Visa and invitation letter

If you need it, before travelling make sure your VISA has been issued, it normally requires time, and let us know in advance the data you need in your invitation letter. Please, send you request at: icgg2018@polimi.it.

Arriving in and moving from or through Milano is quite easy and relatively low time consuming, thanks to the transport system. The three airports, Milano Linate, 10 minutes far from Campus Leonardo, and Milano Malpensa, the international hub about 40-50 minutes far from the city center, and Milano Orio al Serio, 30-40 minutes far from the city center, are all connected to the city by Shuttle bus, while Malpensa has also a special train connection, the Malpensa Express, reaching Milano Cadorna Station, close to the city center. The main train station, Milano Centrale, links important national and international railways, while other stations mainly provide the local connections with Lombardy and other surrounding Regions. A rich system of motorways and ring roads, these latter sometimes crowded of traffic in the peak hours, assure the international and national connections by car. The city transport infrastructures consist of four undergrounds and a railway link, connected with the regional and the national railways (new lines are under construction), tramways (some very traditional), buses and trolleybuses. Taxi service is very efficient. Last, car sharing and bike sharing services are also available, especially in the surroundings of the city center.

In Milano and in the Po Valley, the weather at the beginning of August is acceptably warm, although normally with no breeze, sometimes sultry, showers might occurr. Temperatures normally range between 20-24°C and 28-32°C. The nights are less warm but not cool, sometimes with breeze, especially early in the morning. However, since we are in the south of Alps, weather is not extreme and normally good for traveling. Weather forecast can be checked via internet i.e., at the Google web page.

Here a list of the most helpful websites, often including downloadable Mobile Apps:

Public transport in Milano
Official website of the company ATM, including a useful journey planner

Airports
Linate Airport
Malpensa Airport
Orio al Serio Airport

Further options could be Airport of Turin and Venice, connected with Milan by train and bus.

Connections from/to the Airports
From/to Linate airport: by bus and taxi

From/to Malpensa airport: by dedicated train Malpensa Express (to Cadorna railway station), by bus (and taxi)

From/to Orio al Serio airport: by bus (and taxi)

Railway Stations
Milano Centrale, main railway station.
Other railway stations are Milano Porta Garibaldi, and Milano Cadorna

Taxi
Several companies can be found via internet

Bike Sharing
BikeMi By the ATM transportation company
Car sharing and Electric car sharing can be also booked online

Car Rental
Renting a car can be an option if you are planning journeys in the places around Milan. A car can be rented at the Airports an at the Railways Stations, as well as at several services in the City, info available on Internet.

A glance at Milano
Milano comes from the latin name Mediolanon (ancient Greek) or Mediolanum (Latin), meaning a city in the middle of the flat land, or, a city located between the waterways. Located in the Po Valley, between Turin (W) and Venice (E), the Alps, or the main European mountain chain (N), the Apennines and the coast of Ligura (S), Milano is surrounded by enchanting scenarios of flat lands, riversides, the lakes Como and Lecco, hills and picturesque towns and places. Founded by the Celts in 400 B.C., the Romans gave it the name Mediolanum, meaning “in the middle of the lands” as we mentioned before. Because of its geographic location, since the beginning it has been one of the most international cities of Italy, a natural crossroad between the Nordic and the Mediterranean cultures. Signs of the History are still visible in the amazing old districts, besides a great heritage of art and architecture. Milestones as the Brera Altarpiece by Piero della Francesca, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, The Marriage of the Virgin by Raphael, the Rondanini Pieta by Michelangelo, can be seen in the city museums, while many modern masterpieces can be observed at the Triennale di Milano, at PAC and in several other institutions. Historical Libraries as the Ambrosiana and the Braidense, or the National Museum of Science and Technology can be visited, while architectural monuments, like Duomo (Cathedral), Castello Sforzesco (Castle), the Church of S.Maria presso San Satiro can be reached or simply seen walking through the city center. Teatro della Scala is one of the worldwide symbols of the Opera. But Milano is also the Italian capital of Fashion and Design, holding many events during the year. Parks, hotels, restaurants and places for entertainment richly populate the city. Always moving, the face of Milano is changing again, and after the big exhibition pavilions of Rho Fiera, the new modern district of City Life, designed by Arata Isozaki, Deniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid, is rising up within many other buildings and infrastructures. Among the big events recently hosted in Milan, EXPO 2015 has to be mentioned.

Touristic info about Milano

Public transport in Milano

Touristic info about Lombardy

Public transport in Lombardy

Touristic info and public transport in Italy

Trains and fast train Frecciarossa

Fast train Italotreno

Italian highway system

Just for the sake of completeness, for interested participants, here the official website of
Italian transport infrastructures and system (Italian only)