Bon Journo, from Italy! This segment of the trip couldn't have come quicker. Italy has been high on our "places to visit" long before this European adventure began. Milano was our introduction 
to Italy. Geography played into this choice, but it was a very solid first stop. The city is internationally known for its fashion and nationally known for its banks. Thanks to some tips from some Italy travel veterans we got to know this town very, very well.
As for tourist attractions, you could say that it doesn’t get much more stunning then the Duomo in Milan. Once you hit one the main square it is nearly impossible to take your eyes off of the Duomo. As one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, its color and design really stand out the longer you look at them. It is said that on a clear day you can see the Alps from the top of the tower. We got a couple of these clear days, yet the tower was closed because of “ice”. While the weather was hardly tropical, there was no chance of any overnight frosts during our stay. It sounded like a good excuse for the staff to catch an early holiday.
Across the Piazza from the Duomo is a large shopping complex called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.
This structure has architecture that you wouldn’t believe for a mall. The majority of the ceiling is covered with arched glass skylights which make of interesting lighting displays at all hours. Farther down from the ceiling are attractive mosaics which captivate the eye. It was here where we decided to venture on our own (and forgo some great advice some veterans gave us). Hunger hit hard and we opted to just catch a meal in the mall. The people watching looked stellar and the food prices seemed reasonable. Ten minutes after we sat down we noticed an outburst two tables over. A fellow patron raised his voice to claim, “26 euros for 2 Heinekens! That’s screwing me. I WORK for Heineken, you can’t charge that much for a beer. I don’t mind being screwed, but if I do get screwed I at least want to enjoy it!”. Probably 15 tables had their eye on this two-top 
table, as the British gentlemen raised his voice. The standoff was just beginning. At that point we realized food prices were very reasonable but beverage prices were not on the menu. We aptly asked for a beverage menu (although we already had been served our beverages). This investigating led to seeing the biggest drink ripoffs since Moscow (8 Euro for soft drinks/7 euros for a glass of wine/9 euros for bottled water). Great business plan; our thirst quickly disappeared. Just about the time our investigative work ended, the British man was leaving (refusing to pay for the beers). The local police were called and the altercation continued with the restaurant manager outside the front door. Some settlement was agreed upon (outside of our earshot) and unfortunately our entertainment for the evening ended or so we thought. Less then 15 minutes later we overhead some Italian voices being raised on the far side of the restaurant. Same problem – refusal to pay for their coffee and glass of wine; something told us this was not the first or last time the staff had been confronted with this issue. We couldn’t have escaped this place faster. Just as our bill came, an American family of 6 (4 kids under the age of 12) sat down next to us. We did some quick math – their drink order would be nearly 50 euros before their bread was served! As we put on our coats we slid the beverage menu to them and suggested looking at the prices before they ordered…
On the tourist front there were several things that guidebooks insist you “must do” when visiting Milano – see “The Last Supper” painting and attend the Opera at La Scala. The box office for the Opera house is conveniently in the Duomo Metro station. Our options were Friday night or Saturday performances. Friday night offered an earlier show (7pm start instead of 8pm) so the choice was easy to make. La Scala was packed that night as it had just reopened from some renovations earlier that month. Before the curtains were raised we discussed our previous opera history (one of us had been once, the other never – take your guesses). We were feeling very “local”… The lights flickered and the show was about to begin. Seconds after the curtains raised we were shocked – standing midstage was not a large Italian women belting out
octave jumping notes, but a short man dressed in tights – followed by a harem of women in tutus. We looked at each other and just laughed. We never even looked at the tickets, but we now were attending our 2nd and 1st ballets (again take your guesses). Inappropriate laughter ensued (similar to catching the giggles in church or a lecture hall). This was only exacerbated by the Twenty something Finnish man seated next to us who clapped most enthusiastically – apparently this ballet was a classic and this particular performance was REALLY good (based on his applause).
The third leg of our tourist trifecta was our strike out to see the Last Supper. Apparently you need to book reservations months in advance during all times of the year. Our online attempts showed March was the next available time slot and our local concierge could do no better… We carried along and were determined to get the best of Milano. We did.
In a surprising turn of events the local economy was not increased by any purchases from us. As our time there was the weekend before Christmas, you can imagine the size of shopping crowds. In fact we got a chance to hit our last Christmas markets of the season, scattered all throughout town. The highlight of these markets were local food merchants, where we came across several tents full of baked goods. The cannoli (or connolo as the merchant called them) were exceptional! Besides the local markets we experienced more of a local scene through some great restaurant recommendations (Baguetta/Da Giacomo) and strolling through parks (Parco Sempione) and different neighborhoods (Brera/Como Corso). Despite the gaffes on the early parts of this trip, we got a good dose of Milano and would come back in an instant.
to Italy. Geography played into this choice, but it was a very solid first stop. The city is internationally known for its fashion and nationally known for its banks. Thanks to some tips from some Italy travel veterans we got to know this town very, very well.As for tourist attractions, you could say that it doesn’t get much more stunning then the Duomo in Milan. Once you hit one the main square it is nearly impossible to take your eyes off of the Duomo. As one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, its color and design really stand out the longer you look at them. It is said that on a clear day you can see the Alps from the top of the tower. We got a couple of these clear days, yet the tower was closed because of “ice”. While the weather was hardly tropical, there was no chance of any overnight frosts during our stay. It sounded like a good excuse for the staff to catch an early holiday.
Across the Piazza from the Duomo is a large shopping complex called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.
This structure has architecture that you wouldn’t believe for a mall. The majority of the ceiling is covered with arched glass skylights which make of interesting lighting displays at all hours. Farther down from the ceiling are attractive mosaics which captivate the eye. It was here where we decided to venture on our own (and forgo some great advice some veterans gave us). Hunger hit hard and we opted to just catch a meal in the mall. The people watching looked stellar and the food prices seemed reasonable. Ten minutes after we sat down we noticed an outburst two tables over. A fellow patron raised his voice to claim, “26 euros for 2 Heinekens! That’s screwing me. I WORK for Heineken, you can’t charge that much for a beer. I don’t mind being screwed, but if I do get screwed I at least want to enjoy it!”. Probably 15 tables had their eye on this two-top 
table, as the British gentlemen raised his voice. The standoff was just beginning. At that point we realized food prices were very reasonable but beverage prices were not on the menu. We aptly asked for a beverage menu (although we already had been served our beverages). This investigating led to seeing the biggest drink ripoffs since Moscow (8 Euro for soft drinks/7 euros for a glass of wine/9 euros for bottled water). Great business plan; our thirst quickly disappeared. Just about the time our investigative work ended, the British man was leaving (refusing to pay for the beers). The local police were called and the altercation continued with the restaurant manager outside the front door. Some settlement was agreed upon (outside of our earshot) and unfortunately our entertainment for the evening ended or so we thought. Less then 15 minutes later we overhead some Italian voices being raised on the far side of the restaurant. Same problem – refusal to pay for their coffee and glass of wine; something told us this was not the first or last time the staff had been confronted with this issue. We couldn’t have escaped this place faster. Just as our bill came, an American family of 6 (4 kids under the age of 12) sat down next to us. We did some quick math – their drink order would be nearly 50 euros before their bread was served! As we put on our coats we slid the beverage menu to them and suggested looking at the prices before they ordered…On the tourist front there were several things that guidebooks insist you “must do” when visiting Milano – see “The Last Supper” painting and attend the Opera at La Scala. The box office for the Opera house is conveniently in the Duomo Metro station. Our options were Friday night or Saturday performances. Friday night offered an earlier show (7pm start instead of 8pm) so the choice was easy to make. La Scala was packed that night as it had just reopened from some renovations earlier that month. Before the curtains were raised we discussed our previous opera history (one of us had been once, the other never – take your guesses). We were feeling very “local”… The lights flickered and the show was about to begin. Seconds after the curtains raised we were shocked – standing midstage was not a large Italian women belting out
octave jumping notes, but a short man dressed in tights – followed by a harem of women in tutus. We looked at each other and just laughed. We never even looked at the tickets, but we now were attending our 2nd and 1st ballets (again take your guesses). Inappropriate laughter ensued (similar to catching the giggles in church or a lecture hall). This was only exacerbated by the Twenty something Finnish man seated next to us who clapped most enthusiastically – apparently this ballet was a classic and this particular performance was REALLY good (based on his applause).The third leg of our tourist trifecta was our strike out to see the Last Supper. Apparently you need to book reservations months in advance during all times of the year. Our online attempts showed March was the next available time slot and our local concierge could do no better… We carried along and were determined to get the best of Milano. We did.
In a surprising turn of events the local economy was not increased by any purchases from us. As our time there was the weekend before Christmas, you can imagine the size of shopping crowds. In fact we got a chance to hit our last Christmas markets of the season, scattered all throughout town. The highlight of these markets were local food merchants, where we came across several tents full of baked goods. The cannoli (or connolo as the merchant called them) were exceptional! Besides the local markets we experienced more of a local scene through some great restaurant recommendations (Baguetta/Da Giacomo) and strolling through parks (Parco Sempione) and different neighborhoods (Brera/Como Corso). Despite the gaffes on the early parts of this trip, we got a good dose of Milano and would come back in an instant.
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