We woke at 6am on Monday to catch the early trains to Milan.

After checking into our hotel we set out on foot to explore the city. First, we visited the inside and roof of the duomo.

Then we walked to the Scala Opera Museum but decided not to buy a ticket as the theater (the whole point of a museum ticket) was closed.

We stopped by Peck, which was a little underwhelming (like an Eataly-light) and ate at a few gelato shops before heading to Sempione Park.

The Torre Branca was already closed so we took the old fashioned 10 tram to the old city gate and then walked the canal for a while before heading back to the hotel.

Tuesday morning we were up early and grabbed some focaccia from a nearby market and headed to the Santa Maria delle Grazie.

We had checked the ticket website for months before our trip (and intentionally booked a hotel a block away) but tickets for the two days we would be in Milan never became available. We crossed our fingers as we approached the ticket office. There were two canceled tickets available for 3pm, but we’d be in Florence by then.

While standing outside talking about our disappointment a man walked up and told us he had four tickets for the tour that would start in ten minutes.

He said he’d sell at face value (8€) and we decided to take the chance. Turns out it wasn’t a chance at all, he was a tour guide for a group of Japanese tourists and four of them either slept in or missed their flight (he didn’t tell us). So, ten minutes later, by a stroke of luck, we were inside and staring at Leonardo’s masterpiece.

We bought iced coffees and walked back to Sempione Park. The Torre Branca was still closed (opening at 3pm on Tuesdays) so we took the metro to the Pirelli Tower, which is supposed to have an observation deck open 8am to 8pm every day.

We arrived at the barricaded gate and were questioned by a guard with a big dog. He called another guard that spoke better English who explained that the tower was not open to the public (despite the sign she stood next to proclaiming-in English-that the public observation deck on the 30th floor has excellent views of the city).

We went back to the train station and ate a long lunch before taking a high-speed train down to Florence.