I Didn't Expect to Like Milan Until I Stayed at the Grand Hotel et de Milan

We landed after a red-eye Emirates flight wearing the gray, baggy sweatpants they give you onboard, which felt totally acceptable until we stepped into the lobby of the Grand Hotel et de Milan . Suddenly, I felt very underdressed. It was one of the most beautiful hotel lobbies I'd ever seen. An old-world European hotel you simply can't find in the States. Marble, antiques, soaring ceilings, and a wrought-iron staircase winding upward through the hotel. It was effortlessly glamorous. Before this trip, most of my associations with Milan weren't particularly romantic. I had never been, but friends who had modeled there had supplied me with enough strange stalker stories over the years to make me slightly apprehensive. My husband had visited before and hadn't particularly cared for the city either. Within about 24 hours, both of us had completely changed our minds. Like Los Angeles or NYC and any city that can be luxurious or totally sketch based on the street you're on, it turns out Milan is very much about where you stay, and the Grand Hotel et de Milan might have one of the best locations in the city. The Hotel Where Verdi Lived When we arrived, the hotel manager began telling us about the history of the property, which has been open since 1863. The most famous resident was Giuseppe Verdi, the legendary Italian composer behind La Traviata , Rigoletto , Aida , and Otello . Beginning in 1872, Verdi made the Grand Hotel et de Milan his home in the city for 27 years. The reason becomes obvious when you walk outside: La Scala is only 674 steps away . The next day, we made essentially the same walk Verdi would have made between his hotel and one of the most famous opera houses in the world. Not only that, I'm pretty sure we stayed in the suite where Verdi actually lived. His suite has been preserved , including his personal writing desk, and the hotel's relationship with him became so deep that Milanese residents eventually referred to it as the "house of Verdi." After the 1887 premiere of Otello at La Scala, the celebration apparently followed him home. An ecstatic crowd removed the horses from his carriage and pulled it back to the hotel themselves. Verdi eventually appeared on his balcony with tenor Francesco Tamagno, who gave the crowd an impromptu encore. Years later, when Verdi was dying at the hotel, crowds gathered outside waiting for updates on his condition. The city reportedly covered Via Manzoni with straw to soften the sound of passing carriages so they wouldn't disturb him. That gives you an idea of both Verdi's place in Italian culture and the hotel's place in Milan. And he wasn't the only one. Maria Callas stayed here. So did Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. Enrico Caruso stayed in Room 306. Richard Burton drank at the bar. Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka considered it her Milanese home. The hotel's guestbook reads like a history of 20th-century European culture. Some of the most talented creatives throughout history did come from Italy, after all. There was another piece of history sitting right in the lobby. A statue commemorates Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil, who stayed at the hotel with Empress Teresa Cristina in 1888. Dom Pedro was an abolitionist, and during his stay in Milan, he promoted the legislation that would finally abolish slavery in Brazil. What I love about Italy is the fact that you can easily walk past something extraordinary without realizing what you're looking at. Milan Is Better When You're in the Middle of It The location also changed my impression of Milan itself. The Grand Hotel sits on Via Manzoni in the Montenapoleone district, essentially putting you in the middle of the Milan you imagine from fashion magazines. Via Montenapoleone begins practically outside the hotel. La Scala is a few minutes away. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is nearby. And you're surrounded by some of the best shopping in the world. One minute you're looking at Dolce & Gabbana; the next you're running into Mango. For me, a city girl at heart who thrives in walkable cities surrounded by beauty, this is ideal. I also found a Biologique Recherche treatment nearby and had an incredible facial for considerably less than I would have paid for the equivalent treatment in New York. Milan is obviously one of the fashion capitals of the world, but the combination of fashion, beauty, restaurants, architecture, and walkability made the city much more fun than I had expected. We even walked from the hotel to the Duomo. Would I necessarily recommend doing that in the summer heat with toddlers? No. There was probably a reason we seemed to be the only people attempting it. Was it worth it? Absolutely. After walking through Milan's streets and suddenly seeing that enormous Gothic cathedral appear in front of you, it's hard not to be impressed. And the views from the roof are extraordinary. One practical warning, though: cover your shoulders before entering the cathedral. Otherwise, as I discovered, you may find yourself handed an extremely unglamorous poncho at the entrance. Traditionally, in Catholic churches, you wore a skirt or dress past the knees and covered your shoulders. The Milan I Didn't Expect What surprised me most was how beautiful Milan felt. I had expected fashion and shopping. I hadn't expected to find the city so elegant, clean, and easy to enjoy. Staying in the right neighborhood meant we could walk out of our hotel and immediately be surrounded by beautiful architecture, cafés, restaurants, fashion houses, and centuries of cultural history. And the Grand Hotel et de Milan embodies that combination better than almost anywhere else. There are newer hotels. There are probably flashier hotels. But there is something special about sleeping in a place where Verdi once came home from La Scala, where Maria Callas descended the staircase before performances, and where generations of artists, actors, dancers, designers, and aristocrats have passed through the same lobby. I'm a creative at heart. It also made me realize we'd judged Milan unfairly the first time around. We were only there for a couple of days, but I wish we had had more time. If you love fashion, beauty, beautiful restaurants, old European hotels, and being able to walk out your door into the middle of everything, Milan deserves more than a layover. And if I went back, I know exactly where I'd stay.