Milan, we've waited so long to see ya!

Finally! This trip was two years in the making. We were supposed visit in September 2020, but obviously that didn't happen. Now, with the deadline ticking down to our Quattro 90 plan, which means a move to Europe is less than a year away, this trip was supposed to help us identify some places in Italy where we may want to settle for a bit. In just under three weeks we'd go from Milan to Lake Como, then down to Genoa to explore towns along the Ligurian coast as far East as Sestri Levante and West to San Remo, and then fly home after a few days in Nice, France.

We've been all over Italy but never to Milan, so expectations were high and we were thrilled to be back in the country.

Our hotel was just around the corner from the Duomo, and we went everywhere and took in everything.

From walking to the top of the Duomo and looking out over the city, to sitting in a box seat at Teatro alla Scala and imagining what it must be like to hear opera in one of the most sacred venues, to just staring at the ceiling of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele: Everywhere we went we were voracious visitors.

Coolest thing? Walking down from the cathedral's roof and hearing an opera singer's voice fill the Piazza del Duomo below. We stopped to listen and look around, completely immersed in a quintessentially Italian moment. Listen for yourself.

We arrived on a Friday and quickly discovered that people in Milan really like to party!

Our first night we walked to the Navigli neighborhood, where the Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese canals are located, and it was like all the Milanese were there ready to eat, drink and enjoy. We went back to the canal district the next night and, after dinner, stopped for a cocktail at a little outdoor bar.

We ended up chatting with a local couple until 1AM, and even then, the crowds were still lively and seemed to be growing (and for some reason McDonald's is hugely popular at all hours of the night). We got to practice our Italian with our two new friends, share in stories that are common regardless of where you come from or the language you speak, and then exchanged contact details so we can meet up when we're in town again.

All in all, Milan was awesome, and we were glad we finally made it to the big city in the North. That said, we were ready to leave the party behind and drive to Lake Como to finally experience what makes the lakes region so special. We picked up our rental car and off we went!

Come along on our next adventure! Subscribe to our blog today