Going from NYC to Italy (Milan) and back this weekend. I found a roundtrip fare which was practically free for me (I'm paying $50 out of pocket), and had a business class upgrade certificate which I wanted to use before it expires at the end of this month. A little over 24 hours on the ground in Milan, before heading back to NYC (on the ground from 8am to 10am the next day). Any suggestions? I studied abroad in Milan almost a decade ago, so I imagine it has changed quite a bit since then.
For what you paid that is still barely even worth it. You're spending all that time flying just for 24 hours and get to be exhausted by the time Monday rolls around and won't even recover for a few days after.
Can you sell the return ticket and buy another one for a later day? Maybe squeeze a little more time out? Like TheRealist said, it doesn't seem like you'll have a lot of time or energy to actually do anything.
It's business class both ways, so I'll be able to get a good night's sleep on the plane (I have no problems sleeping on planes, even in economy). The other reason I did it was for the 16,000 airline miles I'll be accruing.
I was in Milan last year - lots of construction going on. I was busy working so I was not able to do a whole lot, but the Duomo in Milan is a pretty good visit if you plan on staying in the city. To the left of the cathedral is a decently entertaining open-air Mall. The only other thing I was able to catch was the Monumental Cemetery. --rhad
slandballa, although I've never done a 24h Milan trip, I have done a few of these short trips to other cities. It's nice that you're already familiar with the place. I assume when you studied abroad, you saw most of the famous attractions like the Duomo? I take short trips to places for a specific reason like shopping for chopsticks, sampling the wine, art galleries, or admiring the architecture. For Milan, maybe you could focus on eating? In that case, please try Malastrana Rossa, Trussardi, and Al Pont de Ferr trattoria. These three offer superb dining. Lots of eye candy too!