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We were flying to Milan with Ryanair, which means we were flying to Bergamo airport and taking the hour long Terravison bus ride to Milan (very efficient by the way).
So we looked for a hotel within wheeled suitcase walking distance of Milan railway station (the bus terminus is next to it) and not too far from the city centre. Una Century appeared to fit the bill, so there we went.
It is rather oddly located, two buildings back from the security gate entrance on Via Fabio Filzi and surrounded by other buildings. Consequently the bedroom views are limited. To give you a rough location it is in the next block behind the Pirrelli building (see it on Google Earth).
Did it fit the bill? Well, yes it did actually. Five minutes walk from the station and less than twenty minutes walk from La Scala. If you do not want to walk into the centre there is a choice of tram, taxi or underground (I was amazed to see Milan has trolley buses too, though not in the centre of town).
The major feature of the rooms at the Una Century is their size and fitments, very impressive. You get a bedroom area, sofa sitting area and a peninsula table, meant for working on but marvellous to eat at if you want to be a cheapskate on meals or use room service. A little sink and mini bar are provided. There is of course a full bath room, though there was no plug in our bath, a situation rectified promptly by a charming young man with no English. I wonder what the Italian for bath plug is.
The breakfast buffet was excellent though the room is a little under pressure if the hotel is full. We used the hotel restaurant (not open to non-residents) on our first night. It is quite small but has surprisingly good food and excellent service. Reception (and indeed all) staff were friendly and helpful.
Milan has plenty to offer for a long weekend, the Galleria (period glazed roofed shopping centre), the Cathedral, and the up-market shopping streets are not to be missed. The highlight for us was the La Scala Opera House museum which has amongst some boring bits and pieces a stunning exhibition of Maria Callas’s costumes together with large photographs of her wearing them. And, if like us you cannot afford to go to a performance, the highlight of the highlight is access to a box to view the auditorium.
If we go back to Milan again, we would be happy to use the Una Century for the spacious rooms if nothing else. Perhaps we could save up and see an Opera too.
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