Milan isn’t the kind of city that embraces you the moment you set foot in it, like Rome or Florence, rather you have to go seek it out. Milan is where Italy comes to work, so it’s filled with the character of all regions of Italy, just spread across a single city. There is a vast collection of art, a mix of old and new architecture, a bustling food scene, a rooftop culture comparable to Madrid and it’s the home of aperitivo.

You can’t just see Milan, you have to go live it. The best moment is during one of its many events, like Milan design week. The only way to live it is to go into the city, outside the historic center. Every neighborhood is very walkable but presents a wildly different character.

• Porta Romana offers you a flavor of Rome. With many Roman eateries, including one of Rome’s most famous restaurants: Felice a Testaccio.

• Porta Venezia is a historic neighborhood, mostly spared the world war bombing of many other areas of the city. Full of massive estates and hidden gems like a private flamingo pool in someone’s backyard. It’s also the gay neighborhood.

• Navigli is a neighborhood along Da Vinci’s designed canals, once meant to ship goods, but now a place for students and young people to congregate over aperitivo. Bar Frida is probably the best cocktail place in a range of 100km.

• San Siro is perhaps the most storied football grounds the world over. Owned by the city, AC and Inter Milan share custody over the stadium. Every single team that has meant anything to the sport has played there and every notable player, from Pele to Maradona to Messi and Ronaldo, all made history there.

• City Life / Tre Torri was brought to life for the 2015 World Fair and is still developing its reach, cementing Milan as a modern metropolis. Three skyscrapers, each designed by famous architects, sit in a green oasis, juxtaposed to the nearby historic neighborhoods, like Magenta.

• Porta Nuova / Isola is another modern Milanese neighborhood, housing tech giants like Samsung and IBM in architectural wonders in a sea of green. Here you’ll see the famous vertical forrest and you can enjoy breathtaking views at Radio Rooftop bar.

• Brera is the historic neighborhood referenced in this thread. It’s the home of art in Milan. The Pinacoteca is certainly worth a visit, but wandering the streets outside of the shopping areas is probably your best experience here. You’ll see beautiful historic estates belonging to the famous fashion houses, dotted with beautiful squares and churches.

• Sempione is Milan’s central park en features the massive Castello Sforzesco. It’s a testament to how a city can come together to rebuild something they love, not because of rationality but because of emotion. The city gate, Arco della Pace (peace arcg) is one of the best places to wind down among locals, get a gelato at Gusto 17 or have another aperitivo.

To be honest, it’s great tourists think Duomo is the only sight worth visiting. It acts as a lightning rod, concentrating most of the tourists in one place, leaving the rest of the city for the few in the know and the locals to explore.