A great restaurant and wine bar in Milano

Skye and I met a nice man on the train from Venice to Milan.  As it turned out he was also heading to Lake Como, but not as far up as we were going.  Not only did he help us out with the trains but he also gave us a restaurant suggestion that was fantastic!  It was definitely a little out of the center (we will call it the “Brooklyn” of Milan) but well worth the trek.  We got to the neighborhood before the restaurant opened at 7:30, and we found a great wine diagonally across the street called Ross and Bianch (Via Pasquale Sottocorno, 11).  

It was a local wine bar that felt a little reminscent of "Cheers" where everyone seemed to know each other.  It was definitely a neighborhood hangout.   The bartender was extremely knowledgeable and recommended a great glass of wine for us.  We saw several people eating meat & cheese plates that looked scrumptious.  We had a drink and moved on to dinner.  In the future I would definitely stay for a small plate before heading over to Il Nodo.

Il Nodo was the place that our friend from the train recommended.  Il Nodo is all seafood, so if you like seafood you will be in for a treat.   Apparently all seafood that isn’t going directly from the boat to the store (as we saw so much of on the Amalfi Coast) goes through Milan the day it is caught before it goes to any other destination in Italy (this is what our friend from the train told us), so what you get in Milan is the freshest available.   The decor was quaint and charming and the service was impecable.  All in all, a great find.  This was a case of the off the beaten track being well worth the trip!

Il Nodo – Via P. Calvi, 5   Tel:  02 738 4589

Oh the Duomo!.....and La Scala

The Duomo in Milano is the 4th largest church in the world and took over 430 years to build.  When you see the gothic spires and the detail work on the façade you can see why. 

It was one of the most beautiful things we saw in Milan.  Inside the church is pretty amazing.  The marble floors and the stained glass windows are beautiful beyond compare.   However the trip to the roof where you can walk around the building and be eye to eye with all the craftsmanship is spectacular.  

I really recommend going to the top.  The view of Milan is not so bad either.  We opted for the 8 Euro elevator ride to the top instead of the 5 Euro walk to the top.  I don’t imagine the walk is all that strenuous, (or at least not as long as the trip to the top of the Basilica in Rome) but it seemed like a nice little treat since we were going to have to pay anyway.  Unlike many of the other churches we visited in Italy there was no real wait to get inside or onto the roof.  You cannot enter with bare shoulders or short skirts so make sure you bring a shawl or sweater and gents, don’t wear shorts or tank tops.

La Scala


We were only in Milan for a day so we decided not to see an opera, but I imagine it to be quite spectacular.  We had just missed the costume exhibit, which was very disappointing, but the theatre itself is really something special.  From the ornate gold work on the walls and ceilings to the actual stage itself it whisks you back to a time where only the rich went to the opera and everything about it was opulent.   It is worth the trip even if you are not going to see an opera.  The upstairs museum has many incredible musical instruments of every kind, as well as oil paintings of some of the great opera singers of all time.  I do wish they had some costumes on display though.  I think those must be a sight to see!