When I planned our trip, I did a lot of research about the cheapest airports to fly in and out of and found that Milan was a low cost option. I read that there was a drive to encourage more people to use Milan’s Malpensa airport rather than Rome’s Fuimicino airport so prices were highly competitive.
This meant that we were to end our European adventure in Milan, a city that I didn’t have a great yearning to see. However, my research suggested that the Duomo was stunning, that the Navigli Grande area was like a little Venice and that the wonderful Lake Como was within reach with a day trip. So we set off from quaint Innsbruck to Italy’s second most populous city with the intention of reaching it in time to see the main sights that afternoon.
beautiful train journey to verona
We didn’t need to have an early start for once – just 8.45am for a 9.24am train to Verona. We boarded our train for the beautiful journey across the Italian countryside with stunning views of the mountains, vineyards and the old little castle scattered randomly here and there. It really was quite a lovely view.
The train itself was great. We travelled first class on our passes and at one time were travelling at 274km per hour. Surely, at that speed we would get there on time?
Sadly, I was a bit too optimistic with my train scheduling on this occasion. Whilst I had booked the tickets from Innsbruck to Verona to Milan in one transaction online, the timings were not ultimately practical as we only had 6 minutes between our train arriving in Verona and our next one leaving for Milan.
In most other countries in Europe, this would have been okay but we were travelling in Italy on an Italian train. As we approached Verona, the train came to a stop and I started to get concerned. As it started to speed up again, I was counting the minutes, anxiously optimistic that we would travel so fast that we would make up time and still arrive on time.
Just outside Verona station, my hopes were permanently dashed as the train stopped again. After eventually starting up again, I had to resign myself to being on the road to missing our connection.
what to do when you miss your connection
A small part of me was still hopeful that the second train would be delayed to allow connecting passengers time to arrive but European trains, it would be seem, don’t work like that. Different trains have different operators so despite thinking I had booked a through route to Milan, each ticket stood alone. Once we arrived in Verona, we could clearly see that our train had left and with first class seats booked on that train and no other, we were a bit concerned about which train we could get seats on and whether we would need to pay again.
I waited in a queue at the enquiries and explained our situation to the rather bored and unresponsive Italian man in the booth. He simply took my tickets, made a mark on them and told me to go to the ticket office, with no further explanation.
Still confused, I went back a second time to ask about our pre-booked seats but simply got some vague nod that I was to go to the ticket office and it was fine – maybe.
austrian and german trains are never late!
At the ticket office, I received a less than cordial response from the German speaking lady at the desk when I told her that our train was late. She clearly didn’t believe me when I said the train from Innsbruck was late until suddenly the penny dropped. ‘Oh, it was an Italian train,’ she said. When I agreed, she almost smiled in sympathy and immediately approved our tickets for the next train. Clearly Austrian and German trains are never late but Italian – that was a lot easier to believe!
So we finally got on the next train to Milan and sat in the same first class seats we had pre-booked for the previous train. Normally on these trains, there is a sign with your name by the window of the seats you have booked but we, of course didn’t have a sign. I sat hoping that someone else wasn’t pre-booked into our seats as I really didn’t want to be relegated to second class and have to drag our luggage through the carriages.
Fortunately, I think ticket inspectors in Italy are used to people missing their trains and we were very casually permitted to stay in our seats as if it really didn’t matter where we sat. Now that is the Italian way!
Finally we arrived in Milan well over an hour late. We had hoped to arrive by 2.45pm but it was closer to 4pm. We checked in and then made our way to the Duomo di Milano, a 6 minute walk away from our hotel.
I have to mention the beautiful hotel we stayed in while in Milan – the Square Milan Duomo. Everyone agreed that it was the loveliest hotel of our stay – at least for a modern hotel.
The hotel is a 4 star hotel but it was more luxurious than any other 4 star hotel we stayed in during that trip. We booked deluxe room and they were very generously sized with a stylish seated area and a massive three part marble bathroom. The boys even received delicious cake as a welcome. We were so comfortable there that after our long trek around Europe, the extra space, style and luxury were so appreciated.
the stunning duomo
The journey to the Duomo was short and direct along the main road. We had hoped to see the Sforzesco Castle as well as the Duomo but there simply wasn’t time. Instead, we went directly to the Duomo.
The Duomo is a stunning piece of architecture – in fact one of the most beautiful cathedral across the whole of Europe. At least in the eyes of myself and many contemporary tourists as John Ruskin, a leading art critic of Victorian times, said that it borrowed from many styles and in fact spoiled all of them. Even Oscar Wilde said of it, “The Cathedral is an awful failure. Outside the design is monstrous and inartistic. The over-elaborated details stuck high up where no one can see them; everything is vile in it; it is, however, imposing and gigantic as a failure, through its great size and elaborate execution.”
As someone who is less of a puritan, I loved the cathedral and its 135 wonderful spires. It took nearly 600 years to build and is the fifth largest Christian church in the world. In fact, it is larger even than St Peter’s in Rome.
We hadn’t bought our tickets so we had to take a walk down to the right of the cathedral to the ticket office which was full of people. They had a ‘take a ticket’ to be served waiting system which was a little frustrating given time was running out. Eventually we were able to buy our tickets with access to the rooftop via the elevator.
The rooftop of the Duomo is expansive with lots of areas to walk up and down to admire the wonderful view over the square below and the city at large. The stonework on the building is very clean and with its elegant statues sitting aloft tall spires, it has a very delicate appeal. Inside the cathedral is equally impressive with its gothic pillars, enormous stained glass windows, decorative arches and highly detailed flooring.
You are not supposed to take photos inside the Duomo unfortunately without a permit but to be truthful, everyone was so we did too. I felt a little guilty as there were signs up forbidding photography so my quick snaps weren’t as good as Karl’s. I would suggest you just go for it and apologise if caught and reprimanded.
galleria vittorio emanuele
After the Duomo, we headed for the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the luxury shopping arcade next to the cathedral. It is a glorious building with its high curved glass ceiling and decorative facades but truly there as nothing we were going to buy inside. We could however wander in and pretend…
That evening, I had intended to go to the Navigli Grande, the canals of Milan which are apparently lined with lovely alfresco restaurants. I thought however that it would take too long to get there and we were very tired after our journey so we opted for a local restaurant instead. I later found that it is in fact quite close to the centre of Milan so, with more time, it would have been very easy to find. My research had told me that it was a 5 minute walk to Cadorna FN station for a metro at 5.40pm to PTA Genova FS. Then we would have had a 6 minute walk to Navigli Grande. It sounds quick but we were a little too exhausted for another adventure that night.
Instead we asked the very helpful lady on reception for a recommendation on a traditional local restaurant and she directed us to a lovely, no frills Italian restaurant where the food was great and the service was honest and friendly – L’Isola del Tesoro. It was very casual dining – no pretence and decent authentic food but it was just what we needed for a quick meal before off to bed before the last day of our European trip.