How to make the most of Milan during the Eurovision Song Contest 2022

The battle for hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022 in Italy began the minute Måneskin won the ESC 2021, in Rotterdam. Earlier this summer, we told you how to make the most of Rome and we told you everything you need to know about Pesaro. These two cities are still in the race to become a hosting city, as well as Milan. 

Milan is a city in the north of Italy. The city has the most habitants of Italy, after Rome. Milan is considered a leading global city, with strengths in many fields, like art, commerce, design, education, entertainment finance, healthcare, and tourism. Of course we all know Milan for being one of the fashion capitals of the world. Let’s take a look at what Milan has to offer!

Milan Cathedral

Cathedral of Milan

The cathedral, also called the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary (Italian: Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente), is the most famous cathedral church in Milan.

The construction of the cathedral took about 6 centuries. Simone da Orsenigo started the construction in 1386. Benigno Mörlin Visconti Castiglione was the last architect to work on the property, in 1965. It is the largest church in Italy, even bigger than St. Peter’s Basilica is in the State of Vatican City

The view from the roof is breathtaking. Please note that the elevator does not reach the top floor. Prepare for a lot of stairs. Believe us, it’s definitely worth it! Definitely book a (private) tour if you’re interested in the history of the cathedral. This gives a visit to the church an extra dimension through the beautiful stories of the tour guide.

Brera District

Brera is a district (“quartiere”) in Milan. The district has an artistic and bohemian atmosphere and is located in zone 1, (the historic core of the city). Brera is also called “the Milanese Montmartre”. Sounds promising, right? The neighborhood is filled with bars and restaurants. It is less suitable if you want to shop.

The main historical building is Palazzo Brera. Brera houses the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and the Brera Art Gallery are located here, as well as Milan’s botanical garden as well as an astronomical observatory and the Braidense National Library. Other features that contribute to the character of Brera include restaurants, bars, night clubs, antique and art shops, colorful street markets, as well as fortune tellers’ booths. Especially this last feature might be interesting if you want to place a bet on the Eurovision Song Contest.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Do you prefer to go to a place where you can shop (in the most exclusive stores)? Then you should pay the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II a visit. This is Italy’s oldest active shopping arcade and a landmark of Milan. The inspiration for the name of the building is the first king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II.

The building was designed in 1861 and built between 1865 and 1877. The architect who completed this job is Guiseppe Mengoni. A common nickname is Il Salotto di Milano (Salon of Milan), because of its many shops and importance as a common meeting and dining place in Milan.

The shopping center is located in ”Centro Storico”, in the center of the city. Some of the oldest shops reside in the Galleria. Several of the stores and restaurants have been there since the 19th century. The entrance to the building is particularly impressive.

Fun fact: Mac Donalds was the first to being denied a renewal of their contract, after housing in the Galleria for 20 years. Mac Donalds sued the landlord – the city of Milan – for 24 million in damages. The fast food chain renounced the suit after receiving the opportunity to open a new restaurant nearby. Prada opened their second store in the Galleria, replacing the fast food restaurant.

Tram Ristorante ATMosfera

If you have a night off of the Eurovision craziness, you could choose to have an exclusive dinner at Tram Ristorante ATMosfera. The restaurant is located at Sforzesco Castle. It’s a fine dining experience combined with round trip in the city of Milan. ATMosfera offers two historic trams and thus the first itinerant trams in Italy.

The menus offer options for meat lovers, fish eaters and vegetarians. The chef is responsible for putting together the menu. Updates on the menu are regular and in tune with the seasons.

You can visit the restaurant 7 days a week. However, it is necessary to book in advance. You can book your table on the ATMosfera website.

”Gaying” in Milan

As we’ve mentioned before, Milan is one of the fashion capitals of the world. Milan is a big city and offers plenty of accommodations. From hotels to home rentals, you are sure to find something that fits your needs. Be sure to visit websites like Tripadvisor to read the most recent reviews.

There is also a gay scene in Milan. Signs of affection like holding hands, hugging in the street, and kissing cheek to cheek are perfectly accepted in the city. The gay scene used to be around the area that’s called Via Sammartini. We do not advise that you visit this area, as it’s considered unsafe. The gay scene has moved to the Porta Venezia district, on Via Lecco. In town, you need a club card to access most gay clubs. You can purchase this card at the participating locations.

Milan

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Sanne Messemaker

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70 years of Eurovision: Céline Dion and…. eh… who?

The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 1988 For the second time, the Royal Dublin Society was the venue. Two hosts were in charge: Pat Kenny and Michelle Rocca. Cyprus had to withdraw. The Cypriot entry turned out to have already participated in the national final four years earlier. That came out so late that Cyprus could not find a new song in time. Tommy Körberg participated for Sweden. He did that back in 1969 as well. Back then, there were two winners in the national final: Tommy and Jan Malmsjö. After a runoff, Tommy was allowed to go to the Eurovision Song Contest. And lo and behold, in 1988 he was the replacement for…. that very same Jan Malmsjö! Yardena Arazi participated for Israel. She did so in 1976, but in 1979 she was the host. It is the first and only time that a former host participated. MFÖ represented Turkey for the second time. Furthermore, the duo Hot Eyes was present for the third time. This time, singer Kirsten Siggaard was pregnant for no less than eight months! And then there was Dora. She had participated for Portugal before, and now again. Many big stars traveled to Dublin. Scott Fitzgerald had already had a worldwide hit with “If I Had Words” and now sang “Go” for the United Kingdom. Gerard Joling, who had just completed a tour of Asia, was the Dutch candidate. And France also came up with a big star: Gérard Lenorman. Unfortunately, there was little attention for his “Chanteur de charme”. And then there was the Belgian Lara Fabian. She represented Luxembourg with the song “Croire”. At that time she was still unknown; later she would score many hits.   Céline Dion It was nail-bitingly exciting. The United Kingdom and Switzerland constantly swapped first place. Until the very last point, it was unclear who would win. It was ultimately Céline Dion for Switzerland. This Canadian singer sang “Ne partez pas sans moi”. It didn’t become a big hit everywhere. But a year later, she got to open the festival and sang “Where Does My Heart Beat Now”. It became her first international hit, but certainly not the last. Her absolute biggest success was “My Heart Will Go On”, but she scored many hits. Due to illness, she was unable to perform for a long time. So there was admiration when she did sing during the Olympic Games in Paris. And recently she announced that she will start performing again. 1989 The Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lausanne. Once again, there was a duo presentation: Jacques Descheneaux and Lolita Morena. Cyprus was back after a long absence. Not a single participant had been on the Eurovision stage before. However, two very young participants were striking and controversial. 12-year-old Gili Netanel participated for Israel as half of the duo Gili & Galit. For France, the even younger, 11-year-old Nathalie Pâque took the stage. This makes her the youngest soloist ever. Many people disagreed with the participation of such young children. A year later, a minimum age was therefore introduced. The show opened with the occasional duo Anna Oxa and Fausto Leali. Two big names in Italian music, who now finished ninth together with “Avrei voluto”. One of the favorites competed for the Netherlands: Justine Pelmelay. But Justine missed a high final note and did not finish as high as expected at all. Birthe Kjær (Denmark) and Anneli Saaristo (Finland) had both tried to represent their country several times before. Now that the time had finally come, both were very successful. With a bright red dress and a swinging song, Birthe came third. Anneli was accompanied by Spanish guitar sounds and sang her song to a seventh place. The Icelandic Daníel was also notable. During the national final, then still with a shaved head, he seemed unable to crack a smile after his victory. As if participating in the Eurovision Song Contest was a severe punishment for the Icelandic singer. Once in Lausanne, now with hair, the Icelander failed to secure even a single point. Riva For the third consecutive time, the duo Stevo Cvikić and Rajko Dujmić wrote the entry. Always following the same recipe: a group with a female singer and a cheerful trifle. As there was no other clear favorite, the group Riva won for Yugoslavia with “Rock Me”. In Yugoslavia, people were happy, but in the rest of Europe, incomprehension prevailed. This wasn’t the best song, was it? What had the jury done!? During the afterparty, a number of participating artists huddled together for a jam session. Among those on stage were the Spanish Nina and the Dutch Justine. Friend and foe alike agreed that this was all much better than the winning song.

Read More »
April 11, 2026 No Comments
History
Martijn

70 years of Eurovision: Céline Dion and…. eh… who?

The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 1988 For the second time, the Royal Dublin Society was the venue. Two hosts were in charge: Pat Kenny and Michelle Rocca. Cyprus had to withdraw. The Cypriot entry turned out to have already participated in the national final four years earlier. That came out so late that Cyprus could not find a new song in time. Tommy Körberg participated for Sweden. He did that back in 1969 as well. Back then, there were two winners in the national final: Tommy and Jan Malmsjö. After a runoff, Tommy was allowed to go to the Eurovision Song Contest. And lo and behold, in 1988 he was the replacement for…. that very same Jan Malmsjö! Yardena Arazi participated for Israel. She did so in 1976, but in 1979 she was the host. It is the first and only time that a former host participated. MFÖ represented Turkey for the second time. Furthermore, the duo Hot Eyes was present for the third time. This time, singer Kirsten Siggaard was pregnant for no less than eight months! And then there was Dora. She had participated for Portugal before, and now again. Many big stars traveled to Dublin. Scott Fitzgerald had already had a worldwide hit with “If I Had Words” and now sang “Go” for the United Kingdom. Gerard Joling, who had just completed a tour of Asia, was the Dutch candidate. And France also came up with a big star: Gérard Lenorman. Unfortunately, there was little attention for his “Chanteur de charme”. And then there was the Belgian Lara Fabian. She represented Luxembourg with the song “Croire”. At that time she was still unknown; later she would score many hits.   Céline Dion It was nail-bitingly exciting. The United Kingdom and Switzerland constantly swapped first place. Until the very last point, it was unclear who would win. It was ultimately Céline Dion for Switzerland. This Canadian singer sang “Ne partez pas sans moi”. It didn’t become a big hit everywhere. But a year later, she got to open the festival and sang “Where Does My Heart Beat Now”. It became her first international hit, but certainly not the last. Her absolute biggest success was “My Heart Will Go On”, but she scored many hits. Due to illness, she was unable to perform for a long time. So there was admiration when she did sing during the Olympic Games in Paris. And recently she announced that she will start performing again. 1989 The Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lausanne. Once again, there was a duo presentation: Jacques Descheneaux and Lolita Morena. Cyprus was back after a long absence. Not a single participant had been on the Eurovision stage before. However, two very young participants were striking and controversial. 12-year-old Gili Netanel participated for Israel as half of the duo Gili & Galit. For France, the even younger, 11-year-old Nathalie Pâque took the stage. This makes her the youngest soloist ever. Many people disagreed with the participation of such young children. A year later, a minimum age was therefore introduced. The show opened with the occasional duo Anna Oxa and Fausto Leali. Two big names in Italian music, who now finished ninth together with “Avrei voluto”. One of the favorites competed for the Netherlands: Justine Pelmelay. But Justine missed a high final note and did not finish as high as expected at all. Birthe Kjær (Denmark) and Anneli Saaristo (Finland) had both tried to represent their country several times before. Now that the time had finally come, both were very successful. With a bright red dress and a swinging song, Birthe came third. Anneli was accompanied by Spanish guitar sounds and sang her song to a seventh place. The Icelandic Daníel was also notable. During the national final, then still with a shaved head, he seemed unable to crack a smile after his victory. As if participating in the Eurovision Song Contest was a severe punishment for the Icelandic singer. Once in Lausanne, now with hair, the Icelander failed to secure even a single point. Riva For the third consecutive time, the duo Stevo Cvikić and Rajko Dujmić wrote the entry. Always following the same recipe: a group with a female singer and a cheerful trifle. As there was no other clear favorite, the group Riva won for Yugoslavia with “Rock Me”. In Yugoslavia, people were happy, but in the rest of Europe, incomprehension prevailed. This wasn’t the best song, was it? What had the jury done!? During the afterparty, a number of participating artists huddled together for a jam session. Among those on stage were the Spanish Nina and the Dutch Justine. Friend and foe alike agreed that this was all much better than the winning song.

Read More »
April 11, 2026 No Comments
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