear I’m not just saying this. I even shared this with a friend who is lucky enough to call Milan home and he gave me an anonymous shout out on his blog. The thing about Milan is that it’s not as “in your face” as some of the other Italian cities. You have to get to know it.

Last night, a friend posted a photo from Al Pont de Ferr–an extraordinary restaurant–on Facebook which triggered some wistful reminiscing and severe Milan pangs on my end. So I thought I’d share some reasons why I love Milan – The Last Supper, The Duomo & Galleria excluded – because there are plenty of other things to see and do there. This list is in no particular order and is by no means exhaustive as I look forward to scraping further below the Milan surface and adding to this. So here they are (for now)…