Birt: 01.06.2019
We took the metro directly from the hotel to the cathedral. We specifically chose the hotel to easily access the city. At the cathedral, we were overwhelmed by the crowds of tourists, thousands of pigeons, and photographers capturing tourists. But the view of the cathedral was already breathtaking. Since we wanted to go inside, we asked a security person at the long queue...so first buy tickets and then get back in line. Luckily, we had children and a stroller with us, so they let us skip the long line and go directly to the entrance without standing in the sun. After exploring everything inside - and the kids had their snack break ;-) - it finally turned 2 pm and we could go up to the terraces (250 steps, because I didn't notice there was a lift ticket when buying the tickets). The view was great - both of the city and the cathedral's decorations. In total, we spent around 4 hours in and around the cathedral. After that, we briefly went to the shopping center 'Galleria Vittorio Emanuele' - more for sightseeing than shopping ;-) Finally, we strolled to the castle and relaxed in the park behind - finally being able to escape from the crowds, although it was also well-visited with various activities such as dance classes, sports competitions, and running.