Milan & Lakes Maggiore, Como

Seven trips to Italy:
the second trip to Milan

I had a dream, like people dreams to get to Paris, I had a dream to see Milan Cathedral. I would like to see it, but first my visit to Italy couldn’t include it. Italy is too rich for impressions, so better to part Italy visit for a few trips. So my second Italy travel was to Milan.

When I planned my first trip, I discovered for myself sights of lake Como thanks villa d’Este in Tivoli: when I looked for it by internet, I found villa d’Este at Cernobbio. So I began to search all interesting villas- sights, most of it were at lake Como, some — in differant parts of Italy. it was lucky to visit them further, not all, however.

So my next trip to Italy inclued Milan and lakes Como and Maggiore. I would like to visit also and Certosa di Pavia, Grazzano Visconti, but for 3 days in Milan it would be too much.I think, it would possible to visit Certosa di Pavia, but we were not so inspired by this idea and desided to spent more time in Milan.

The route of my trip

^{Duration: vacation week (5 working days and 4 weekend days) + 2 days}

Trip route variants

^{Improved trip route based on my trip route}

Ideal trip route

^{Duration: vacation week (5 working days and 4 weekend days) + 2 day}

Arrival to Milan. Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, Navigli (walk and dinner)
Last supper by Leonardo da Vinci, Brera Picture Gallery, Poldi Pezzoli museum, Ambrosiana Art Gallery, Milan Cathedral, Porta Venezia (wak)
Certosa di Pavia, La Scala opera
Grazzano Visconti
Lake Maggiore: Island Bella, Island Madre, Alpyland bobsley or villa Pallavicino),
Сastello Sforzesco museum, departure to Lake Como
Lake Como: Como, Brunate, villa d’Este
Lake Como: Varenna, villa Cipressi, villa Monastero, Castello di Vezio
Lake Como: Bellagio, villa Melzi, villa Serbelloni
Lake Como: villa del Balbianello, villa Carlotta
Departure

This variant is up to explore Milan and lakes Maggiore and Como. For relax better to stay at every place more time. So better divide trip in two parts:

First relax trip route: Milan & Lake Maggiore

^{Duration: vacation week (5 working days and 4 weekend days)}

Arrival to Milan. Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, Navigli (walk and dinner)
Last supper by Leonardo da Vinci, Brera Picture Gallery, Poldi Pezzoli museum , Ambrosiana Art Gallery, Milan Cathedral,
Сastello Sforzesco museum, Porta Venezia (walk), La Scala opera
Certosa di Pavia
Departure to Lake Maggiore, villa Pallavicino
Lake Maggiore: Island Bella, Island Pescatori
Lake Maggiore: Island Madre, Island Pescatori
Lake Maggiore: Mottarone, Alpyland, Alpina garden
Departure

Second relax trip route: Milan & Lake Como

^{Duration: vacation week (5 working days and 4 weekend days)}

Arrival to Milan. Navigli (walk and dinner)
Grazzano Visconti
Departure to Lake Como
Lake Como: Varenna, villa Cipressi, villa Monastero. Castello di Vezio
Lake Como: Como, Brunate, villa d’Este
Lake Como: Bellagio, villa Melzi, villa Serbelloni
Lake Como: villa Carlotta
Lake Como: , villa del Balbianello,
Departure

My 11-days trip Milan & Lakes Maggiore, Como. Travel journal

1-st day: Last supper by Leonardo da Vinci

From aeroport Malpensa we arrived by bus to Milan Central Station, from there to our hotel — by subway 1 stantion. We stayed near Largo Cairoli square. There were distorted bed, bad smell from shower drain in our room, so I don’t recommend our hotel to anybody. It was my first hotel choice on my own, not lucky, further I avoided hotels with problems of this kind.

Half a year before I reserved a visit to Leonardo da Vinci Last supper .There were a few vacant visit time for months in advance and no visit time at all for rest period on official site, so I reserved my time suddenly as it appears on sale. I risked to reserve it on the day of our arrival to release other days for more free activity planning. But it was lucky to arrive in time and we could visit Last supper.

After Last supper visit we walked along authentic Milan Liberti style buildings and came to The Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio.

2-d day: Lake Maggiore

Next day we went to Stresa, by train from Milan Central Station, the journey time is 1 hour and 7 minutes, return- 1 hour and 12 minutes, trains leave average every hour. Read about Stresa and Lake Maggiore trip in the article Stresa & Lake Maggiore

3-d day: Museums and Sempione

When I reserved Last Supper visit, it was need to buy also one option: exursion tour, or museum tichet. I chose Brera Picture Gallery, first seance, to release full day after museun visit. Main famous masterpiece — Lamentation over the Dead Christ by Andrea Mantegna. There was also Francesco Hayez exibition with famous «The Kiss» in the gallery. Also famous painters:

Piero della Francesca,
Raphael(The Marriage of the Virgin),
Gentile Bellini and Giovanni Bellini,
Caravaggio (Supper at Emmaus),
Tintoretto,
Modigliani

After Brera Picture Gallery we visited Poldi-Pezzoli miseum with mostly renaissance collection. The visit card — Portrait of young Woman by Piero del Pollaiuolo . Also famous painters::

Piero della Francesca,
Botticelli (Lamentation over the Dead Christ with Saints, The Madonna of the Book)
Raphael(The Marriage of the Virgin)
Montagna (Saint Paul)
Giovanni Bellini

Triton fountain Milan — On the way to Poldi-Pezzoli miseum. The Fountain of Tritons. Like Rome, Milan has hidden treasures, to discover which You can by walking.

Poldi-Pezzoli miseum is next to the Scala theatre, so we walked farther and wenr through Emmanuel Gallery to Milan Cathedral. Then by subway we got to Gallery of modern art, It is mostly risorgimento period with remarkable artworks:

Giovanni Segantini(The Two Mothers)
Francesco Hayez (portraits)
Giacomo Balla (Dynamic Expansion And Speed, Softness of Spring)
Giuseppe De Nittis (The Breakfast in Posillipo, Woman with pompoms)

And some works of:

Pablo Picasso
Paul Gauguin
Vincent van Gogh
Édouard Manet:
Paul Cézanne

And after all we went to Sempione, I visited Triennale with several design, photo and architecture exibithions. There were interesting and stunner furniture at ones halls, and usefull photo exibithion with photographer work show — at another Triennale halls.

It was rainy day, so there were nearly nobody, few runners and with dogs at Sempione park. And just a group of men, singing and dancing. Sempione park with famous arch, live-video with a sound:

4-th day: Manzoni, Duomo and La Scala

On the way to Duomo — Milan Cathedral — we visited old historical center, Milan main square — Mercanti, in the past — Cordusio.. Here, from Loggia degli Osii balcony, the parlor proclaimed the edicts. There is a medieval fountain in the square center, remember historic events since XVI c.. Pictures of rhe past became alive — before the trip I read The Betrothed by A.Manzoni. The novela action goes and at lake Como also, so I recommend to read it before the trip too. And at Brera Picture Gallery You can see his portrait by Francesco Hayez .

And at last I reached my snow-white dream, Duomo, and at last it was sunny day. Earlier we saw Milan Cathedral in passing only, it was time to enjoy its beaity. It was glorios and quite not in gothic move, and it was fine. We came up to the roof and there was not less stunny.

In the evening we went to La Scala (from Teatro alla Scala) — The Scala theatre. As most of La Scala spectacles, our opera began at 8 p.m. The Scala theatre tickets I bought like tickets to visit Last Supper: suddenly as it appears on sale, moment later only a few places were with no scena view. We bought 2 ticket kinds: with full scena view and with particaly scena view and changed our places with each other. The particaly scena view place helped to concentrate attention on music. Acoustics was exellent everywhere so you can enjoy opera in any case.

5-th day: Castello Sforzesco museum. Departure to Lake Como

On departure day after breakfast we went to Castello Sforzesco museum, to see most important masterpiece — The Pietà Rondanini by Michelangelo. It is the last incomplete his work. Incomlete — and however masterpiece. And it is possible to get to know how the master works, to analyse the process. And to understand: masterpiece is masterpiece on any phase of the work. …Also the museum colllection included:

Leonardo da Vinci (fresco decoration of Sala delle Asse,- check is it open to visit)
Andrea Mantegna (Madonna in glory with Saints John the Baptist, Gregory the Great, Benedict and Jerome)
Titian (Portrait of Procurator Jacopo Soranzo)
,Tintoretto (Portrait of a Man with a Book)

After Castello Sforzesco museum we came back to the hotel for luggage and from Milan Central Station departed to Varenna, to lake Como.The journey time is 1 hour and 4 minutes from Milan Central Station, 1 hour and 15 minutes — from Milan Porta Garibaldi station, trains go nearly every hour. Read about lake Como trip in the article Lake Como

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You can look useful touristic info and accommodation in Milan in an article
What to see & where to stay at Milan

Seven trips to Italy: the second trip to Milan