Northern Italy: the something-for-everyone destination

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Whether it's for kiddies...

...hard-core historians...

...fans of rattling-trams...

...worshippers, or...

...lovers of next-decade city business buildings ~

~ whatever it is, Milano delivers.

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Nearby, just for good measure, why not toss in a heartbreakingly beautiful lake, backed by snow-clad mountains?

Could anyone be disappointed with this travel-combo? But wait, there's so much more.

Please READ ON>>>

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So where have we arrived this time???

After a few days in Rome last year (more of that another time) nearing the end of our Italian journey, we decide to hop on one of Italy's super-fast trains. If that sounds a little too simple, you're right.

Just to be certain of seats, we'd booked our trip before we left Australia.

Our seat-back screen keeps us informed and, at this speed, we arrive in Milan - Milano if you prefer - just under four hours after leaving Rome, and about as far north as you can go in Italy.

If you want a quick flip through Italy's countryside, this is the way to travel. As we zoom past farmhouses, hilltop towns, and lush fields, those dark exclamation-marks of cyprus trees seem to be always there, popping up on almost every horizon.

Later, we skim past a scene of quintessential northern Italian farmland, its soil carefully tilled for centuries.

We relax. Yes, we agree, THIS, is truely rural Italy - seen the easy way.

Yet somehow the past always intersects with the present and, at one brief stop, Disney-land rolls past.

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Milan's epicentre - Duomo di Milano

No one can ever forget their first glimpse of this magnificent edifice overlooking the Piazza del Duomo.

Commissioned in 1386, the Duomo Milano is said to be able to hold a congregation of 40,000 people. It is also said to have 135 spires and 3200 statues, which of course we did not count. The central spire is 108 metres high and topped with a gilded copper statue of (who else?) the Madonnina or 'little Madonna'.

This is perhaps the only 'little' thing about this massive creation.

In many cases, the exterior is just as popular as the cathedral's interior - certainly if you are a pigeon at the base of the piazza's most photographed monument...

...and the same goes for newly-weds, children - or photographers.

A long list of architects and engineers have worked on this awesome building, the most recent between 2003 and 2009, when another renovation took place.

The only thing missing from this massive cathedral is a belltower, although visitors may climb the 165 or so steps (or take the lift) to the rooftop for an understandably knockout view across the city.

The initial impression of the cathedral is its huge proportions, but it's worth taking time to examine the delicate artwork - inside or out - especially on this huge door.

As you explore, taking in the enormous number of cherubs and saints and important people down the ages, the more breathtakingly interesting this facades becomes. And this is just the exterior.

Stepping in to the shady cathedral after the flashing glare of the piazza, my initial thought was 'gloomy', or at least, maybe not as impressive as the 'wedding cake' exterior that grabs everyone's attention.

However, as our eyes adjust to the gentle light filtering through the multitude of stained glass windows, its elegant and rather understated beauty becomes more apparent. 

Similar to many cathedrals we have visited, worldwide, here we discover a place of quietude and repect.

FAST FACT: During World War II, all of those precious and delicate windows were taken down, to be protected from possible wartime damage.

Learn more about them...

Open to worshippers as well as sight-seers, this spellbinding work of art and architecture has survived intact over six hundred years, yet still captures the imagination of all who visit.

In the piazza the magnificent statue of Victor Emanuel II, completed in 1896,  surveys the endless crowds, .

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Piazza neighbours

To one side of the piazza, we notice a steady stream of people heading towards an arched opening, so of course we follow them.

It turns out to be the entrance to Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II, an upmarket shopping centre. Because of its style and elegance, it is often nicknamed 'Milano's drawing room' - think, shopping at Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and other haute couture shops, and dining in top-end restaurants.

So, with that in mind, imagine our surprise to see this!

Unexpectedly we are lucky enough to stumble on what would probably become a TV ad or similar. The PR team and camera people were just beside us, and the whole thing went off superbly. And yes, that clever dog did get his doggie reward - and we got our pics. 

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Public Tram-sport

There is something to be said for booking a hotel a little outside a city's epicentre. Although being right in the action is also fascinating - we loved mid-city Roma, and Nyhavn at Copenhagen was exceptional (more of that later, coming up in 2024) - it turned out a good choice to stay at suburban Hotel Carlo Goldoni, about three kilometres from the Duomo.

By tram, in fifteen minutes we could be in the city centre, and the fare was minuscule.

Not all of Milan's public transport is vintage. This sleek modern version underlines Milano's flexibility and style.

However Milano Centrale Railway Station maintains its heritage look. Handling 120 million passengers a year - that's  around 320,000 a day - it is the largest railway station, in volume, in Europe.

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Eating up Milano - almost

As we all know - travel is wonderful BUT...sometimes you need to carry on, even when not everything is OK.

Here we are in one of the world's best places for food (think truffles from nearby Alba) and wine (Lombardy) but still battling the final effects of the dose of COVID we both caught in Sardinia a couple of weeks earlier!!

Regardless, it was impossible not to be impressed by the wealth of artisan (artigianale) products available in so many places in this city. Handmade pasta, cakes breads, and so much more. 

After a day of sightseeinhg the city, we were very grateful that there was an excepltionally good restaurant just steps sway from our hotel. AUuM ristorante was just what we needed - good honest food with a classy presentation.

Not the only people to 'discover' AUuM, we ate there every night, and it was packed each time with families celebrating, business people relaxing - and visitors like us!

This 'pizza' (above) was another apparently simple-yet-special dish - fresh salmon marinated for 24 hours, then served on a crispy pizza base (you can't miss out on pizza in Italy!) and jazzed up just enough with creamy cheese and wasabi buttons. Cross fingers it's on the menu if you go there. The whole was backed up by an Il Gabbiano red.

And what you can't see, at the conclusion of our meal, is a complimentary tiny glass for each of us: golden Meloncello. Think limoncello, but using cantaloupe melon instead of lemon, and made by the waiter's mother in Napoli!

Now that is pure 'style'.

Of course Italy is well-known for its wide range of cakes and biscuits, pastries and other sweet and sugary delights. We tried some of these in an arcade bakery just across the road from Piazza del Duomo. In fact, if you look closely, you can see the spire of the Cathedral reflected between the top shelf shiny golden bottles.

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Modern Milan

This area, now called Milano, is believed to have been occupied for the past 28 centuries or so, and despite the emphasis on history and comfort, the city now has a definite modern edge as well, much of it to do with architecture.

Now is our chance to see for ourselves, what the Milanese architects (and others) are devising.

Following glimpses of a fascinating complex that we have only seen online, we leave Milan's Central Station, passing imposing buildings such as this (above) still nearing completion...

...and follow glimpses of this unusual and quite beautiful place. Bosco Verticale that has quite accurately been named 'forest in the sky'. Two residential towers offer sustainable housing designed to contrast with this large city's pollution threat.

It's wait-and-see now, to find out whether this trend will continue with similar projects in other parts of Milan.

Nearby, we pass the Unicredit Tower, at 231 metres (758 ft) it is the tallest building in Italy.

Back in the centre of the city, this relatively modern steel work of art appears ready to take flight. It is the monument to the Carabinieri on the Piazza Diaz.

This tribute to the the bravery of the Carabinieri is designed to display flames marking their loyalty, fidelity, ardour and honour.

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THINGS WE WISH WE HAD DONE

The Last Supper - Leonardo da Vinci's great painting in the Santa Maria delle Grazie, was close enough for us to walk or catch a tram from the Piazza Duomo - BUT, on arrival, we learned that in order to see it, we should have booked months earlier! 

READ MORE...

If we'd had longer, and were patient, we were told, MAYBE we could have stood in line at the entrance, and MAYBE finally been admitted - but sadly we didn't have half a day spare to do that.

Oh, well, it's always good to have something planned for NEXT TIME - maybe.

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Heading further north

With time running out, and just a day left before catching the train again, heading for Venice, there was still one other place on our wish-list.

Of the wonderful clutch of lakes in Milan's north, the most quickly available for us, was Lake Como almost due north of Milan. The map shows the lake as an upside-down 'Y' shape, and we chose its eastern bank as it had easier train access.

With little more knowledge than that, we bought a ticket and headed north!

We leave the Trenord train, at Lecco, forty minutes away. To reach the lake we hurry down the town's steep main street, hoping to catch a ferry at the lake.

However it was now mid-October and, so it seemed, all ferry jaunts had finished for the year.

This quiet place no doubt becomes really busy in summer, but we stay on for a while to enjoy its quietude, then decide to move on further north.

On the return walk back to the railway we took time to look at Lecco's main street...

...its stylish shops...

...its culture..

...and architecture.

There was a short gelato-tasting experience as well - purely for research, you understand - but no pictures as we have learned it is impossible to eat gelato on a hot day and capture the scene with a camera. It was excellent, though.

Back to the railway station and, having asked questions all along our walk through town, we figured Varenna should be our next destination.

The advice we were given turned out to be absolutely correct...

...stunningly beautiful, with layers of mountains fading into the sky.

There was even a ferry...

...or two!

Another good aspect was that from the railway station we could easily reach the waterside and all its options - including a small cafe. The waterfront has a relaxed, snoozy feel, as by now it is mid-afternoon.

Weather makes a difference when travelling, especially if you want to capture the mood on phones or cameras.

This day was perfect. If someone had handed us a key, and said 'stay as long as you want', we would have grabbed it and never let go.

Across the road from the waterside, we enjoy a cappuccino and a muffin, chatting to the owner, and wishing we could make this balmy afternoon last forever.

A pathway led on around the bay...

...and it looked almost theatrical. 

Even children have their space in this kiddies' playground.

We wish we had time to follow it along  to wherever it leads. 'Not this time,' we tell ourselves.

As so often is the case, we wish that we'd booked ourselves in for a longer stopover in this fascinating part of Italy.

However, like any great menu, sometimes you need to sample a taste, or as they say in Italian un piccolo assaggio, in order to plan a more leisurely future stay.

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Next time we visit Northern Italy...

 ...we will introduce ourselves to this fellow, above...

...climb (or attempt to climb!) those 165 steps...

...take more tram rides to other parts of this huge, second-most populous city-proper in Italy... 

...eat a few more of these pastries, slowly and carefully, you understand...

...and maybe even hitch a ride on Pinocchio's train!

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For now, it is Fino al nostro ritorno - until we return, lovely Milan, stunning Lake Como.

Gordon and Sally Hammond travelled independently to Italy. All opinions are their own.

Words and pictures: ©Sally Hammond

Video: ©Gordon Hammond