Milan is a city of elegant contradictions — the Duomo's Gothic pinnacles shadow the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II's luxury boutiques, while Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper (requiring advance booking months ahead) hangs in a former refectory two blocks from the Armani flagship. The Brera art district offers a village-within-the-city feeling: cobbled streets, independent galleries and the Pinacoteca di Brera's Raphael, Caravaggio and Mantegna. The Navigli canals to the south have become Milan's most fashionable neighbourhood for aperitivo — that civilised pre-dinner ritual of Negronis and free antipasti that peaks around 7pm. Fashion Week in February and September remakes the city entirely; at other times, Milan is Italy's most effortlessly stylish everyday experience.
- Suggested duration: 3–4 days
- Best time to visit: April to June and September to October; avoid August when the city empties and many restaurants close.