First visit to Milan and tips for Expo 2015

It took me 9 years of living in Italy to finally make it to Milan. I pondered why it took me almost a decade to get there, and I am sure it has probably got to do with living in Rome. When planning a trip to getaway from the hustle of the city, my preference is usually for the countryside or small towns, rather than another city.

Comments about the dull weather and that there’s not much in Milan besides the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, didn’t help either. But now that I’ve been to Milan, that’s as far from the truth as it gets – there is so much to see and do in Milan.

Milan is like no other place in Italy. When I stepped out of the train station, I was in awe at the soaring skyscrapers dominating the skyline, symbolizing the city’s stature as a finance and fashion centre. Even the gray skies couldn’t undermine the prominence of these buildings surging overhead and the city has a refreshing and uplifting vibe.

It was work at IULM that brought me to Milan and with just a little over 48 hours in the city, I wanted to make the most of the visit. Since the city is hosting the EXPO 2015, I felt I should at least visit the Expo and had purchased tickets online beforehand. With the little spare time I had, the plan was also to meet up with some wonderful friends I haven’t seen in a while, and of course, to see the Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

Arriving late morning by train from Rome, we first checked into the elegant and classy Hotel Principe di Savoia, where we were kindly hosted on this visit to Milan. When we dropped our bags in the glamorous suite, we were delighted to find a bottle of champagne, a fresh fruit basket, chocolates and personal welcome notes by the team at Principe di Savoia.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to take it all as we would just freshen up and head to the Expo. However, we did have time to first enjoy coffee with the wonderful ladies in the Communications team at the Principe di Savoia, and were given advice on how best to get to the Expo from Piazza della Repubblica, the metro stop closest to the hotel.

I was also fortunate to have invaluable notes from Heather Carlson, who had kindly put them together to help me make the most of my time at the Expo2015 and she has also written a handy post on neighborhoods in Milan.

What do I think about the EXPO 2015?

I was pleasantly surprised. With the months leading up to the Expo, any news about the event was controversial. I didn’t delve into the details, nor did I want to, and so I had little or no expectation for the visit.

Honestly, I was there because I was in Milan and it was an opportunity to visit the Expo. All I knew about the Expo was that the theme is “Feeding The Planet. Energy For Life” and it runs from May 1st to October 31st. And that was it.

Getting there was easier than I expected and at noon on a gray and rainy day, and we were pleased that there were no lines for security nor at the turnstiles. The first pavilion visitors come upon is Pavilion Zero, which provides an introduction to the Expo 2015 and a “journey to explore how much humankind has produced, the transformation of natural landscape, and the culture and rituals of food consumption”.

My first reaction when I entered was that it felt like I was back at the Harry Potter Studios I had visited with my niece last year in London. Making my way around, I was immediately impressed by the different use of multimedia to communicate the theme of the Expo. First impressions count and it set the mood for the rest of our visit.

Tips for the Expo 2015

If you are planning to visit, here tips that might help and I’m also sharing Heather Carlson’s notes:

– We took the passante (suburban train)  from Piazza della Repubblica to Rho Fiera Milano Station and not the underground (Metro). Round trip ticket costs: €4.40 and takes less than 20 minutes. It was also a short walk then to the entrance of the Expo. Here are more details on the various options on how to get to the Expo.

– The Expo 2015 is massive and would recommend that you get a 2-day consecutive ticket. We bought a full day ticket, and saw a lot but also missed out on many pavilions.

– If you plan to see the Cirque du Soleil, it’s only available until the end of August and, as stated on their website, keep in mind that “the ticket for the show Allavita! by Cirque du Soleil allows access only to the event held at the Open Air Theatre on the date you have chosen; it is not valid for entrance to Expo Milano 2015.”

– Be ready for lines to the popular pavilions. There was a 75-minute wait to enter the Japan Pavilion, and as we were short on time, we skipped it. For the US pavilion, you could get a ticket and come back at the time that you have selected, that is if the ticketing machine works. We got the last ticket before it ran out of paper so that caused a bit of a scene.

– That said, there are over than 145 pavilions and would also recommend a visit to pavilions that haven’t got much media attention. You might be pleasantly surprised like we were at the Thailand pavilion. Note: There was a 15-minute wait here.

– After visiting several pavilions, we realized the food section for each was a separate entrance, and can be visited without having to go through the main pavilion. For example, we didn’t get the chance to visit the Japan pavilion but stopped at the restaurant area.

– Food prices are not necessarily cheap but we love the idea that basically you can try food from every corner of the world. We even tried food from Afghanistan. Often, the dishes were simple and there were a few which were prepackaged and served colder than room temperature. Overall, it was decent and I would have to say the food experience was the most enjoyable part of the visit.

– If possible, go on a week day. It was busy on the Thursday that we were there but not awfully crowded, just a lot of school kids. It rained that day and perhaps that kept most at home.

– Be ready for a walk so put on the most comfortable shoes. It’s also not as complicated as you think it is because it’s one long stretch with pavilions on either side of the promenade.

– Download the free app as it was helpful in getting oriented when at the Expo and the app lists events that were taking place at different times of the day. Also I would also highly recommend you do some research by reading up on the description of the pavilions (web), which you’ll also find on the app, to see what interests you. A bit of planning helps.

To help you further, here are Heather’s notes:

Not sure where you are staying but we took the Metro, Red line to Rho Fiera (you have to buy the extra urban fare for this stop) and found it very easy to find the expo entrance from there-

It’s about a 10 min walk from the metro exit to the entrance of the expo. Security line first (they allow water bottles FYI) and then you scan your ticket and head in.

There are information centers at the beginnings of where the buildings are and they have maps in all languages.

There are also well marked volunteers everywhere to help if you have questions.

It’s laid out like a wide promenade down the middle and pavilions down each side.

There are many more things behind the pavilions that aren’t always visible from the promenade.

Most of the restaurants sit behind the pavilions.

There are free water bottle refill stations scattered throughout the park + nice restrooms as well.

Lots of shady spots and picnic areas

USA has misting area to cool off in out front of their building

Food varied widely in quality- some of our favorites were:

Israel- frozen yogurt with rose water, nuts and apricots was amazingly delicious (not usually a fan of rose flavored things)
Spain- shady bar area with seating next to the restaurant- cocktails,sangria, tapas
Slovenia
Monaco
Holland has an awesome food truck area
Morocco- appetizer sampler with bread was nice
Turkey- nice tea/coffee sitting area and in back, a free coffee and small tasting of pistachio baklava

Pavilions varied widely too – we didn’t get in them all but some favorites were:

Switzerland
Turkey
Qatar (go all the way around the perimeter to see neat little room displays with men doing wood working, making baskets etc)
France
Slovenia

Check out more tips on the Expo from Heather on her blog.

At the Principe di Savoia

After an early start and a long day out, we were delighted to be returning to The Principe di Savoia. As we entered, it was lovely to see a familar face, Marco from Guest Relations, a true professional and fine friend.

Once back in the suite, it was time to sit back and soak up the old world charm of the luxurious and spacious one-bedroom suite. Decorated with dark wood panelling accented with modern pieces, the beauty of the room is in the details. Every comfort was thought of, from the toiletries from Acqua di Parma to the quality bed linens.

I am particular about mattresses as I tend to find them too soft but the bed at The Principe di Savoia was perfect. A good night’s rest was much needed as the following days would be two intense days of teaching.

Breakfast was included in the room and the extensive buffet spread in the lavish Acanto restaurant had everything you would want to start the day right. The stay in the Principe di Savoia undoubtedly made my first visit to Milan unforgettable, and one regret is that I didn’t even have time to see, much less use, the pool, spa and fitness club. That would have to be for another stay.

I’d like to thank the fabulous staff at the Hotel Principe di Savoia for their kind, generous, and gracious hospitality during our stay.

Meetup in Milan

With fabulous friends in Milan, that should be excuse enough to visit the city more often. On this trip, I was beyond excited to see Elena and Anne for an aperitivo at Dry which turned into a dinner affair. On a Friday night this place was jamming and thankfully, Elena had a table reserved. The drinks here are fabulous and the foccacia was outstanding, and I would recommend this place.  The next day, before catching the train, I also had the chance to meet Rubina at near Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and somehow managed to do a bit of shopping too!

Final thoughts

I am pleasantly surprised by Milan and if naysayers tell you that there’s nothing much in Milan, brush those comments aside and do yourself a favor. Plan that trip to Milan. I barely scratched the surface of what this city has to offer, and would love to spend 3-4 days exploring the neighborhoods in Milan, checking out the restaurant scene, and maybe heading back to the EXPO again.

Have you been to Milan? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.