Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is such a magical place. A must when visiting il Duomo di Milano. The…read morehustle and bustle of countless tourists, people going about their day. So much luxury shopping it's incredible, and some amazing restaurants too! This shert magnitude of the architecture & history is awe inspiring. A great place to come and feel energized... but also a little overwhelming with so many people! I love sitting in one of their indoor cafés and people watching, just adore being here! The beauty of the floors, walls, ceilings, is truly magnificent. The up keep by the Italians is a marvel. Bravo to them from maintaining such an amazing cultural landmark! The sweeping glass ceilings alone will make you swoon!

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.

L.O.V.E. While…read morewandering from the Museo del Duomo to San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, I needed to find something besides another cathedral, which is what I wanted to see, to capture my husband's attention. After checking out the Starbucks Reserve Roastery around the corner, we stumbled across this monumental sculpture by Maurizio Cattelan in Piazza Affari. Also known as Il Dito, or The Finger, it is a giant hand with all of the fingers cut off except for the middle finger sculpted from Carrara marble. L.O.V.E. The name L.O.V.E. stands for Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità, which translates to Freedom, Hatred, Revenge, Eternity. It is located in Piazza Affari in front of the Italian Stock Exchange, although it did not start there originally. Coincidence?? Art brings the world together. While talking to the manager of Tavola at a Wine and Food Event in The Woodlands, he actually told us a story about Maurizio Cattelan, whose piece The Comedian sold for $6.2 million. Interesting to learn more about this self-trained Milano based artist who uses humor and satire in his works of art. My husband did share our Milan photos with that manager. We bonded over L.O.V.E.

It's easy to miss the Piazza Affiari as it's not in a highly touristy area, it isn't a big open…read morespace like other piazzas as it's surrounded by taller buildings. Not much to see here other than the Italian stock market AND THE GIGANTIC MIDDLE FINGER. The finger is reviewed elsewhere https://www.yelp.com/biz/l-o-v-e-milano?hrid=psmLNPua0LA2O_MEs0hUSw so I'm just reviewing this neat plaza. It's a quiet spot. More like a parking area for people who work at the stock market, this square has little seating and little shade and no greenery. A-OK, would be "Experienced better" if not for the artwork. [Review 10746 overall, 514 of 2019.]

A few things have changed here since we last visited. First of all, all 3 towers are completed…read more Second, the M5 no longer runs directly under the tower. No idea what happened there, but we had to disembark at Amendola and walk up the street a bit to reach City Life. I do wonder. We were meeting my lovely friend here for a coffee and long over due visit! We stopped in to a coffee shop that serves Illy brand espresso. If you know espresso, you know about Illy. After that we went to the grocery store to buy a needle and thread. A button fell off a coat. The grocery store is just as nice as ever and has absolutely everything. Including my needed needle and thread! Next we walked all around the shopping mall. It was busy for a week day and all the store fronts are filled! Eventually we found a seat and visited for a while until my friend had to leave for a party. She walked us back to the Amendola station via a more direct and pleasant route through a neighborhood. City Life Shopping District mostly serves the many apartment dwellers who live all around Tre Torre. (Some of these are multi-million dollar apartments) Besides coffee shop and grocery store it has many restaurants and lots of clothes stores plus more. When in Milan, it's an interesting stop to see the modern apartment buildings constructed by a famous architect and check out the stores. And of course, you have to stop in for a coffee.

A nice shopping mall with adjacent park, with lots of stores and restaurants, and nice walks in the…read moregreen. The architecture around is interesting, a mix of skyscrapers (3 torri - 3 towers), old classic Milano buildings and new constructions. Not exactly in the center of Milan, but you can easily reach out via metro line 5, tre torri stop. I think it's worth a visit or even two