I have been very lucky and had the opportunity to fly to both Rome and Milan; the 2 biggest cities in Italy; with a population of 3 million and 1.4 million respectively.
They surprisingly have many differences, firstly, Milan is in the north and Rome is in the south. That in itself makes them both very far apart literally and in terms of how they run. Milan is mainly known for fashion, food and tall buildings I feel, whereas Rome is mainly known for The Pope, tightly packed buildings, landmarks and it’s history. Although Rome is more populated, it is a fairly quiet city in certain areas and has a very relaxing feel. I felt Milan’s main focus is business and investment, therefore it can get very busy and crowded. What you will find visiting both is that Milan has more skyscrapers and tall buildings around the city centre compared to Rome. One building that stood out for me in Milan is called Bosco Verticale, the best way to explain the building is a tree building. A building full of trees -to be exact, 700 trees and over 20,000 different shrubs and plants…. a great step in the right direction
I love Milan for numerous reasons – there are many nice restaurants where you can eat some authentic food such as Di Gennaro (central) and Dai Baffo (outside of the central area) and just the general atmosphere whilst walking around. I highly recommend seeing San Siro Stadium, having a Tour was a highlight for me.
I love Rome also, restaurants are outstanding I highly recommend going to other restaurants outside of the city centre, not just ones that are popular with tourists. I highly recommend Cantina and Cucina (pizza place), Gelateria La Romana (Ice cream) and La Taverna Dei Monti. Those were my favourites! I highly recommend visiting the Colossuem (duh) and paying for a tour before hand, because you learn a lot.
Whichever city you decide to visit (or both!) you will have a fantastic time, I can guarantee it!
Massimo Peluso 