Milano

Before we arrived in Milan we were expecting it to be a cold, grey city with a lot of expensive shops and not much else. Certainly it’s cold – it is winter after all – and every major international brand-name does seem to have a presence here, but as to the city having little else to recommend it, we couldn’t have been more wrong.

We knew that Milan was home to La Scala, one of the world’s great opera houses, and we’d heard that the Duomo here was impressive (which turned out to be both an understatement and another story), but we were really unprepared for just how much history is on show here and how well this modern city has grown in and around it.

While the Lombardy capital had never been on our ‘must visit’ list, now we’re thinking three weeks may not be enough. Milan is cultured and beautiful, vibrant and fun. And if you also happen to need a new pair of shoes – and have a lazy thousand euros to spend – it absolutely is the place to be.

Porta Nuova, Milan's main business district (about a 25 minute walk north of the Duomo)

The site is undergoing a major redevelopment

A number of the new buildings have received design awards

The area attracts locals and visitors alike 🙂

The buildings face onto a central piazza

Despite the surrounding highrises, there's a feeling of light and space here

Of course it's all about the glass, and the detail

Just a few minutes walk from Porta Nuova is Porta Garibaldi, one of the original city gates

Another city gate, the Porta Sempione, is marked by the triumphal 'Arch of Peace'

Castello Sforzesco stands in front of Sempione Park, 38 hectares of parkland in the centre of Milan

Winter has well and truly arrived here, but these autumn leaves seem determined to hang on

There are more than 900 plants on the terraces of the two Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) towers

This is the Teatro alla Scala; the great Maria Callas dominated the stage here throughout the 1950s

Opposite La Scala is the Palazzo Marino; each Christmas the Municipality of Milan exhibits an important work of art as a gift to the people of the city

It's a wonderful initiative; this year's piece is Titian's 'Sacred Conversation' (1520)

There is a lot of great modern sculpture located throughout the city

A street behind the fashion district

And an apartment building receiving a bright new face

At the Piazza del Duomo

The General Insurance building on Piazza Cordusio

And the Palazzo delle Poste (Palace of the Post Office), once the Milan Stock Exchange

The spire on top of the Unicredit tower at Porta Nuova was designed to reflect the spires on the city's Duomo

Old and new, architectural harmony

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the oldest shopping malls in the world

Opened in 1877, the wondrously extravagant Galleria can take away your breath - and your money

You don't have to go far to find the big names

Many are inside the Galleria

And many others can be found in the fashion district

Here's Dolce & Gabbana looking festive and pretty

There's been a lot of window shopping going on

This Louis Vuitton bag could be yours for 2,900 euros, or just over $4,500

Or if you're looking for something a bit more economical, the little bag (bottom centre) is only 1,900 euros

This outfit from Versace (the one on the left) will set you back 13,000 euros - that's more than $20,000

Window shopping again ... perhaps I could offer some suggestions?

But, of course the very best things aren't for sale