Milan

What short breaks to Milan can't provide in beauty, they more than make up for in style. An industrial hub and home to the nation's stock exchange, Milan is nevertheless better known on the international stage as one of the world's fashion capitals.

Naturally shopping features high up on the agenda when on short breaks to Milan. However, if you can manage to drag yourself away from the fitting room mirror, Milan's got enough to satisfy the most voracious of cultural appetites.

There's no better place to start sightseeing on city breaks to Milan than the monumental Duomo. Described variously as "a poem in marble'" by Mark Twain, "an imitation hedgehog of a cathedral" by D.H. Lawrence and "the only place to read Dante" by Shelley, it's the third largest cathedral in Europe and also where Napoleon was crowned king of Italy.

Clamber up the 158 steps to the roof and you'll find yourself surrounded by 135 spires, more than 3,000 statues and gargoyles, and the most impressive views of the city's alpine backdrop.

Nearby is another of Milan's architectural gems: the Castello Sforzesco, once the 15th-century home of the notoriously brutal Sforza dynasty and much later the Visconti family. Inside there's an eclectic museum bringing together everything from Egyptian artefacts to Michelangelo's last sculpture.

For a lesson in art history the Pinacoteca di Brera houses one of Italy's finest collections, while the Civic Gallery of Modern Art will bring you bang up to date. However, most tourists on their first city breaks to Milan are usually more interested in the former Dominican refectory adjoining the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, housing Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper.

On top of culture and haute cuisine, the best short breaks to Milan take full advantage of its food. If you expect Milanese cuisine to come with the price tags to match its fashion, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Most locals opt for the cheap and tasty home cooking served up in the bustling neighborhoud trattorie across the city.

For a taste of the high life there's only one place to be seen - the Teatro alla Scala. La Scala has been entertaining opera buffs since 1778 and the neighbouring Museo Teatrale walks you through its historical ups and downs. For something more upbeat head to Brera or Navigli, two lively districts that stake Milan's claim of having the best nightlife in Italy.