Italy – Maldo Travels https://www.maldotravels.com Travel - Learn - Share Wed, 27 Apr 2022 22:43:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.maldotravels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Favicon-Black.png Italy – Maldo Travels https://www.maldotravels.com 32 32 Milan – Art, Culture and a Fashion Capital https://www.maldotravels.com/europe/milan-art-culture-and-a-fashion-capital/ https://www.maldotravels.com/europe/milan-art-culture-and-a-fashion-capital/#respond Mon, 22 Apr 2019 22:38:28 +0000 http://54.211.235.180/?p=6384

For the UK Easter break, we decided to go on a 4-day getaway to Milan. It’s a short 2-hour flight from London and we arrived at Malpensa Airport at around 10 AM. It’s a small airport so we got through customs quickly and were out by 10.20 AM. The train station is a short 5-minute walk away and buses to the city center are also available at the terminal. Buses cost 8 EUR1 and the train is 13 EUR. We decided to take the train and got on the 10.30 AM train to Milano Centrale. The onboard ticket man was very friendly and recommended us to get a daily travel card which cost 4.50 EUR to get around in the city. He also said we could touch and go using contactless credit cards. The train ride to Milano Centrale took about an hour so we got there at around 11.30 AM. The station is huge and there are no ticket barriers to exit so you just make your way out. From the station, we decided to walk to our Airbnb2 near Duomo since we had time to spare before our check-in time slot. It should take about 45 minutes to walk but we made several stops for pictures so it took us 1 hour 30 minutes. On the way, we walked through Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli which is a garden where the natural history museum is. We also came across the shopping district which has several Gallerias which are like shopping malls.

We got to our Airbnb at around 1 PM and after settling in we went looking for food. We soon found out that most of the local places close the kitchen between 2-3 PM. We managed to find a place that said they could serve us if we ordered quickly. After lunch, we headed to the historic city center. The main site is the Duomo and it is a truly magnificent cathedral. The building is huge and it has many columns all with great detail. The plaza also covers a large area and is great for pictures. We walked around the area and got back to the Airbnb by 7 PM.

Our next two days we took day trips to Como and Verona which you can find out more about from the links. On our last day, our flight was at 8 PM so we explored the city throughout the day. In the morning, we went to Sempione Park which is one of the biggest in Milan. We got off at the Cardona metro station and walked towards Castello Sforzesco which serves as an entrance to the park. It is free to enter the open areas of the castle and tickets are available for the museum. The park has gardens and a lake which make for a picturesque walk. We walked through the park and got to the Arco della Pace which is an arch dedicated to peace. From here, we went to get lunch and then to the Duomo.

There are several tickets available to visit the inside of the Duomo; cathedral only, cathedral plus stairs to the top, or cathedral plus lift to the top. We chose the ticket with lift access and it cost 37 EUR. Tickets can be bought online or at the ticket office. The queue for the lift was quite long and we waited for about 30 minutes. The stairs queue was practically empty so it would have been quicker and cheaper to go by stairs. Also, the lift entrance is around the back of the Duomo. Once inside, the lift takes you to the terrace area. The level of detail in the stonework is mesmerizing and there are several balconies that make for great pictures. You walk across the terrace to the front and climb a couple of stairs to get to the top. More impressive views from here and you can walk over to the other end of the cathedral. Watch your footing as some of the stonework can be slippery. Once we were done, we headed down to visit the inside of the cathedral.

The inside is massive and there are many tall columns throughout. It’s very gothic in style and nice to walk around. At the entrance of the cathedral, there are some stairs which lead underground. Here you’ll see some tombs and the original baptism pool. This is a museum-like area and there are several artifacts on display. When finished with this, the ticket also gives you access to the museum opposite the Duomo. Do keep in mind that the museum closes at 6 but the last entry is at 5 PM. So we couldn’t get in as we got there at 5.10 PM. Following the Duomo, we went for a quick walk around the area and came across the Leonardo da Vinci statue. From here we then headed to the airport for our flight back to London.

]]> https://www.maldotravels.com/europe/milan-art-culture-and-a-fashion-capital/feed/ 0 Verona – The City of Romeo and Juliet https://www.maldotravels.com/europe/verona-the-city-of-romeo-and-juliet/ https://www.maldotravels.com/europe/verona-the-city-of-romeo-and-juliet/#respond Sun, 21 Apr 2019 23:03:00 +0000 http://54.211.235.180/?p=6345

We took the 9.45 AM train from Milano Centrale to Verona Porta Nuova which took about 1 hour 50 minutes reaching Verona at 11.35 AM. The journey is quite scenic with vast crop fields and the alps in the distance. The Verona train station is on the outskirts of the city and it’s about a 20-minute walk from the train station to the city center. Once at the main plaza Piazza Bra, the area is filled with people walking around. There are several restaurants/cafes with outdoor seating around the plaza and along the side roads. There is a castle – Castelvecchio – a short 10-minute walk away towards the river. The entrance is free to explore the open areas of the castle and tickets can be purchased for entry to the museum. There is a bridge connected to the castle that crosses the river and is great for pictures.

By the time we were done walking around the castle, it was coming up to 1 PM so we went for lunch around the Verona Arena. After lunch, we continued walking towards the historic city center which is on the peninsula of the river. We found that there are many more restaurant options here. As we walked deeper into the city center, we came across Juliet’s Balcony. There is a very long queue here so we just walked by and continued to Piazza delle Erbe. At this plaza, there were many stalls selling all kinds of products and souvenirs. The surrounding buildings are very historic and there are also several restaurants and cafes. In the center of the plaza, there is a pillar with a chain hoop that people take pics with.

Going further in, there is another plaza Piazza dei Signori and there are several museums in the area. One of the museums is of the catacombs of previous Verona rulers. It was now coming up to 5 PM and our train back to Milan was at 5.45 PM, so we started heading back. On the way back we stopped at the Verona Arena for some pictures. This Roman Amphitheater is huge and still being used for concerts and events. After a quick rest stop here we walked back to the station and got our train back to Milano Centrale, arriving at around 8 PM. Overall, Verona is a beautiful city for a day trip with old architecture and Roman ruins.

]]> https://www.maldotravels.com/europe/verona-the-city-of-romeo-and-juliet/feed/ 0 Lake Como – Lakeside Towns and the Alps https://www.maldotravels.com/europe/lake-como-lakeside-towns-and-the-alps/ https://www.maldotravels.com/europe/lake-como-lakeside-towns-and-the-alps/#respond Sat, 20 Apr 2019 22:15:00 +0000 http://54.211.235.180/?p=6132

The day following our arrival in Milan, we decided to head to Como. We first went to Milano Centrale and bought tickets at the machines which have an English option. Tickets are quite cheap with a one-way journey costing 4.80 EUR1 and you can also buy online beforehand. Our train departed at 9.04 AM and it’s only a 40-minute journey to the Como S. Giovanni station. From the station, it’s a short walk to the main plaza – Piazza Cavour. The ferry is opposite the plaza lakeside and after walking around for a bit, we headed there to get tickets for a ferry to Bellagio. We got there at around 10.30 AM and there was quite a long queue which we waited in for about 15 minutes. We bought fast ferry tickets for 13 EUR departing at 12.15 PM. There’s a complete list of fares available here. With about 1 hour 30 minutes to go, we went for a walk around the city. There are several plazas and pedestrian areas that make walking a nice way to explore the city. The lakeside walk is also beautiful and has some seating areas to enjoy the view.

By noon, we were back at the pier and the queue was already long. We boarded the ferry and all seats on the upper deck were almost taken but I managed to find one. The windows on the upper deck are a lot cleaner than the lower deck so it’s better for pictures. The windows on the lower deck also get splashed by the water. It took about 45 minutes to reach Bellagio arriving at around 1 PM. The views on the way are incredible especially the last 15 mins where you can see the Alps. We also got a peek at the small towns of Argegno, Lenno, and Tremezzo which the boat made stops at. Once in Bellagio, we walked up a narrow path and there were several restaurants along the way so we stopped at one for lunch. After finishing lunch around 2 PM, we headed to La Punta which is the peninsula that sticks out into the lake. This viewpoint has the best views of the Alps and it takes about 10 minutes to walk there from the town center. Once at the peninsula, there’s a small park and cafe/restaurant where you can relax and enjoy the view. We stayed here for about an hour then headed back to the pier to get tickets for Menaggio.

When we got to the main ticket office, there was a huge queue. We waited in line for over an hour. All the staff is behind the counter and there is no one walking about to provide info which was frustrating. We saw a ferry stopping at another pier at the other end of town, so one of us went to it to see where it went. It turns out there was another ticket office there with no queue. We had to run there as it was departing soon at 4.30 PM but we made it and ended up getting tickets for Varenna for 4.60 EUR since we’d lost so much time. It was a quick 15-minute sail to Varenna and again, the views of the lake and surroundings are spectacular.

After getting off in Varenna, we went for a walk and wandered through narrow hilly passages. It’s a nice walk and there are several restaurants/cafes in the colorful lakeside town. My favorite part is the path along the lake as there are several viewpoints with postcard-perfect views of the lake and colorful houses. There are some benches to rest at and take in the views or you could dine in one of the many lakeside restaurants. After about 2 hours of walking around, we headed to the Varenna train station and got there at around 6.45 PM. Trains to Milan leave every hour and we’d just missed the 6.37 PM train so we had to wait for the 7.37 PM one.

The ticket office was closed and there was no one around to provide info. A train arrived at 7.27 PM and we weren’t sure if it was our train being early or another train. We got on and there was no information about where it was going nor did the train conductor make an announcement. We asked passengers and they said it didn’t go to Milan so we got off. Our train was late and came at 7.50 PM. Since we couldn’t buy a ticket at the station, when the ticket inspector came by he sold us a ticket for 6.70 EUR and we were able to pay by credit card. On the route from Varenna to Lecco, the train goes right by the lake with views of the sun setting behind the mountains. The journey back took about 1 hour 20 minutes and we were back in Milan at 9.10 PM.

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