milano in a day

this past easter weekend we went to milan!

i was so excited because it was one city in italy 

i didn't see twelve years ago when i visited as a high school senior 

so

is it possible to go to milan in one day?

YES

but i highly recommend more than one

because 

let's be honest

you need at least a day to shop

we took the train to milan

it's an easy train ride from aviano 

and the most gorgeous site welcomes you when you get off the train

the train station itself!

it is gorgeous

{picture credit: blog eurorail}

the prettiest train station i've been in so far!

when you exited the train station 

another gorgeous site 

welcomes you

the duomo

the duomo is a key building in milan
it is the fifth largest duomo's in europe
and 
the seat to the archbishop of Milan

 i could write a short paper on the importance of it 

but 

i encourage you to 

{click here} 

and 

{here} 

but know this

do not miss it!

go inside because inside you will find

 some of the prettiest stain glass i've ever seen

it is at moments like this that i wish i was a better photographer

and  

 

another look

but i can not take pictures

so to tease you more

  {picture credit: the roaming lama}

**travel tip: while entering the duomo is free

 it cost two euro to take pictures inside the duomo! 

you pay at the booth that greets you when entering**

next to the duomo is the infamous 

{galleria vittorio emanuale II}

aka "the mall" 

where prada and louis are neighbors

and

swarovski lives across the street

it really is a wonderful world

while in milan 

you must see 

leonardo da vinchi's 

"last supper"

the "last supper" is hidden inside

the ordinary looking church 

in the

refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie 

i was expecting an extremely small painting

similar to the mona lisa

but

"the last supper"

does not disappoint

it is an extremely large painting

and 

while the tour is brief
(you only get 15 minutes to look at the painting, 

seriously only 15, 

they will kick you out)

the painting is stunning

 {picture credit}

and 

don't forget to take in

Giovanni Donato da Montorfano 

fresco

"The Crucifixion"

{picture credit}

more information about "the last supper" can be found

{here}

finally we stopped at 

{castello sforzesco}

{picture credit-mighty mac}

the castle is extremely impressive

it is almost all intact

and

covers a mass amount of ground

by the time we arrived at the castle

we had a very tired toddler

so we 

didn't venture on the tour

(again why you should do milan in two days not one) 

other highlights of milan

chocolate!!!! 

Monte Bloc Gourmet writes a great blog piece about chocolate in milan

read it 

{here} 

and of course buy some chocolate!!

throughout milan there were wonderful statues and art pieces

below are a few we found

disclaimer:

most of the following pictures are straight from my iphone 

so i apologize for quality

and

since i was totting a toddler i only saw bits and pieces

in between goldfish and juice boxes 

i know very little about what i saw

except it was appeasing to the eye

and finally

the coolest way to order at a mcdonalds yet

 we had never seen something like this before

call us sheltered

but we were thoroughly entertained

by

such technology

milan was doable in a day 

from 

aviano

however

i recommend

two days

especially if you have a kiddo in tow!

it is a gorgeous city

and

a perfect combination of

art, history, and modern

love love 

from aviano