3 Days Visiting Friends in Milan, Italy

We visited Milan, Italy as our third stop on our summer vacation and it was our first time visiting this country. We planned our stop in Milan to spend time with a friend of mine and her husband. In the 3 days we were there we ate, walked, sweated profusely and had great conversations. Despite planning activities that were really considered kid friendly all had a really great time.

We have a different travel style from most family travel bloggers. We don’t go on trips to cater to our kids. We go on trips to expose our kids to cultures different than their own oftentimes experiencing things that aren’t super “kid-friendly” and we’re totally okay with that. Even though many activities weren’t designed for kids, ours had a great time.

Visiting Milan in June was hot. Be prepared with sunscreen that doesn’t burn your eyeballs when the sweat rolls down your forehead and pack deodorant. You’re going to need it.

Plan ahead so you can find accommodations to stay in that has good air conditioning. We ended up staying in one Airbnb to start that had none and we didn’t really know just how bad that was going to be. So we ended up cancelling our stay there and moving to a place just down the block that had great air conditioning.

Our friends treated us to the best time while we were there paying for dinners and our tour through the Pinoteca Ambrosiana. We really didn’t expect that at all but were so grateful to be treated so kindly while in Milan. You need to find yourself friends like ours who are so in love with their own cities that they are willing to and show you all the best places to go.

I look forward to returning the favor when I get the opportunity.

Let’s get into what we did so you can experience snippets of this trip with us. Be prepared if you do visit this city – Milan is a fast-paced center of fashion, finance, history & culture. The sidewalks are narrow in a lot of places and the cars park on them.

Day 1 in Milan

We started the day arriving in Milano Centrale by train from Zurich. The train station is a thing of beauty but absolutely packed. I think it was busier than any of the other destinations we had been up to this point. The crowds of people arriving and departing in the station flocked the gates making it hard to get in or out. It seemed like there was a lot of construction going on which added to the tension. You can tell if you travel through here it is a hub for travelers.

My dear friend Chiara picked us up at the train station and grabbed two taxis for us to take back to our Airbnb. She got us into the place and we dropped our bags before heading back to her place and grabbing her husband for brunch. We headed to one of Chiara’s favorite places – 

Ècate Caffè Libreria. This place is part cafe, part library, part meeting space. They have a publishing company too.

We ordered brunch and sat to cool off and get some caffeine after a long morning of travel. Unwinding amongst the other patrons who were chatting over their brunch and books.

We ordered 3 bowls of spaghetti al pomodoro and Nate ordered a pasta with shrimp. It was all so delicious I would recommend this place to anyone visiting.

We headed back to Chiara’s place where I did some laundry (a must if you’re sweating like beasts) and then we headed back to our rental to rest for a little bit. I took a hot nap and after a few hours we headed back out to find dinner.

We ended up at Pizzeria La Gravina for pizza which was the best pizza I had eaten. You’ll hear me say this a lot, because every bite in Italy felt extraordinary.

Pizza in Italy is so different than pizza in the States. The pizza sauce was so well balanced, the dough soft and the crust crispy. The menu choices range from sausage to ham and cheese. Nate got an anchovy pizza and proceeded to drink his weight in beer and water.

We took the long way back to the Airbnb where we said our goodbyes for the night.

Day 2 in Milan

I’m not too sure why but a lot of the cafes were closed while we were visiting. We found a place called Le Café around the corner from our house that made us cappuccinos and they had tasty pastries to each. This was the first time I had ever eaten an apple cinnamon chocolate croissant. The texture of the croissant paired with the apple and the chocolate, soft and buttery. I wasn’t shocked to learn it was delicious.

Once we were done we headed back to meet Chiara and hop on public transit to meet our tour guide for the day.

I bought our tickets to the Pinoteca Ambrosiana and Chiara arranged a tour guide for the day. He showed us a great time touring the Pinoteca but before we actually got started he took us to the Piazza San Sepolcro in the center of Milan. He showed us the balcony from which Mussolini gave his speech in 1919 detailing the principles of fascism and where he would later give more speeches. Standing here in 2025 when it seems so many countries around the world are slipping back into a nationalist approach to borders was a bit humbling.

In this square is the Church of San Sepolcro as well where the church by the same name is located. The crypt we visited with our Pinoteca Tickets is under the church.

To learn more about the tour of Pinoteca Ambrosiana and the crypt you should read Art Museums in Europe where I detail our visit.

Swipe through to see what we saw in the Pinoteca Ambrosiana.

I really enjoyed the time we spent in this museum. Check your bags at the front and head up the stairs for the galleries, the library with over a million books and when you’re done head out the back of the library to the crypt.

Once we finished our tour at the Pinoteca Ambrosiana we headed towards Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa aka the bone church. 

Before arriving we stopped in for the best cannoli you’ll find. These Milanese cannolis aren’t Sicilian versions you’ve probably had other places. It’s a light and fluffy puff pastry filled with a light cream. Honestly if all cannolis were like this I would probably eat them.

You should stop in at Panarello if you are in the area. They’ve been operating since 1885 so they are pretty good at what they do at this point. Besides when you walk into this tiny little shop you’ll see baked goods lining every case and all the shelves on each wall. You will be hard-pressed to not find something you like.

We then made our way on over to the bone chapel where we learned a nearby hospital buried the dead here starting in 1145. By 1210 they ran out of space and built a room at the bottom of the cemetery and began housing the exhumed bones.

In 1268 they built a small chapel where they started placing bones of the dead. These places were called ossuaries and their purpose was to house these bones because the cemeteries were overcrowded. This was the medieval time period after all and the plague was ravaging the population.

In the 17th century the chapel was renovated and the bones that are there now were placed.

The girls asked us and our tour guide why religious people would want to decorate their chapels with bones… fair question to be honest.

The answer is it’s complicated. It wasn’t morbid to do this in that time. It was common in fact. They did it to memoralize the dead, for artistic expression, because of overcrowding and for cultural expression.

It was quite eerie staring up at thousands of bones. Standing there was a haunting reminder of how fragile life really is.

Once we were done at the Bone Chapel we had lunch at Flash. It was delicious and the lemoncellos are strong. I had the best funghi pasta I have ever eaten here. We were all starving and ate all of our meals.

After lunch we parted ways with our tour guide and walked around some more making our way over to the Piazza del Duomo where you find yourself standing below the magnificent cathedral. This one looks similar to the Cologne Cathedral, just white. Chiara told us they clean this one regularly. The construction began in 1386 and wasn’t finished until 1965. Quite a feat.

The Piazza was buzzing with people taking photos in front of the cathedral. People from all cultures gathered here to admire the architecture.

We managed to find a statue of Leonardo in the same piazza area. The architecture in Milan is beautiful ranging from Gothic to Renaissance to modern.

It was hot so of course we had to find gelato. We managed to score a delicious treat at Gelateria Romana.

Once we were done we headed back to our rental to shower and rest before dinner at Chiara’s home and cap off the evening with great conversation amongst friends.

Day 3 in Milan

Our third day in Milan we wandered around. It was a more chill day with no expectations, tour guides or places to be. Chiara showed us this neat mall area where there are these beautiful apartment towers that are basically alive in greenery. They’re called Bosco Verticale and they are two living forests that take the shape of skyscrapers.

We ate lunch in what I think was a bookstore cafe. It was delicious as always.

The evening was the delight of the entire day. We had dinner at Osteria Grand Hotel where they offer a limited but comforting menu.

The kids were picky as always but we made it work.

With dinner we had the most delicious bottle of wine that I have been dreaming of since. I really need to visit a local wine seller and ask if they could order a case of it. This wine was aromatic with a floral aroma and a subtle bite, almost spicy. As someone who doesn’t drink much wine I was delighted to find that this one was something I could drink.

After dinner we walked off our meal along the canals where Chiara and her husband told us of their history which include Leonardo da Vinci.

After this evening we said our goodbyes and the next morning we headed to Paris.

Our friends treated us to the best time in Milan and we truly felt like locals the days we spent with them. They truly gave us a sense of belonging despite coming from totally different cultures and countries. I cannot tell you how great it is to make friends on the internet and then go meet them in real life. We got to see some of their favorite places, dine at some of their favorite eateries (including their home) and I will be forever grateful for this experience.

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