Airlines Aer
Lingus, Galleria
Passarella 2 (tel
02.7600.0080); Alitalia,
Via Albricci 5 (tel
02.2499.2700); Air
Canada, Viale Regina
Giovanna 8 (tel
02.2940.9189); American
Airlines, Via Vittor
Pisani 19 (tel
02.6791.4400); British
Airways, Corso Italia 8
(tel 147.812.266);
Qantas, Piazza Velasca 4
(tel 02.864.287).
Airport enquiries
tel 02.7485.2200 (daily
7am-11pm) for both
Linate and Malpensa
airports.
American Express
Via Brera 3 (Mon-Fri
9am-5pm; tel
02.876.674).
Books The
American Bookstore, on
Largo Cairoli, is the
best source of
English-language books
in the city centre.
British Council
Via Manzoni 38 (library
open Tues-Fri 10am-6pm,
Sat 2-5pm; general
enquiries tel
02.772.221).
Bus enquiries
tel 02.4803.2403
(Mon-Sat 8am-8pm).
Car rental
Avis, Europcar, Hertz
and Maggiore all have
desks at Stazione
Centrale, and at both
airports.
Car parks
Central car parks
include Autosilo Diaz,
Piazza Diaz 6, just
south of Piazza Duomo;
Garage Traversi, on Via
Bagutta, close to Piazza
San Babila; and Garage
Venezia, Corso Venezia
11, near Piazza Oberdan.
Consulates
Australia, Via Borgogna
2 (tel 02.777.041);
Canada, Via V. Pisani 19
(tel 02.67.581); UK, Via
San Paolo 7 (tel
02.723.001); USA, Via
Bigli 11 (tel
02.771.9031).
Doctors
English-speaking
doctors: Dr A. Waygood,
Via Visconti Venosta 5 (tel
02.5501.1538); Dr J.
Weston, Via San Paolo 15
(tel 02.7200.4080); Dr
G. Gottardi, Via
Boscovich 31 (tel
02.6707.5732).
Exchange Out
of normal banking hours
you can change money and
travellers' cheques at
the Stazione Centrale
office (daily 7am-11pm),
where there's also a
24-hour automatic
currency-exchange
machine, or at the Money
Shop on Piazza Duomo 17
(daily 9am-8pm). Both
airports have exchange
facilities.
Football
Milan's two teams are
Inter Milan and AC
Milan. They play on
alternate Sundays at the
G. Meazza stadium (San
Siro), Via Piccolomini 5
(tel 02.4870.0457); MM
Lotto, then a longish
walk. There are hourly
guided tours around the
stadium (Mon-Sat
11am-8pm from Gate 4,
Piazalle dello Sport;
Sun 9am-noon from Gate
21/22, Piazzale Axum;
L12,000/?6.20). You can
buy match tickets here
or, for AC Milan games,
from branches of Cariplo
banks (tel 02.88.661)
and from Milan Point, on
Via Verri 8 (tel
02.796.481); and for
Inter games from Inter
F.C. Admin office,
Piazza Duse 1 (tel
02.77.151) and branches
of Banca Popolare Milano
(tel 02.77.011).
Gay Milan
Milan is something of a
focus for gays, with
northern Italy's only
gay bookshop, the Babel
Bookshop, Via San
Nicolas 10 (tel
02.669.2986), making for
a good meeting-place for
gay men. Run by a
Milan-based gay
publishing house,
Babilonia, it issues a
monthly magazine of the
same name that is
available at most
newsagents. After
Line Disco Pub , Via
Sammartini 25, is a
popular bar not far from
the Stazione Centrale; Querelle
, Via de Castillia 20,
is a gay bar with snacks
and music; Nuova Idea
, Via de Castiesa 30, is
the biggest gay disco in
Italy; and Transfer
Club, at Via Breda
158, is also a very
popular nightclub.
Hospital There
is a 24-hour casualty
service at the Ospedale
Maggiore Policlinico,
Via Francesco Sforza 35
(tel 02.551.0809), a
short walk from Piazza
Duomo.
Internet access
Terzomillennio , Via
Lazzaretto (Mon-Fri
9am-9pm, Sat 9am-6pm;
tel 02.205.2121); Internet
Enjoy , Via Medici 6
(Mon-Sat 10am-8pm; tel
02.7209.4544). Both
L10,000/?5.17 per hour.
Laundries
There's a coin-operated
laundry in the Brera
district, Via Anfiteatro
9, and another, the
Lavanderia Automatica,
on Via Lombardini 4.
Near the Stazione
Centrale, try the
Lavanderia at Via Tadino
6.
Pharmacy The
Stazione Centrale (tel
02.669.0935), which has
English-speaking
assistants, and Carlo
Erba, on Piazza Duomo (tel
02.8646.4832); both have
24-hour services. Bracco,
Via Boccaccio 26 (tel
02.469.5281), is
sometimes open all
night. Rotas are
published in Corriere
della Sera , and are
usually posted on farmacia
doors.
Police tel
113. Head office at Via
Fatebenefratelli 11 (tel
02.62.261), near the
Brera.
Post office
Via Cordusio 4, off
Piazza Cordusio - not
the building marked
"Poste", but
around the corner
(Mon-Fri 8.30am-1.50pm,
Sat 8.30am-noon).
Shopping The
"Quadrilatero d'Oro"
- Via Monte Napoleone
and around - is the
place for the big
fashion designers (and
their sky-high prices),
while on the peripheries
are youth-oriented shops
like Fiorucci on Piazza
San Babila; Corso Buenos
Aires is home to most of
the more middle-range
clothes stores and
chains. You can get
designer cast-offs at
the (early) Saturday
morning market on Viale
Papiniano, near the
Porta Genova train
station. If you're on a
budget, and can't make
the Papiniano market,
check out the blochisti
, or warehouses selling
last season's lines at
half-price: try Gastone,
Via Vanzetti 20, Emporio,
Via Prina 11, or Il
Salvagente, on Via
Bronzetti.
Swimming pools
Cozzi, Viale Tunisia 35
(tel 02.659.9703), is
perhaps the most
convenient place if
you're dying for a swim,
close to Stazione
Centrale. There's also
the Lido di Milano,
Piazzale Lotto 15 (tel
02.366.100), which has
both indoor and open-air
pools.
Telephones
International calls can
be made either from
Telecom Italia offices
in Galleria V. Emanuele
II (8am-9.30pm) or at
the Stazione Centrale
(8am-8pm).
Train enquiries
Ferrovie dello Stato
(daily 7am-9pm; tel
147.888.088); Ferrovie
Nord (daily 9am-6pm; tel
02.20.222).
Travel agents
CTS, Via Sant'Antonio 2
(tel 02.5830.4751), and
CIT in the Galleria
Vittorio Emanuele II (tel
02.863.701), are the
best source of train
tickets, discounted
flights, etc.
Women By
Italian standards, Milan
is not a difficult city
for women. The Libreria
delle Donne at Via
Dogana 2, close to the
duomo, sells feminist
literature and has
information on women's
groups, events and
publications. Cicip e
Ciciap , Via Gorani
9, is a women-only café/bar/restaurant
with occasional
exhibitions and
readings. There's also a
women-only disco at Sottomarino
Giallo , Via
Donatello 2.
