Well, welcome to Italy! This week we're exploring the fashion capital
of Europe. We're here in Milan. But of course there is more to do in Milan than just go
shopping. So we're going to be showing you 20 attractions around town. We had 3 days in Milan so we hit the ground
running and tried to see and do as much as possible. We made time for major attractions
like Il Duomo, Sforza Castle, and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, but we also veered away
from the crowds in search of street art and interesting neighborhoods. This being Italy,
we also tried to prioritize meals, sampling everything from pizza to risotto, and cappuccinos
to aperitivos. The following travel guide will highlight 20 things to do when you visit
Milan, Italy Our first stop was Il Duomo, which is the
most recognized attraction in the city. The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete
and the exterior is covered in Candoglia marble, which gives it its off-white pinkish colour. So I'm pretty excited because we're standing
right behind Il Duomo and we have tickets to go up to the rooftop, to the terrace, where
you get some pretty cool views of the old town. So let's go in. Climbing up to the cathedral's rooftop was
one of the coolest things we did in Milan. We got some great views of the city and it
was also really nice getting a closer look at the architecture. So a fun little fact we just learned. If you
donate enough money you can get one of those church spires all to yourself. Now we weren't entirely sure what an Italian
breakfast looks like so we did a bit of research and asked around and apparently it is just
a coffee and anything sweet. So that could be pastries, bread with jam, cake or cookies.
So we've sat down at a little cafe and we're going to have our first Italian breakfast. So my beverage of choice today is the cappuccino
because it is a very cold day. And why not have some frothy coffee. It's a cold day.
When is fifteen degrees considered cold? Look at the way I'm dressed. I'm cold okay? Ooh, that is nice. Excellent cappuccino. Nice
and rich and frothy? Mmmm. Indeed. Wanna try some? And this pastry here I've selected, I honestly
don't really know what it is. What made me select it was that I saw walnut bits. And
hey, I'm a huge fan of walnuts so I don't know what is inside. It looks like it might
be apple. Let's find out. I thought it was going to be prunes. Mmmm. No, no no. That is like pecan pie. That's
pecan filling inside. Let's see the inside. Oh wow! That is so delicious. Oh, it's like having pecan pie. Pie for breakfast. He's a happy boy. Something that surprised us about Milan is
that there is a castle right in the middle of the city. Sforza Castle was built in the
15th century by the Duke of Milan, and it then underwent several restorations and expansions
in the following centuries. Today it houses several of the city's most prized art possessions,
including frescoes by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo's very last sculpture. For some upscale designer shopping, Galleria
Vittorio Emanuele II is the place to be. It is considered one of the world's oldest and
most beautiful shopping malls, and its most impressive feature is an arching glass and
cast iron roof. Well good evening from Milan. It is our first
full day here and it is now dinner time. So we just found a local little restaurant and
we're going to be trying a traditional dish that is very popular in this city and in the
Lombardy region. We are going to have Risotto alla Milanese . So my Risotto alla Milanese has arrived. And
in case you're not too familiar with risotto it is basically a type of rice that is very
thick, very starchy and it absorbs a lot of liquids. So this should be good. It almost
looks a little soupy and creamy. And also my Risotto alla Milanese gets its color from
saffron. So saffron is a bit of a reddish orange color when it is dry but when you stick
it and mix it with the rice it turns it yellow. So enough about that let's try it. Surprise! Mmmmm. Do you like that? Oh, wow! That is so good. And it is already cheesy.
I mean I know I added a lot of cheese but I think they had already melted some cheese
and mixed it in. So yeah, very cheesy and very buttery. You can never get too much cheese. That is so good. You're going to like this. Milan has a lot of really cool street art
and you’ll often stumble upon it when you’re not even looking. We spotted some really cool
pieces around Porta Ticinese. The Colonne di San Lorenzo are the remains
of Roman ruins that date back to the 2nd century. They are believed to have been part of a bath
house before they were moved to their current location at some point during the 4th century. Another fun activity to try in Milan is a
boat tour of the canals. The city's canals are attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci, who in
1482 was called over by the Duke of Milan to help renovate the city’s canal system.
So cruise on down knowing that Da Vinci once strolled the same neighbourhood you are visiting. Milan's Navigli District is one of the liveliest
parts of town especially when the sun goes down. We recommend finding a little restaurant
along the water's edge and enjoying a proper Italian meal al fresco. So we've gone out for our first Italian Aperitivo.
Which is kind of like a pre-dinner drinking tradition. Basically, you get yourself a cocktail
for about 10 Euros and that gives you access to this massive buffet of like pizzas, pastas,
olives. Anything you could possibly imagine. And this is what comes before dinner. So I have to admit I was expecting very simple
food for the Aperitivo. I thought maybe they would just give us some prosciutto cheese
and olives. You know, pretty cheap simple food. But instead what we've found was this.
So I've got lasagna, I've got ravioli. I have have stir-fried veggies. And even french fries
which are not Italian but I had to grab a few anyways since they were available. And because Milan is one of the fashion capitals
of the world. You couldn't come to this city and not go shopping. Right now we are walking
along Via Torino which boasts lots of different boutiques but there is several different areas
around the city that you can check out. So we thought we'd show you some of the distinct
neighborhoods in the city. This is Chinatown and we've noticed tonnes of Chinese restaurants.
And I think you can pick up some really good food here. Another thing we noticed about Milan is that
locals bike everywhere. So if you want to do as locals do, consider hiring a bike for
the day to help you get familiarized with the city. So it is lunchtime here in Milan and we figured
why not have pizza when in Italy. I've only had pizza once the whole time I've been here
and it was time to try a few others. So we've been walking around the city and we walked
by this one shop and we saw they had like these extra thick slices of pizza. It almost
looked like a focaccia bread with toppings. So we went in there and grabbed two slices. Okay, so tell us what did you get for yourself? So I got the one that had salami and mozzarella.
And this reminds me a lot of the pizza I had in Buenos Aires in Argentina. These massive
thick slices that you would just go into a shop and order. And I think this is going
to be delicious. Ooh, time for the first bite. And I like that has already been pre-sliced
into small little pieces for us. Perfect for lunch at the park. That's really good. Tasty? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Gooey cheese? Oh, yeah. I don't even have anything to say. Hahaha. What did you get on yours? Okay, so mine has what I believe in mozzarella
and some small tomatoes and basil leaves. So it looks really good. And I was asking the guy who served our pizza,
you know, what kind of pizza is it? What style is it? And he called it pizza al trancio. And I looked
that up and it basically means pizza by the piece or pizza by the slice. And as you can
see it has already been pre-sliced into little portions, so it is perfect for you know just
getting it to go, having lunch at a park or eating it outdoors. Yeah, we're having it in a park now as it
just starts to rain. So time to try this. It looks wonderful. Oh my goodness. Wow! Is that good? Oh, yeah. So the dough, I mean it is really thick but
it also has a bit of a fluffy quality to it and that is like a thick layer of cheese as
well. Like that is a generous amount of cheese. Check this out? Look at all that cheese. It kind of reminds me of Chicago Deep Dish
style as well. Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio We also visited the Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio,
which is believed to have once held the relics of the Three Magi. If you didn't get enough of the Duomo and
the rooftop terrace, you can also visit the Duomo Museum, which covers the cathedrals
history and art a little more in depth. Like most European cities, Milan is steeped
in history but that doesn't mean there aren't newer parts with modern architecture. We made
some time to take a Hop-On-Hop-Off tour of the city, and that helped us see a different
side of Milan. We also dropped by the Museum of Natural History,
which is probably geared more towards children, but we were still curious to see their dinosaur
displays. Lastly, on our final night in Milan we went
out for one last stroll around the city to enjoy some nighttime views. Swing by Il Duomo
if you get a chance - it feels completely different when the lights come on and the
crowds disperse. And that's all for our visit to Milan. We
hope this video will give you some cool ideas of sights and attractions to check out around
town, and if you have any other suggestions for travellers, feel free to add those to
the comments below.
