A quick trip to Milan with two small kids, how hard could that be? 

I am a part of an English-speaking mothers residing in Italy group. I reached out and asked if Milan with two small kids for the weekend would be okay or just wait until they are a little older, due to the fact that I would primarily be on my own, or if any other mamas out there had been recently and what it was like. Some ladies suggested waiting until the kids were older, and others said to just go for it and made suggestions on where to take the kids. I also considered that I would have to make a 5-hour drive alone with two kids who can barely survive a two-hour car ride when we frequent Grandpa’s lake house. 

When I looked up places to stay to accommodate us and the parking situation the prices ranged from €250- €2,000 a night! Dio buffo!!! I originally decided against it, considering the tolls, gas, plus meals, and the outrageous lodging prices. Then a friend sent me a message saying that we could stay at his place in south Milan. Crashing at our friend’s house solved a major expense that we clearly could not afford. Almost simultaneously another friend had agreed to dog sit for us. All arrows pointed north. I went to the grocery store here in Arezzo, stocked up on snacks, diapers, fruit, and water for the kids, and hit the road. Our car also has a double fuel tank, unleaded and GPL. Which is liquified petroleum gas, it costs around 90 euro cents a liter at gas stations on the autostrada. (In Arezzo it ranges from 75-86 cents) Round trip our GPL expense was €62.(one tank to get there and one tank back) Sam’s train ticket one way was almost €80 and he left two days before us. 

We arrived at about 18:00, we did manage to hit some traffic, I almost expected it because it was Friday. I made one pit stop for fuel and to take a leak, this was tricky because both of the kids were dead asleep, I found an area that resembled a place to take your dogs to relieve themselves and I made my own parking spot to make a barrier between me and where I could pop a squat. I couldn’t possibly leave both kids locked in the car sleeping in the hot afternoon sun, or wake them both up to take them into the gas station bathroom and lock them in the stall with me and pee as fast as I could before the 2-year-old could crawl under the wall to the neighboring stall. (been there and done that plenty of times, DO NOT recommend) I received some very strange looks but I didn’t care, you are constantly being put in situations that no one prepares you for when you are a mom of multiples. 

We made it in one piece. And magically found parking and a playground right in front of where we were staying for the weekend. I caught up with my dear friend and met his new family. The kids got all of their sillies out on the playground. 

For the new moms out there, when they hit the toddler years, parks are going to be an essential part of your travels, so take a mental note. Also bring a puppy pad to change diapers in case child number one is sleeping ‘dead-to-the-world’ style, and refusing to wake up and can’t accompany you to the nearest baby changing station, voila! You have a portable changing station anywhere you go… ALWAYS BRING PUPPY PADS!!!!!! Just keep a pack in your car. 

One thing I have always found astonishing about Italy in general, is how accommodating Italians are to children. Children are adored and almost idolized by people of all ages. My kids miraculously made it to a ‘late dinner’ the first night, we realized it was after 21:00 before we had even considered what to do for dinner. Even if my kids are ever spiraling out of control in public, no one bats an eye. Suppose you find yourself eating at a restaurant with small kids, the staff always asks the children what they want to eat first (normally making them whatever they wish) and almost automatically bring the children’s dishes out before the adults. Young children are first-class citizens in this country. 

Once a cook saw that I was cutting my older child’s steak, and the baby in the stroller beside me was wailing away, and I had not even touched my meal, while everyone else at the table was devouring their dish. The cook came over and took the infant in their arms so that I could eat my meal. I was so touched. I can also attest that this wasn’t an isolated incident, Italians will offer to try and help you console a child in distress, or if you look as if you are torn between which child you should help or save first. 

Saturday morning we made our way up to Porta Venezia area in our car. Deep down inside I was dreading what the parking situation might be, due to my experience in Florence and Arezzo, but Milan has so much constant traffic circulating, we found an ideal spot and it was 8€ for 4 hours. We parked and stumbled upon a beautiful outdoor market, and strolled until we found our way to Milano Centrale train station. Sam had to travel to a different part of Milan for work and we explored side streets back to Porta Venezia area because we decided to spend the day at the Natural History Museum. 

Fun fact: children pay no admission fee and it’s €5 for adults at Milano Natural History Museum. I am so glad we decided to go to the Museum because I had contemplated the Safari Drive-through Zoo and the tickets for the Zoo were €26 for adults and €22 for children from ages 3-11, plus an additional hour’s drive out of Milan, with my luck both kids would be asleep as we arrived and I would have no success waking them up. The kids absolutely loved the Museum so much so, we went through it twice. We were thoroughly entertained, it began with a crystal and rock exhibit, followed by fossils, and the big hit was the dinosaur bones!!! Both boys are fascinated with dinosaurs. I highly recommend it if you are a mother of multiples, just a magical place for all ages, very educational, great place to explore with so much to see. Everyone in the family will enjoy it. 

We lasted about an hour and a half because it seemed as if the kids were racing to see what was in the room that followed, I insisted that we do the first floor more than once. Luckily the Museum had a nice clean restroom with a diaper changing station and floor-to-ceiling stalls so my youngest couldn’t Houdini his way out as usual. The museum is located on the premises of an enormous park, with water fountains, playgrounds, merry-go-rounds, small lakes, loads of fields, and a planetarium. The kids really enjoyed the ponds with ducklings, turtles, and fish. 

My parking was about to expire when both kids started to get cranky. I was prepared with all the snacks I had packed, but soon they were both saying they were tired. I was very sorry that I did not pack a blanket, I could have dragged them along to pay for additional parking and then gone back to the park to nap.. But by the time we reached the car, they crawled in their car seats and instantly fell asleep. I decided to drive and find the area where Sam was working but of course, as luck would have it he wasn’t looking at his phone. I drove around and found another parking spot, in a shaded area with trees a few blocks away from the large park. I also was on low battery with my cellphone so I charged my phone, had the windows down while the kids napped and in the meantime read a book that I brought on the trip for the times I didn’t exactly have enough time to do anything but had to stay put. Sam recently brought home ‘Infinite Jest’, I zoned out for a while and luckily our gracious hosts said they were coming to join us. They arrived and we ended up hanging out by the car until the bear cubs finished their nap. We strolled through some cute small side streets and found the kids a snack and went back to the giant park ‘Giardino Indro Montanelli’ or also called ‘Giardini di Porta Venezia’. From a distance I could also see the Modern Art Gallery ‘Galleria d’Arte Moderna’, but I couldn’t pull the kids away from the duck ponds.

Evening was slowly approaching and I wanted the bear cubs to have a bath and get to bed at a decent time so they would be well-rested for our journey home. We took a more scenic route back to where we were staying, Sam pointed out places he had scouted out for work with his colleagues and gave us a tour of what research he had investigated thus far. We found a random Chinese restaurant near the neighborhood we were staying in, which also conveniently had a gelato place next door. We concluded our meal with a gelato and sat at a table outside facing the south. Dark purple clouds rolled in quicker than we had anticipated. We witnessed a huge lightning bolt and giant rain drops resembling meteors hitting the cars and pavement. That was our sign to get our tails home!

Two nights in Milan with two small kids seems like a lot, but I found it extremely handy to have my own vehicle instead of trying to figure out public transit with a stroller and a slow walker. Also having a plan of action for one large activity to do for the day and some wiggle room for what happens spontaneously can be enjoyable. I maybe don’t recommend it if it’s zero help from another adult in a place you aren’t familiar with. Milan is a huge city. The only thing we didn’t do that I really wanted to do is to see the Duomo of Milan. But the Museum and park were totally worth it.