Things to do in Milan

City of culture. City of fashion. City of heavenly ice creams and yellow rice. If you listen to some people, Milan is a place where you’ll be ostracized for wearing a tracksuit in public. In truth, this is a great northern Italian city with as many faces as a fashionista. Leonardo da Vinci lived here for a while. You can visit the very vineyard where he relaxed while painting the Last Supper. Tickets can be hard to obtain for this most famous of meals, so it’s best to plan in advance. Afterwards, visit the Leonardo3 Museum, where you can learn more about the master’s life and see models of his creations. Milan rewards walking. From the Piazza Duomo, you can tour the colossal cathedral, the monumental Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, majestic La Scala and the old district of La Brera. Sforzesco Castle is a little further if you’d like to see the grandeur of Milan’s ruling dukes, while the city’s art galleries are a real treat for their permanent and ever-changing temporary exhibitions. If you need more labels in your life, take off the tracksuit and stroll the exclusive Via Monte Napoleone. Then, when you tire of past glories, go to the brand new Piazza Gae Aulenti to see the Unicredit Tower designed by architect César Pell. Beyond the city center, Milan’s districts offer different perspectives. Navigli is a cool network of canals whose bars and restaurants cast dancing reflections off the water at night. The previously blue-collar neighborhood of Isola has been reborn as a leafy oasis of notable street art, cafes, bars, boutiques, galleries and clubs – basically, hipster central. Citta Studi around Piazza Leonardo is where the students congregate, and therefore where you’ll find some good craft beers. If Milan’s charms fade (unlikely), you’re in the middle of a region that offers you easy excursions to beautiful Lake Como, Verona, the wine country of Pavia and even Venice. The dolce vita begins here...