Milan has been one of my favorite places so far because it is a city that is known primarily for it’s shopping but while I was there I discovered so much more. We decided because we were not as familiar with the city as we had been with other places to do a bus tour that allowed us to get off and see so much more of this history then just shopping. My first impression was that the Milan is a lot quieter and does not get the bustle of tourist through their small towns. The things about Milan that I loved were the old churches, which were some of the most interesting places I have been. They are nothing like the churches in the states, with relics of saints and priests that had once served in the church. Along with having relics I felt a sense of pride and value from the people who we came in contact with. For some parts of Milan the church was the main and focus and has not stopped being. We were able to go on a tour of one of these churches that had crypt’s that had been excavated and we were able to actually see where they had been dug up. They were the actual stones. It was very eye opening realize how important these churches and these relics were to the people in the towns. The woman at the front desk was very helpful and she made us understand how sacred everything we would be seeing was. The last and most magnificent cathedral that we saw was the Milan's Duomo which is the second largest Catholic cathedral in the world: only Seville Cathedral is larger and St. Peter's Basilica doesn't count because it's not a cathedral. Milan Cathedral is 157 meters long and 40,000 people can fit comfortably within. This is a very big tourist site but once I was inside the cathedral everyone was silent and just took on this very peaceful mannerisms. It was beautiful inside; I had never seen a church or cathedral that was large. The Duomo of Milan has both Gothic and neo-Gothic architecture, for the Gothic west front was begun in 1616 and completed 200 years later. Only in its details does it reveal its Baroque and Neo-Classical date. From 1900 some of the less Gothic details of the facade were replaced in a true Gothic style, to designs of Giuseppe Brentano. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/milan-cathedral Mass takes place there at least once a day and still under construction continuously to maintain the structure. The roof climb provides a unique and memorable opportunity to walk high on the roofs of the huge Gothic cathedral. The views are magnificent and the opportunity to see the pinnacles and sculptures close up along the way is worth the climb alone. While we were not able to do the climb to any one that goes there I think that it is a must and I am sad that I did not have the opportunity to do it myself. Overall Milan was a place I will recommend to all.