Not what you thought it would be? Me either. I tend to think of Italy as being mostly an ancient country full of ancient antiquities and renaissance architecture. But not so with Milan. This city is extremely progressive and super duper modern, and why wouldn’t it be? It’s the center of the universe for Italian haute couture, the home of Versace, Armani, and Bulgari. Everybody who’s anybody in high fashion has an atelier in the city. Fashion week in Milan is every bit as big and important as it is in New York and Paris, and the city beautifully reflects that. Milan has very fashionably managed to blend the old with the new. Not relegating its antiquities to a “Old Town” like many cities in Europe. But wefting in the new architecture so comfortably that it looks like it’s always been there. They clearly respect the past. They just refuse to live in it.

This isn’t the warm, sunny part of Italy, which is why you see people in winter coats in so many of these vids. I sometimes forget that the Alps are only partly in Switzerland. We also have the Italian Alps, and Milan is not all that far from the Swiss border. From Milan, it’s not much of a drive to Lake Como in the Italian Alps, and it’s seriously beautiful. But this is a walking tour, and Milan is an insanely walkable city. It’s still a city so you you have to drive to the walkable places. But it’s full of lots of wonderful nooks and crannies to explore. And I’ve only got a handful of them here. To go inside some of these wonderful places and spaces, use the Google map. Tourist sites will usually let you go in and see the sights.

The cool thing about Milan is that it’s an eclectic mix of the old and new, which makes it a city that’s really fun to explore, especially if you’re not that into history and antiquities. While it’s got plenty of them, this is the fashion capital of Italy, so trendsetting is a big thing with them. They’re at the forefront of art, music and culture in general. So if you’re gonna hang out there, it’s well worth your time to check out the legend items on the map and take a walk around some of the most happening spots. To get you started, I’ve put you at that giant Cathedral, which just so happens to be right next door to that incredible luxury shopping mall with the enormous gilt glass ceiling.Turn left for the mall and right for the cathedral.