Milan Travel Tips for the World Congress

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WDS Editorial Highlight
By Jennifer Sorrell, MD

The World Congress of Dermatology is fast approaching, taking place June 10-15, 2019 in Milan, Italy. We would be remiss to not take a moment to discuss some of the wonders of this breathtaking portion of Europe.

Milan
Milan is one of the fashion capitals of the world, however there are some fantastic historical sites to take in as well including da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” and the Duomo. Visits to The Last Supper are very limited in availability and should be booked well in advance. Tours of the Duomo are not possible on Sundays or religious holidays. I would suggest a walking tour, as these always provide such amazing information in the moment and make the sites so memorable. Usually, these tours also allow you to “skip the lines”, so that you aren’t wasting valuable sightseeing time waiting. One tidbit I have found after doing lots of walking tours in different European cities is to arrive at the meeting site at least 15 minutes early to account for potential delays.

Switzerland
A day trip option is to take a quick (1 hour) train ride into Switzerland and the town of Lugano is an easy choice. I did note that Lugano was a bit pricey. I highly recommend taking the funicular to the top of Monte San Salvatore.

Lakes District of Italy
If you will have a bit of extra time, the Lakes District of Italy is a must see. Lake Como is an ideal place to “reset” and simply take in the most picturesque surroundings and the cleanest air without a preset agenda.

If you enjoy a more modern hotel experience, I can personally recommend Avenue hotel and Como Luxury Rooms. The Avenue hotel had free bicycle rental allowing us to bike the area with ease, though I felt that Como in general was very walkable. The latter hotel was unique in that it only has 2 rooms and has more of a studio apartment feel in the middle of town. If you stay for dinner, there is a lovely, authentic family run restaurant called Osteria del Gallo. They serve an appetizer of a light cheese stuffed focaccia with thinly sliced prosciutto on top that I could literally eat everyday. Using Lake Como as your base camp, it is quite easy to take the ferry to several of the towns that surround the lakes like Bellagio, which is equally lovely and provides some unforgettable views.

We would love to see the fun times you had at these meetings! Please submit your travel photos to wds@womensderm.org as we will be posting a few members’ travel experiences in an upcoming newsletter. Bon Voyage!

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