If you’re planning to visit Italy, will you spend some time in Milan? This cosmopolitan city often gets overlooked for Florence, Rome, Venice, and other destinations.
Yet don’t rule out Milano just yet. This city of 1.3 million people (more than 3 million if you include the full surrounding area) has plenty of history and can serve as a great place to stay if you plan day trips to other destinations in northern Italy.
To help gear you up for Milano, here are 11 fun facts about the city.
–Milan will host the 2026 Winter Olympics. The games are formally called the 2026 Olympic Winter Games Milano-Cortina and will be held from Feb. 6 to 22, 2026. However, only a few of the activities will actually take part in Milan. Many of the sports will take place mountainous areas a couple of hours away from Milan, in northeast Italy.
—Milan is the second-largest city in Italy, second only to Rome. Rome has 2.7 million people within the city itself and more than 4 million people if you include surrounding areas.
—Milano is the capital city of Lombardy, which is one of Italy’s 20 regions (similar to states in the U.S.).
—Looking for some nearby day trips? Milan is only an hour by train from the famous Lake Como (read our article here for a guide on day tripping around the lake). It’s also under an hour from the charming city of Brescia as well as Verona (yes, as in Romeo and Juliet) and Bergamo.
—“The Last Supper” painting by Leonardo DaVinci is in Milan, located at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. It’s highly recommended to book in advance to see the popular artwork.
—If you like shopping, then you’ll be impressed to know that the oldest mall in Europe and perhaps the most continuously active mall in the world is Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It was designed in 1861, but it took 12 years to finish building it. You’ll find very cool architecture and some expensive shops and restaurants.
—Want good luck? Here’s something to try when you’re at the Galleria. The mall has several mosaics on the floor, in honor of Italian nobility. One of the mosaics has a bull–and legend has it that if you spin around three times on the bull’s–hmmm, cojones–it will bring you good luck. We passed on that opportunity when we were in Milan, but maybe you’ll want to try it! If anything, it’s fun to watch tourists give it a whirl.
—Of course the Milanese (as people from Milan are called) enjoy pasta like all good Italians, but they also are known for some non-pasta dishes. These include risotto alla milanese (a rice dish with saffron) and ossobucco (braised veal shank with bone and marrow), among other classics.
—The Milan Duomo (Cathedral), a central part of the city and its tourism, is the fifth largest Christian church in the world. It’s also said to have the most statues of any Christian church–3,400 in total, along with 135 gargoyles (that’s a lot of gargoyles!). It was built in 1386 and took a whopping five centuries to complete, with some final touches on its facade in the 1960s.
—Did you know that Milan has a castle? It’s called Sforzesco Castle, or Castello Sforzesco, that was constructed in the 15th century. The castle has several art collections, including antique art and musical instruments. On a recent Milan visit, we didn’t make it to the inside but we were able to walk around the exterior along with many other people who were strolling around the city that day.
—Milan is considered the Fashion Capital of the World, but do you know which fashion businesses are located there? They include the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Prada, Valentino, and Versace. Some of the major Italian fashion brands are now owned by global conglomerates, but they still have headquarters in Milan.
Buon viaggio/happy travels, and enjoy your trip to Milan!
Italy Dreams 