After Croatia, our next stop was a short layover in Italy. We were a little tired at this point, so decided to take to take an overnight ferry to Ancona, Italy instead of flying. We bought tickets through the Blue Line Ferry Company, you can find them and more information on how to book here. We bought tickets directly from the site. We left Split right as a large storm system was moving over the Mediterranean, however despite the rain and wind chopping up the water, we didn't notice it having any affect on the ship at all (no sea sickness! thank goodness).
We landed in Ancona, cleared customs, and then caught a train to Milan. The train system in Italy is TrenItalia. Having lived in Italy, I feel like I should tell you that if you get confused by their train system, you are not alone. The good news is that the people that work for TrenItalia are extremely helpful and friendly, so once you are on a train, just ask the attendants for help.
Milan is a beautiful city. Sadly it was our layover, so we only had about 9 hours explore. I will certainly back, but I wanted to let you know the 4 things you MUST do if you have an externally short amount of time in Milan.
1. Take a ride on the Big Red Bus
A one day hop on, hop off pass is about $27. It also boasts 3 different lines to take you around the city, so you will get a chance to see everything Milan has to offer. Bring your headphones to plug into the seat, because this bus offers you a guided tour of the city in 6+ different languages. It also has free WiFi, so you can upload those pictures you don’t want to lose, or check in with family back home to let them know your doing okay!
2. Tour Castello Sforzesco
Sforza Castel is a beauty to be sure! While it doesn’t have the gilded features of Versailles, it is a true work of Italian renaissance art! Entrance through the walls into the castello is free, and many concerts are held here. You can purchase self guided tickets for €10, which gives you access to the inside of the castello, it’s museums, and any exhibits currently hosted. For a little extra cost you can get a behind the scenes tour with a guide, which gives you access to the less public parts of the castello. There are also frescoes and works of art by Lorenzo Lotto, Tiziano, Canaletto, Mantegna, Bramantino, Michelangelo, and da Vinci. It is 100% worth it to do the tour. Plan to be here for a few hours, each room is different, and more breathtaking than the last!
3. Climb to the top of the Milan Cathedral
While you can do this on your own, we went with a tour guide. Not only did it allow us to skip to the front of the long line waiting to start the climb, it also came with entrance into the Cathedral. Our tour guide Valentina was extremely friendly, and knowledgeable. She gave a great tour with insight and history behind the cathedral, the Sforza family, and Milanese history as well!
When you finish with the cathedral, go across the street and check out Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The glass roof is amazing, and the shops are pretty cool as well.
4. Visit the Last Supper
The last thing we did before leaving Milan, was see da Vinci’s Last supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie. I would suggest buying tickets before hand (the link above will take you to the ticketing site). Online tickets must be purchased 48 hours in advance. So if you forget to plan ahead or don't have internet access (like we did) you can still get tickets, you will just have to wake up early and get in line. We got there around 7am, and were able to get tickets for the same day.
Pictures are not allowed inside, so this is the only one that I took. It is of Santa Maria delle Grazie
-Until the next adventure!