10 Things I'll Miss About Milan

I have spent the last 3 ½ months in the fashion capital of the world and the finance capital of Italy. My life was nothing like what I expected it to be, and that was the most fun part about it. Here are the 10 things that I’ll truly miss about the city.

1. The Food: This one is pretty self-explanatory. I had pasta for at least one meal a day and it seemed like every restaurant I went to made it better than the one before. I’ll especially miss three-hour dinners where everyone is simply in the moment, enjoying the company of each other.

2. The Coffee Culture: I can stop and get a cappuccino at any time of the day for €1.40 or less. It will always be excellent, and I can simply drink it at the bar and go. I am standing in a line of people who are simply taking a break from their life to stop in for coffee, and that’s a really special thing.

3. The Understated Fashion: While not everyone in Milan cares about fashion, a strong majority of people do, and I’ve never been to a place where so many people look so great in navy suits. Most people aren’t very bold in their attire, but always look awesome.

4. The Social Scene: Because of my bosses’ connections, I got to go to several events put on my different companies, including the oldest textile manufacturer in the world. I was standing in a room full of influencers having a conversation with a movie producer from Paris. How much more surreal could life be?

5. Dinner Time: By this, I literally mean the time at which dinner is eaten. I would have dinner with my host family at 8:30 or 9:00 most days and it felt like a very natural end to my day.

6. Ease of Transport: I spent a few days in Paris and frequently got frustrated by any trip around the city would take at least 30 minutes. In Milan, you get from one end of the city to the other in about 30 minutes. This city is very easy to get around.

7. Authenticity: Most people simply support local businesses and have for the last 20+ years. There are very few chain restaurants or stores and so the city has a very authentic Milanese feel whether you are walking down the street or shopping.

8. Beauty: While it is easy to become used to seeing 800-year-old churches while walking down the street, the buildings and architecture in the city is so impressive and constantly makes for beautiful walks.

9. The Gelato: I know I already did Italian food, but my dad owns an ice cream store and so I have to give a shout out to the gelato here. The U.S. has 900 gelato shops countrywide. Milan has 700 gelato shops. It’s never too far away.

10. The People: From my host family to my professors and street vendors, everyone was always friendly and willing to help me practice my Italian. They made this experience truly worthwhile and great.