In close proximity to the Alps and the great lakes, is the northern Italian city of Milan - well known for its wide streets, boulevards and designer fashion houses, as well as its excellent cuisine.
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The 5-Star Carlton Hotel Baglioni was our choice of accommodation for our short stay in Milan, and it is interesting to mention that our room at this hotel was decorated almost entirely in black! Initially I felt like a character from the Adams family, but soon marvelled at the high-tech room and I have to say, it certainly made quite a statement from the rest of the Italian baroque style hotel.
The charm about this hotel is that it is the only one in Milan with its own entrance leading onto the famous shopping street, Via della Spiga, which has more designer shops than any other street in all of Milan! However, bargain hunters can take a short tram ride over to San Babila, where everything from clothes to leather goods is on offer, at a much lesser price - although if you want to shop in Milan - you just have to close your eyes and simply forget about the euro exchange rate!
Milan has many interesting tourist attractions, but if one only has twenty-four hours in this city, one of the definite must see attractions, whether Catholic or other, is the Duomo, Milan's most imposing structure - the third largest church in the world - and a true testament to Milanese persistence - it took over 100 years to build! It is an awe-inspiring Gothic cathedral, consisting of beautiful stone turrets, statues and flying buttresses.
The piazza where the Duomo is situated, also offers the grandest shopping arcade in Italy, the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II, possibly also one of the busiest squares in Europe! This Industrial Age-cum-Neo Classical galleria connects the Piazza del Duomo with another world famous establishment, the opera house, La Scala.
Another place well worth a visit is the Castello Sforzesco. A sprawling brick fortress dating back to the 15th century. Michelangelo's final work, the Rondanini Pieta (the unfinished Pieta) is housed here. In 1664, at the age of 89, Michelangelo was struck down (probably a stroke) while chipping away at this masterpiece. The Castello also houses a relatively unknown painted ceiling by Leonardo da Vinci. It would appear that Da Vinci accepted this commission while waiting to finish the Last Supper in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The great part about a visit to Castello Sforzesco is that one doesn't have to endure the endless queues that the Santa Maria delle Grazie has on a daily basis!
It you are but one of the many fans of the best selling novel, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, and you would like a viewing of the Last Supper, my suggestion is to book your place at least three weeks before travelling to Milan.
For dining out at night, we found the district around the Canal Navigli to be very popular, boosting quite a variety of pubs and restaurants. Once a quarter of canals and warehouses, it has now been converted into a lively evening area.
For information on the Carlton Hotel Baglioni contact Leading Hotels of the World on 0800997012. Air France has 12 weekly flights to Paris from Johannesburg with 12 daily flights from Paris/CDG Hub, Europe's unique connection platform, to Milan
For more information call 0861 340340 or visit www.airfrance.co.za
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