Milan during Christmas Season

From where I was staying in Switzerland it was just a quick train ride across the Alps to get to Milan – a city I had never been in but had been on my list for a while. So, this was my opportunity – I’d finally visit the capital of Italian Fashion and would get to see the famous Duomo of Milan and the Galleries Vittorino Emanuelle.

I ended up being positively surprised by Milan. I had been told many times about how small the place was, a couple of days were enough to visit… how there wasn’t really much to do, and it was all about the big fashion labels that I could not afford. This is a classic example of how while it is perfectly fine to hear people’s opinions, we should never take them as facts, by assuming they’re right. I could turn to all of them and say that while I did only spend two days in Milan, I feel I could have stayed a week and would have had things to day every day. But I’ll leave it for a different post to talk about what I got to do in the city – these days we’re here to talk about Christmas and feed that spirit in this corner of the Internet!

And well… Milan is stunning during Christmas.

If you’re looking for a festive atmosphere, Milan delivers. The decorations were elegant and classic, as you have to expect from a city that breathes and sweats style – something that I quickly confirmed once I got there. I was mostly surprised by the beautiful cakes and pastries posh bakeries had on display, and I even saw a panettone that was probably made of gold, costing over €300! What did I expect, with Milan figuring on top of the most expensive cities in Italy! And everything seems to be about the brand names – I lost count of the number of Christmas trees I found throughout the city that belonged to a certain brand.

There was a small Christmas Market around the Duomo, where you could buy different delicacies, as well as gifts and decorations. I always find things in these places incredibly overpriced, but I couldn’t resist getting a pretzel for myself (which cost me €5, but I still feel it was worth it).

Travelling in December comes with its disadvantages – it is cold (the maximum temperatures were at around 8/9 degrees Celsius), typically you may have a bigger chance of rain/haze, with grey skies, and the days are a lot shorter. But there is something special about discovering how a place does Christmas, the lights and decorations bring a different beauty to the place and, in my honest opinion, there is nothing wrong with some grey skies from time to time. I also always like to see cities at night, so the fact that evenings darken earlier in winter makes it easier for me, as often in Summer I’m way too tired to wait until 9 or even 10pm to really see a place at night.