Milan is known as one of the world’s fashion capitals, and it is very much reflected in the buildings and people of the city. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan is one of the world’s oldest shopping malls. It has beautiful glass domes and was built in the 1800s. It must have been quite the site when it first opened! Funny to think that most malls (at least in the US) still try to replicate the look of this but feels no where near as grand or special.

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The Galleria looks even more spectacular at night when the hoards of tourists have gone home.

Even the floors are intricate and beautiful. Something you might not notice when there are a bunch of people stepping all over it!

We decided to cash in our reward redemptions at the Park Hyatt Milan.  It was perfectly located right in the heart of the Galleria so we were able to enjoy late night strolls without the crowds.  These rooms run about $500-$600 USD/night, so it was a no brainer for us to redeem here! After staying in budget accomodations throughout Italy, this was a very nice and luxurious change for us!

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Right outside the Galleria and steps from our hotel was the stunning Milan Cathedral.

It has so many intricate details all over, it’s quite a sight! We chose not to go inside, as there was an entrance fee (of course), and by this time I was beginning to get “churched out” after having visited the Vatican and so many other cathedrals throughout Italy.

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Leonardo Da Vinci Museum
We decided to switch things up from visiting cathedrals and went to the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum. It was a really fun museum to visit that showcased a lot of different stuff. There’s 3 separate buildings and if you’re interested in science, technology, or transportation, this museum is a great place to visit. We spent half a day here exploring all the different exhibits of the museum.

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While at the museum I spotted a kitty roaming around. My sister says I need to start a cat count during my travels, but I think I’ve already lost count… 😛

#forevercatlady

Cimitero Monumentale di Milano
The Cimitero Monumentale is one of the two largest cemeteries in Milan. This cemetery is known for its artistic tombs and monuments. As expected, this cemetery was really grand with really over-the-top sculptures and mausoleums.

I think this cemetery rivals the one we visited in Santiago.  There is so much grandeur and thought that goes into these final resting places.

There’s a directory for some of the most notable/artistic sites

There were several variations of weeping and mourning figures over the graves in this cemetery.

One that really stood out to me was this 360 carved sculpture that had the 14 Stations of The Cross depicting the crucifixion of Jesus. It was really amazing to see it from each angle and follow the stations all the way around.

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FOOD

Panzerotto from Liuni’s:

While searching for a place to eat, we noticed a huge crowd outside of Liuni’s.  We looked it up and found out they’re famous for their Panzerotto.  They’re basically pizza pockets with various ingredients inside including ham and cheese or veggies.  The line goes by pretty quick and have people expediting the line.  I thought it was only ok.  They’re a good cheap snack, but nothing worth waiting in an excessively long line for.

Cannoli from Cose Nostre

The one I had wasn’t a traditional cannoli, but had small chocolate chips inside and it was so good.  The shell was filled on the spot as well, so it was crispy and crunchy – a perfect balance to the creamy filling!

Pizza from Spontini’s

One of the best pizzas we had and one of the few cheap eats we found was from Spontini’s.  The slice is huge, the cheese is gooey and delicious, and the crust is fluffy but crispy.  Minh was super eager to dig into it, and I could only get this photo in the elevator on the way up to our hotel room before he devoured it.

Milan was another great city that we enjoyed visiting.  It was a nice change of scenery to go to a more cosmopolitan city that also had other activities other than visiting cathedrals and Roman ruins.  It’s a great place to just wander around and people watch and there are some great cheap eats to be found!