MILAN AND NORTH ITALY

MILAN AND NORTH ITALY

Milan is the biggest city of Northern Italy. The powerhouse of the country and one of the most stylish cities of the planet. But it is also a city with many important museums and wonderful monuments. See the Castello Sforzesco, the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (which displays Leonard's Last Supper), the Brera Museum and the famous trio: the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle and the opera house La Scala. Moreover, Milan is a lively city, with several pubs, discos and nightclubs. Being a fashion capital, too, you might run into a top model or designer. The best chances are in the area around Brear (the artists' district) or the Navigli area. And if you have money to spend, just pay a visit to via Montenapoleone and via della Spiga, where you'll find Gucci, Ferragamo, Valentino, Armani, Ferre, Fendi and other boutiques. Shop for other famous designer labels and items such as shoes, camelhair blankets and leather goods

Near Milan there are two must-sees (both can be visited in a day trip): the Carthusian Monastery of Pavia and the 12th century Chiaravelle Abbey (founded by St. Bernard of Cistercian). Two hours outside Milan in Pessione is a museum of the history of wine making which has a fine collection of wine-making equipment, Roman glass, and Etruscan and Apuleian ceramics.

One of the highlights of North Italy are both the Dolomites and the North italian lakes. The Dolomites are one of the most spectacular mountains in the world. Compared to other Alps, they are brighter, more colourful, more monumental and seemingly, architecturally inspired.

Lago di Garda, Lago Maggiore, Lago Como and Lago Iseo are the most well known north Italian lakes and a huge magnet for tourists to the region.