Como town is at the base of Lake Como and most likely the place that you will arrive to explore the lake. It is well connected with trains from Milan and is a lot more buzzing than the smaller towns and hamlets along the lake. This is both a positive and negative, depending on what you’re looking for in your holiday. I definitely think Como town is worth visiting but if you’re looking for a lake experience, you won’t find many hotels etc here that will provide that. On the other hand, as it’s a bigger town, there is lots more in terms of eateries and shops that will keep you busy. Either way, here are a few things you should do whilst in Como!
1) Visit Como’s most iconic building, the gothic, marble-clad cathedral (the ‘duomo’) with its beautiful octagonal dome.
2) Jump on the funicular to Brunate (€5.50 round-trip) for great views of Como town and the lake.
3) Visit the neoclassical Villa Olmo and its gardens, situated on the lake. We didn’t have a chance to go here as we didn’t have enough time but it definitely looked worth it!
Milan
After a relaxing weekend in Lake Como, we headed to Milan, known as the fashion capital of Europe (though, as a Londoner, I respectfully disagree 😛). Milan is an extremely busy city and also a business hub in Italy. Because of this, it isn’t the most relaxing place to be! Having said that, it does house the stunning Duomo which is worth visiting just on its own.
I’ve been to a number of cities in Italy and I’d say that Milan isn’t one of my favourites but if you’re in the area, it’s a good place to stop off for a day or two before heading out to Como or other surrounding areas. In any case, here are a few things you should definitely see when in Milan!
1. The Milan Duomo – the architecture is truly stunning. You can take a lift to the top (though there are still some stairs to climb) and see the gothic spires up close as well as see amazing views of Milan in all directions. Get here early to avoid the crowds!
2. Visit the glamorous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele for some high end shopping (or window shopping!). For highstreet shops, head to Via Dante (they have a Sephora!) and Via Torino.
3. Explore the 15th century Sforzesco Castle which houses a number of mini-museums. It is open daily, except Mondays, which we found out to our great disappointment when visiting on a Monday! 
4. Picnic in Parco Sempione, right next to Sforzesco Castle. Walk from the Castle to the other end of the Park where you’ll find the beautiful Arco della Pace (arch to you and me)! You can also hire bikes here. 
5. Housed in the church of Santa Maria della Grazie, see Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Last Supper but book well in advance (atleast 4/5 months!).
For food, check out Andry off Via Dante. They had an extensive menu and the seafood pizza was amazing. In terms of gelato, there are literally hundreds of places – you can’t really go wrong with gelato!
Have you been to either Como town or Milan? What would you recommend seeing? X
Outfit details: Dress in Como (Zara), Shirt in Milan (H&M)
Zohra's Rose: Lifestyle & Travel 