Fantastic visit to the Duomo di Milon, or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint…read moreMary, during our visit to Italy. It's the largest duomo in Italy (St Peter's is in the Vatican) and we both thought it's the most impressive on the outside. The history of the duomo is fascinating as you will learn about its construction on the tour. BTW, there are basically 3 areas to tour 1) duomo outside and interior 2) exterior roof tour, and an artifacts tour underneath the main floor. Construction began in 1386 and the cathedral wasn't officially completed until the 20th century. The architectural influences in that time are incorporated - medieval, Renaissance and later. Unlike most cathedrals, you can walk extensively across the roof during the roof tour between the flying buttresses, and pinnacles. The roof has 135 spires and thousands of statues, making the exterior astounding! At the top of the central spire stands the famous golden statue of the Virgin Mary, the symbol of Milan. The interior is very unique as well. One of the most unusual features - an astronomical clock built in 1786!At solar noon, sunlight passing through a tiny opening creates a spot of light on the line, allowing the cathedral's astronomers to determine true solar noon. Check it out - you will be glad you did!

Beautiful architecture, inside and out. The inside was busy but I was lucky enough to go during…read moreSunday mass, which probably accounted for half the people in there. I had to leave for another experience and came back later to see the Crypt. Some of the staff gave me a hard time about coming back in, wondering why I needed to leave even though I explained I didn't want to wait for 2 hours in the cathedral. I was able to visit the Crypt, which is only open for a short while. It's a beautiful experience if you're able to fit it in. Taking photos inside the Crypt is prohibited. Outside is very busy so be cautious of pick pockets and scammers...they are everywhere. Toilets are available to one side but for a fee.

Living in Centro Storico, the heart of 'Area C', it was bound to happen. We rent cars for business…read moreand every time we drive through the area must pay the €5 Area C fee. One time, we did not pay within the 24 hour window, and received a ticket, several months after. So, down to the police station to pay our fine. This station is not close to the metro so after taking the train to Porta Romana, we walked quite a few blocks. When we approached the main entrance, an officer standing guard there pointed us in the correct direction. We waited just a minute in line at Information. We are still learning Italian, and are getting 'pretty' good, but not great so trying to translate was interesting. We thought we had paid on time and they were trying to explain we were late. Luckily, a kind by stander who spoke both Italian and English assisted and we sorted it out. We were given a number and sat in the waiting area for our turn. I must say both the people working at Information were very nice to us and took quite a bit of time explaining why we received the fine. It was all very courteous. There are two electronic boards in the waiting area that show what numbers are being served and a computer generated voice that calls out the number when it changes. Walk through the red doors to the 'station' indicated on the computer board next to your number, pay the fine, and that's it. It was a bit of a wait, but very organized and they DO take credit cards. I hope you never have to stop by, but if you do, I hope this helps make it a bit less scary.

Luxury high end shopping bonanza is how I would describe the Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II. There…read moreare so many luxury brands here from Louis Vuitton, fendi, Gucci and of course Prada. It's a fashionista's playground and also a window shopper's potential maxed out credit card. Architecture here is absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing. Look for the Lucky Bull mosaic throughout the marble floors. It's actually a few feet away from Dior. What you do is place your right heel on the bull's testicals and spin around three times for good luck. I'm not certain that it would bring good luck, but it's worth a shot. Plus it's funny watching others do it whilst trying to keep their balance. I did it a few times and I couldn't stop laughing.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is not only beautiful with high end shopping but it is much…read morelarger than I expected. I made way over to spinning the bull mosaic and there was a circle full of people just jumping in to spin the bull. It is best to visit the Galleria on a week day for the weekend is super crowded. I experienced both and I prefer the weekday 100%.