Alice, our Marketing Executive, went to Milan for a lovely weekend break last weekend! Here is what she has to say about it...
My partner, Jonny, and I decided to go away for his birthday to explore Milan. As we arrived, it was raining and he isn't a fan of driving on the right-hand side of the road so we weren't off to a very good start! As we got to the hotel, the Mercure Milano Agrate Brianza, the weather turned lovely as we settled in. The hotel was lovely, with large spacious rooms and a peaceful patio area at the front to enjoy a couple of drinks!
We are both huge fans of classic Italian food, so decided to take a walk to a local, rural restaurant called Hostaria La Carbonara. The walk was slightly longer than anticipated but we enjoyed strolling through a traditional Italian town until we ended up on the side of the road without any paths.. whoops! It was definitely worth it though, as Jonny ordered the cotoletta XXL Alla Milanes, and I tried to pancia di Milano and both were absolutely delicious. After a couple of wines, we headed back to the hotel for an early night so we were ready to venture into Milan the next day.
On Saturday, we spent the morning in Monza, a town near Milan, with delightful boutiques and quaint houses. From there, we got the train to Milan Centrale ready for a rooftop tour of the Duomo Cathedral. The rooftop tour was most definitely the highlight of the trip, and after climbing quite a few flights of stairs in the corner walls of the cathedral (there is also lift access), we were at the top! The views were stunning, providing a panoramic view of Milan's skyline and an up-close view of the incredible architecture that makes the Cathedral so beautiful. Of course, after all that walking, and being in Italy we had to stop for pizza before heading back to the hotel.
As we were flying back late Sunday night, we checked out of the hotel in the morning before heading back into Monza to look at some of the boutiques we had missed the day before. After stopping for a quick lunch, we decided to take a scenic drive to Bergamo, up to the stunning Lake Como. With the huge, mountainous back-drop, it was both intimidating and breath-taking.
Milan is a fabulous destination for a city break, and we are thinking next time we go away (after the upcoming trips we already have booked!) we would definitely like to spend more time at Lake Como.
