Milan - Weekend Woes

Milan is surely the worst place in Italy to live. Let's face it. Where else in the world would you work all week and then have such a mind-boggingly difficult time deciding where to get away for the weekend? Anywhere else it's easy. There are only a few directions you can possibly head in. The rest are either horrible or it would take too long to get somewhere fun.

In Milan, though, it's all different. If you want sea, then you have the Liguria coast about two hours away. Jump on a train and it's all laid out for you. Just following the railway line, you have all the resorts you could care to visit, all of which are written up in the guidebooks. One example: take the train to Santa Margherita, then a boat to Portofino, another boat round to Camogli. From there you can pick up the train to return to Milan.

You prefer lakes? Como is just twenty minutes on the train, with departures every hour. Como itself is a pretty little town. Check out the street market on Saturdays. From there, take the cable-car to Brunate which affords a fabulous view of the area. Boat-rides galore too. Even the commuter-boat offers some lovely options. Check out Moltrasio, for example. Or Bellagio. You could stay home and read what Stendhal said about it in The Charterhouse of Parma, of course but that would be taking curmudgeonly behaviour a bit far. And anyway, you could always read that bit when you get home.

It wouldn't be so bad, but Como is not the only lake within easy reach of Milan. Others include Maggiore, Iseo, and Lecco. This is in fact the second "leg" of Lake Como on the other side of Bellagio.

Perhaps lakes are too wishy-washy and you want rugged. You want mountains? Past Lecco you get to mountains. This area is known as the Valtellina which has more mountain scenery than you can shake a stick at. Plus, of course just over these Alps you are in Switzerland. Indeed, the "little red" train that leaves from Tirano takes you to Saint Moritz over the Bernina Pass which is 2,400 metres and pretty impressive I can tell you.

Ski-ing, of course, is an important winter option. (At least the rest of the year you don't have to factor that one in.) Just one hour by car and you can be on the piste. Piano di Bobbio at Lecco is one option, but here again you have only the embarrassment of the choice. No ski things? No problem. You can rent anything you need for the day. Maddening isn't it?

Countryside enthusiasts needn't think they have got off easy. The area round Piacenza and Pavia is just waiting for you. Visiting vineyards, picking mushrooms, or just savoring the sights are there for the offering in this area. Watch out, though. You might just decide that a country-house round here is just what is needed.

Then again, if a weekend in the country is not what you fancy but a bit of culture is, then think Vigevano, Cremona, Crema, Novara, and Alessandria to name but a few. All an easy day-trip. Slightly further afield, you have Verona, Vicenza, and even Venice which is about a four-hour drive.

In the end it all gets too much and you have to bow to the inevitable. When you live in Milan, planning the weekend is a full-time occupation. Get with it and enjoy!