Milan: The Fashion Capital of the World

Italy will always hold a special place in my heart. It was my first trip to Europe. My friend, Rebecca, and I planned a 10 day back-packing trip through the country during the month of November. We planned all the details from the type of transportation we would need, to the hotel rooms, to the museums and sites...everything. We coordinated 6 locations into our itinerary: Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, Siena and Rome. Our first stop was Milan as our long flight from Boston dropped us there first. It was quite a culture shock climbing on a bus full of people speaking Italian while the bus driver listened to Alicia Keys on the radio! We didn't know where to get off the bus as we didn't understand what anyone was saying. Thankfully, we hopped off at the correct train station and were on our way! We spent only one afternoon in Milan, which was just enough time to see the major sites: Galleria, Duomo, Castello Sforzesco, and a local cafe. Our first meal in Italy was at an outdoor restaurant right outside the Galleria. The Galleria is a must see. It is in the same square as the Duomo (or cathedral). The square is full of pigeons and people. Beware of street peddlers that may try to get you to pay to take photos or feed the pigeons. I learned my lesson quickly as can be seen in the image below. After sightseeing, purchasing our postcards and taking a few photos, jet lag set in. We hiked back to our hotel room to sleep the next 12 to 14 hours. Check out the Living in Milan, Italy website for more information on this city of fashion!