Known for its chic fashion sense, elegant civic parks and canals, and its magnificent Gothic cathedral, Milan is the perfect summer city. But what happens when the mercury drops and the Italian summer gives way to the short cold days of winter?
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Italy is one of our favourite destinations. Packed with culture, beautiful landscapes, stunning cities and of course one of the broadest spectrums of delicious food you’ll find in one country.
Christina and I have been lucky enough to see quite a bit of this wonderful country — perhaps more than most with Christina’s language skills giving us access to some of Italy’s less obvious facets. But more often than not, we’ve been here in the spring, summer or autumn.
However, we were travelling with our friends Clare and Dave when we arrived at Milano Malpensa Airport in mid-December wondering what Italy’s sartorial centre would be like in winter.
Is Milan Worth Visiting In Winter?
The short answer is ‘yes’, but I hope you’d probably already guessed that.
So perhaps the question should be ‘what’s different about Milan in the winter?’
Of course, it’s colder. In fact, because it’s quite close to the southern edge of the snow-topped Italian Alps, Milan can be freezing, though the city itself rarely gets snowed in.
Its coldest months are December and January, and — as we found — being outside without a hat or thick coat for very long isn’t a lot of fun.
The upside to being here in winter is that the crowds are usually a lot smaller, though the atmosphere is still just as lively.
Certain areas will always be busy; Milan Cathedral and its enormous piazza will still attract huge numbers of visitors, especially before Christmas as there are excellent open-air markets all around and the lights are spectacular.
However, the queues to go into the duomo itself are short and there aren’t as many people on the roof, which is well worth seeing.
Places that are less busy in Milan in winter
We were shocked at how quiet the canals in the city’s southwest were in December. Here, the little waterside bars, cafes and enoteca like Luca & Andrea Bar are empty, and you can have your choice of table.
In fact, most restaurants and bars away from many obvious tourist spots are delightfully quiet in Milan in winter. As a group of four, we never had any problems finding tables, even at conspicuous venues like Rivoire Oberdan with its crazy decor and stuffed ostriches.
Even the bar with the best views of the Duomo — Il Bar — is quiet enough to find a seat without too much effort. This place is on the rooftop of the Rinascente department store (level 7) and is so close to the Duomo you can reach out and touch it. Many come to take photos, but have a seat, a drink and a bite to eat and the place is all yours.
Our favourite bar — Pirati Poeti (Pirates and Poets) — is the exception.
This brilliant little local street-side spot would struggle to fit more than 20 people. The friendly staff somehow manage a lot more than that though, but everyone’s a local apart from us. We all squeeze in around heaters or cram our way inside up at the bar.
The beautiful parks throughout Milan are so quiet.
Yes, it’s chilly, but during the day, the sun still gives plenty of warmth and strolling through Parco Sempione — the geographic centre of Milan — with the grand Castello Sforzesco at one end and the majestic Arco della Pace at the other without hoards of tourists and hustlers mobbing you is a real delight of winter.
Similarly, the leafy Giardini Indro Montanelli in the northeast is serene. In December, there’s also a little ice rink and park for the kids, set up for Christmas.
For an interesting and somewhat unusual insight into Milanese life and history, taking an hour or two to explore the enormous Cimitero Monumentale — the Monumental Cemetery of Milan — in the city’s north is surprisingly rewarding. The mausoleums and crypts of wealthy Milan families are astounding in their scale.
What about further afield from Milan
Close to Milan, Lake Como is easy to get to by train and attracts understandably huge numbers of visitors.
Our favourite part of the lake is not the town of Como in the south, but further north where lake splits in two, where Bellagio sits.
In summer, this little lakeside town is awash with tourists, as is Varenna, the town you arrive in from the train.
In winter, there’s hardly anyone here. Granted, most of the restaurants are shut, but the ones that are still open still do a great job and you often get the choice of the best tables.
We have the pick of the tables at Bar Il Molo in Varenna. This place is usually packed in summer but it’s still our favourite dinner spot when we’re here.
The ferry that goes between Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio on the western bank is also usually packed, but the day we were there, we had the whole top deck to ourselves.
Check out our Essential Guide to Lake Como here.
Parma and Bergamo
There are hundreds of smaller towns nearby that we can’t recommend enough. Bergamo to Milan’s north is a wonderful little spot — its ‘old town’ is high up on a hill with superb views and quaint shops and restaurants.
In summer Bergamo reasonably busy, but winter is when you really want to be here anyway. This town’s local specialty is polenta and gorgonzola! I can’t think of anything I want to eat more when it’s cold outside than hot, well-seasoned polenta with a slab of rich hearty gorgonzola cheese melting into it.
Parma, east of Milan, is a food-lover’s paradise. I mean, all of Italy is really, but Parma is famous for two things: parmesan cheese and parma ham — aka reggiano parmigiano and prosciutto di parma. You can even do a tour of where these food icons are made.
In summer, the little streets and alleys of this cute country town are surely heaving. In December, it feels like we’re the only visitors here. Even then, restaurants are packed with locals, perhaps all celebrating the lack of tourists!
