Hotels in Milan

Milan has experienced a long and often violent history, on the doorstep of Italy it was initially conquered by the Romans and then sacked by wave after wave of invaders when the Western Roman Empire fell. The Holy Roman Empire practically destroyed Milan, which was, at the time, at the heart of the Lombard League, but subsequent peace agreements brought a period of prolonged peace. This ended abruptly in the 15th century and since then Milan has been conquered by Italian forces, French forces, Austrian forces, Spanish forces, and finally, in the 1860s becoming part of Italy as it is known today.

The reason for Milan's incredibly chaotic history is the importance of its location as a centre of trade and influence. Through the centuries, each invader has built in Milan and the city is filled with remarkable architecture, even with so many different overlords, the cathedral in Milan took five centuries to build and is the fourth largest cathedral in the world and a fine example of gothic architecture. Aside from the cathedral there is also Piazza Duomo, reputed to be the oldest shopping mall in the world and a truly outrageously beautiful building, as well as the famous La Scala opera house and the gallery of Vittorio Emmanuelle II, the first king of the unified Italy.

For all its reputation as an expensive place to visit, the city caters to tourists on all budgets and there are countless cheap hotels in Milan. If you're not operating on a budget, there are a number of luxury hotels in Milan which offer all the pampering one would expect from a city that annually hosts the rich and the famous for the Milan fashion show. Milan is a truly fantastic place to visit, and once you've been, you'll almost certainly want to go back.