Milan can be a tough nut to crack and first impressions aren’t always flattering.  Extensively bombed during World War II, the central city skyline resembles an architectural lasagne, a mish-mash of the venerable and the hastily built brutalist. But give this Italian powerhouse of finance and fashion a chance to reveal her finery and you’ll be amply rewarded.

The banner attractions are headlined by the Duomo, Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, and what is arguably the most elegant shopping centre in Europe, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Fancy a new way to commune with this glass domed goliath? Head up to the roofline of the Galleria, which has only been open to the public since May. Costing 12 Euro, Highline Galleria serves up giddy perspectives of the building, across to the Duomo, and on a clear day, expansive views of the Alps.

If you want to take your Galleria love-affair even further, you can stay over, with an all-suite, impossibly luxurious hotel, Seven Stars Galleria, now open for business. It’s a seriously lofty perch for extended people-watching in this retail realm, with your bedroom windows facing out into the centre’s heart - but room rates are heart-stopping. The far end archway leading out of the galleria adjoins the pretty Piazza della Scala, adorned with a statue of Leonardo Da Vinci overlooking Teatro La Scala.

First built in 1778, this legendary opera house was all but destroyed during WWII, but was rapidly rebuilt and reopened in 1946. La Scala’s façade is rather austere, but like much of Milan, the real beauty lies within. Its majestic six-tiered and chandeliered interior, bursting with gilded arches and scarlet-silk furnishings are sublime.  Trying to score tickets to an opera is not easy, nor cheap, so if you want to grab a glimpse of the auditorium’s lavish interior, just head next door to Scala Museum where for 6 Euro you get to gaze down inside this stupendous theatre.

One of Milan’s favourite sons, Guiseppe Verdi, premiered 10 of his 26 operas at La Scala and on nearby Via Manzoni, take note of the imposing Grand Hotel, an old-school Milanese establishment, where many glittery guests, including  Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fontein didn’t just stay a few nights, but moved in. The most famous resident was Verdi himself, who shifted in 1872 and died in Room 105, in 1901.

Horses outside the hotel had their hooves muffled, and the street was draped in carpet to cushion the sound of the carriages, so as not to disturb the dying composer in his last days. The hotel is actually a time-capsule, to the point that you can book the Verdi Suite, the very room where he died, which has been preserved as a memorial. An assortment of his property remains including the desk where he composed the music for Othello, and rather morbidly, the bed in which he died.

While soaking up the fashion houses in the Golden Quad, enjoy coffee and cake at Caffe Cova. Situated on my favourite street, via Montenapoleone, where the pavement looks more like a catwalk due to the fine threads flaunted by the passers-by, the café has been in business since 1817 and was a second home to all the A-list composers. Order up an espresso and a slice of Cova Panettone, Verdi’s personal favourite – but stay standing at the bar. Sit down and you’ll pay ten times more.

Georgio Armani is slowly taking over Milan and if you want to brunch in one of the runway models’ favourite haunts, head to Armani Cafe, next to the Armani Bookstore on via Manzoni. When the café first opened, the soap dispensers in the toilets were Armani originals worth NZ$1000 a pop, but so many were stolen, they’re now nailed down. The hit dish on the menu? Saffron risotto.  Also on the foodie front, join the queue for Milan’s best street food.

Luini makes amazing panzerotti – pillowy fried dough parcels stuffed with tomato and mozzarella. The Milanese have swooned over Luini's tasty morsels since it first opened in 1888, and now there's always a line in front of this hole-in-the wall shop. Panzerotti is street food at its best; cheap, cheerful, quick and tasty. Alongside the original tomato and mozzarella, the ricotta and spinach combo hits the spot too as does the mouth-watering spicy salami.

If you’re shopping up a storm in the Golden Quad, or just browsing, one store that embodies the Milanese obsession with bespoke fashion is Maglia Francesco, Milan’s famous umbrella company. In a city where it rains more regularly than Auckland, the trending must-have object of Milanese desire is a tailored umbrella. You choose the wood, the metal, the insets, the fabrics – even the handle. It’s great fun watching the bespoke brolly browsers in action at Maglia Francesco, on via Ripamonti.

One of Milan’s most adored treasures is also one of the most elusive:  Da Vinci’s depiction of The Last Supper. Miraculously surviving the allied bombings, the revered wall mural graces the refectory of the Dominican monastery at Santa Maria delle Grazie. Da Vinci’s evocative work was applied directly onto dry wall, which is the reason for its fragility, and the limited viewing time. The painstaking restoration carried out in recent years is cause for celebration, albeit in a hushed reverential kind of way.

I had to pick up my jaw from the floor as I gazed in awe at the artwork’s vividness, which ingeniously draws you in, as if you’re part of the scene. Bookings should be made two months in advance, to get your allotted 15 minutes of face-time with the mural. Steer clear of the numerous rip-off ticket touts, trawling the streets (and the internet) offering entrance tickets at exorbitant prices. You shouldn’t have to pay any more than 12 Euro. For further information and to book in advance, go to the official website, www.cenacolovinciano.org