No, it's not Venice, but Milan!
Basically, that's all you need. Also, perhaps, a round trip flight , a mobile with gps and with ** the ** app Preferred Hotels & Resorts , and a extra space in the suitcase , because you are going to want to go home with a piece of the country in the form of pasta, cheese, wine... Shall I continue? (wink, wink) .
DAYS 1 AND 2: MILAN
Our journey will begin in Milan, a city extraordinarily well connected with Spain. There, as soon as you arrive at the airport, we will rent a car with which to undertake a roadtrip through the leafy Italian lands of the north. Ten days of travel and discovery await us: we set course to the Duomo itself to begin the first of our findings.
Getting to the center of Milan by car is complicated, but not impossible. Or at least not with Google Maps . The options are: ** download the map of Milan before leaving Spain ** ; connect to the wifi at the airport to load the route or buy an italian sim card (our preferred option!) You can buy it at the airport itself -although, at least in Malpensa, there is only one store where they sell them, so you will find more and better offers in the city center-.
Yes, despite everything, you have no interest in your mobile accessing the internet , you're in luck, because we're staying at the Milano Scale , and there they offer you -besides parking A must in a city like this- one of the most useful services I have seen in a hotel. We talk about a mobile connected to the internet, with Google Maps and a wonderful city guide packed with truly local tips you won't find anywhere else. And if it was not enough, you can take it wherever you want for free!
Hi Milan, we're here!
We have found this cozy, original and intimate boutique in iPrefer , the app with more independent hotels, with character and absolutely charming of the world. We have decided to try it on this trip because we wanted it to be truly special , and for that they did not serve us clonic lodgings or without charisma. We wanted each reflect the personality of the place where we were going to sleep, in addition to being certain that they were going to be extraordinarily comfortable: the journey is long and they await us many hours of driving !
Once we check in, it's time to hit the streets of Milan. We will stay two days in the city (and a little more on the last day), and the distances are very great So you have to know how to choose. To guide you, here is one very useful guide with which to tour the city in 48 hours, and here ** 20 reasons to love Milan ** (you'll find a hundred when you leave) .
We add only a few tips that cannot be missed: a visit to Brera, the coolest and most bohemian neighborhood in the city, where it is easy to see the Milanese giving himself happily -and very elegantly- to good living; an afternoon -better on a weekend- at the sempione park -with its great atmosphere and live music-; a cocktail in light up , the colorful bar designed by wes anderson (yes, the director!) ; a sunset in Navigli , the picturesque canal area of Milan (yes, it has!) ; a meal in A Post to Milan , a farm from 1700 that today is kilometer 0 restaurant (with its own garden), hotel and cultural center. And, starting at 8:00 p.m., they keep a little silence to read (sigh).
And, above all, reserve a dinner at Da Martino, a humble family restaurant that has been open since 1950 and where you will suck your fingers with its multiple specialties -the menu is very long!-. Our recommendation: pizza and milanese . Mmmmm!
After making the most of Milano and falling in love with the way of life and the extraordinary friendliness of its inhabitants, we strongly recommend enjoying the skybar of the Milano Scala, the perfect place to relax and watch the sunset after the most charismatic buildings in the center . You can also renew the air in your lungs in your garden (yes, they have their own vegetable garden in the very center of the city!), and be very happy knowing that you are in the first zero emission hotel in the city . Namely, does not pollute ANYTHING! Oh, and just one more thing: their scrambled eggs and their cappuccino They'll probably be the best you'll taste on the whole trip...
Brera, unmissable
DAY 3: MODENA AND BOLOGNA
It's today highway. Our destination is Bologna, cultured city and university par excellence . Well, let's be honest: our destiny is the Palazzo di Varignana , where we will recharge the batteries of the highway hours watching the sun go down behind the solarium of the spa . But that is another story; Now let's talk about the road and its first stop, Modena.
What why modena ? You will understand perfectly if you have seen the last season of Master of None and you have accompanied its protagonist to learn to make pasta, stroll through its cozy streets and eat in the most hidden trattorias from the city. The two chapters that Aziz Ansari dedicates to the town are enough to fall in love with that Italy we all dream of , the one with square tablecloths and tender and scolding standards, which here becomes a reality.
In addition to the obligatory stops for any fan of the series (here you have a map to follow them all), the interesting thing in Modena is walk her quietly , enjoying a center that still has the air of a small town in which the neighbors They stop in the street to chat. Also, as Ansari pointed out, you will notice that here there are true cult for food and its rites: even if you arrive on a Tuesday, it will be practically impossible to find a table anywhere, because the people of Modena, talkative as if it were Saturday, will go out en masse to enjoy the many excellent restaurants from the city.
Where there is surely room (the place is huge) is in Golden Grape : sit in the square and try their sausages -we are close to Bologna, the queen of these foods-, the pizza, very fine and served in generous portions, the delicious homemade pasta and for dessert, the frolla pasta : you will not find it better than here.
Modena, a walk you will not forget
Once you've feasted on these delicacies -and been amazed at the sheer number of designer boutiques there is per square meter- head to Palazzo di Varignana. this resort huge and beautiful , close to the center of Bologna -so flat that it is rare not to have a bike-, it is also far enough away that slight mountains wind before us. You'll want to slow down to enjoy the beauty of its fields oversaturated with green , which recall the serene beauty of The Toscana.
Once through the doors of the Palazzo, our own private villa will welcome us in a traditional setting that surprises with its comfortable and design interior . And believe me, after three hectic days, you will feel that you need that room and its charming garden, where you can relax alone. don't forget about book a session for the next day at your Spa Fusion; It will be one of the best decisions you will have made on the entire trip.
Palazzo di Varignana, the perfect retreat
DAY 4: BOLOGNA
After breakfast at the hotel, what are you going to do? sigh with pleasure, we set course for the center of Bologna. There we will find a very lively city, practically taken for the students -in it is the first university in the world -, and at the same time, quiet and walkable. We can do it on foot or by bike , the quintessential means of transportation in the area, but we chose to walk it.
We start from the Piazza Nettuno , where we are entranced by the atmosphere of ** Salaborsa **, a library open to everyone. In fact, this art deco palace , which has been the seat of tourism and commerce, a bank, a restaurant and has even functioned as sports hall! , is rather a cultural space , where you can consult a very long catalog of books, magazines and all kinds of multimedia, as well as organize events.
A walk through its interior will give you a fairly approximate idea of what we will find in the city: kilometers and kilometers of porches -with almost 40, it is the place in the world that more structures of this type has -, quiet squares, one vast history -which can be seen in their archaeological remains , on which you will walk through glass- and a intellectual environment of the most pomegranate.
When you go out, just let yourself go. You are in the second best preserved medieval town in Europe after the one in Venice, and anything you come across will seem fascinatingly noble. It is also likely that the churches amaze you for their brick sobriety.
Sala Borsa: you have never seen anything like it
The essentials of the tourist go through Piazza Santo Stefano and Le Due Torri , two ancient "skyscrapers" that are a symbol of the city, but you don't even need to look for them: it is most likely that you run into them also following the relaxed silence of the streets, full of cafes and youth clothing boutiques.
For more ideas of what to see, what to do and where to eat , you can get inspired here and here . We will give one last piece of advice: don't leave without trying an ice cream in Le Tre Gemme , an establishment with no glamor and all local flavor. Essential.
We will reserve the afternoon for a session in the Fusion Spa at the Palazzo di Varignana (did you reserve?) There, the techniques and ancient treatments from Japan meet those of Turkey , in absolutely welcoming facilities that They will reserve only for you and your companions. You'll come away refreshed, and when you do, you might want to take a stroll through his Giardino , a lush garden three hectares which even houses running trails , in addition to natural labyrinths in which to lose yourself at pleasure among wild bunnies.
Bologna, medieval profile
DAY 5: FERRARA, PADUA AND VENICE
have you heard of Ferrara ? Probably not. And it is a mistake, because it will be one of the most admired stops of the entire journey . We are talking about a city whose urban structure dates back to the XIV century , with a design that raised it like the Europe's first modern city.
And now, we copy without fear from Wikipedia: "From this historical fact, in addition to the conservation of the architectural style and materials in the downtown area, derives in large part its recognition as World Heritage Site ".
Eye, then. because to these bombastic architectural titles, that they have been able to take advantage of multiple filmmakers (Luchino Visconti, Vittorio de Sica and Wim Wenders among others), is joined by an unusual peace in its streets and squares, which make it absolutely adorable.
The route in which you will fall in love with this medieval jewel, in which you will even run into monks walking down the street , start at Castello Estense , one of the few that preserve a moat with water nowadays.
After marveling at his bombast, enter the tourist office and ask for a free map of the city, on which they are drawn various itineraries that go through the most interesting highlights of the area, and the time it will take to travel each. Choose the one you like the most, but make sure you don't leave yourself out the Palazzo dei Diamanti, the Duomo and the moving Monumental Cemetery of Certosa.
Ferrara will surprise you
To eat, we do without pizza and pasta - although they also serve it - and we opted for ** The Lab **, a restaurant of feel good food whose structure retains the high porches that abound in the area, remodeled to house an industrial and hipster interior . More reasons to go? the staff is lovely , the menu is extensive and the final product more than fulfills its mission: make you feel good
With a full stomach we set course for Padua, which will occupy our afternoon walk . There we will come face to face with the well-known and imposing Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua , surrounded by grandparents and identical souvenir stalls. Get an ice cream in Frieze (yes, another ice cream, we are in Italy and you will never eat them better ) and watch the sun hide behind the facades while you get lost in the streets that separate the church from the Prato della Valle.
This huge Napoleonic square (it is the largest in Italy and one of the largest on the continent) will be your last stop in the city. It is surrounded by a small channel, bordered in turn by two rings of statues, and the part that remains in the middle is a green space frequented by people of all ages -although, above all, there are young people-, who meet to chat, sometimes staying there until dawn. Mix among them and perceive the contagious Italian joy , especially high-sounding when spring breaks.
It's time to go to Venice. Or rather, to Master, because parking in the city of canals is sheer madness. you will arrive in time for see the afternoon fall in the lagoon, reflecting, reddish, in the water. And it doesn't matter how many times you've been there: it will seem a show like no other, what we tell you in the second part of this itinerary .
Prato de la Valle, the most important square in Padua