After months of planning, list-making, and late-night excitement, it was finally time to leave Melbourne for Milan Design Week 2025. It is no small journey for us Aussies.
The flight itself is a test of endurance — 14 hours to Abu Dhabi, a 1.5-hour layover (that quickly became a mad dash to find a shower and freshen up), and then another 6 hours across to Milan…
Knowing what was ahead, we armed ourselves with the full survival kit: a sleeping pillow, an eye mask, foot hammock, blankets, a honeycomb seat cushion, hydration powders, vitamin C, melatonin, and, if I am honest, a few sleeping tablets tucked discreetly in the bag.
One discovery that made all the difference this time was Etihad’s “neighbour-free seat” option. Having that extra space to stretch out turned a brutal haul into something almost… dare I say… manageable. With a little preparation, and a lot of determination, we were ready.
We touched down at Milan Malpensa Airport just after 7:30am, welcomed by soft sunlight and a balmy 24 degrees. Rather than dive into the chaos of Milan immediately, we caught a fast train to Turin — or Torino — a quieter, more elegant city where the pace is just slightly less frantic. A small but important note for future travelers: book your fast train early. Prices climb steeply closer to the day, and the trains fill up fast.
Turin was the perfect way to land gently in Italy. We arrived at the beautiful Opera 35 Boutique Hotel, where they kindly let us shower and freshen up before the room was ready. From there, we set out into the cobblestone streets, determined not to let jet lag win. We wandered along the river, took in the charming architecture, and ate our first Italian meal of the trip — simple, stunning, and exactly what I had been craving.
There is always a smell that clings to Italy — a constant haze of cigarette smoke that I somehow manage to forget between visits. For someone sensitive to smoke, it is always a bit of a hurdle, but it is part of the rhythm of life here, the good with the challenging.
Refusing to slow down, we decided to embrace the spirit of the city fully and bought tickets to a Torino FC football match that evening, which turned out to be the perfect chaotic, joyful welcome. There is something about standing in a stadium, surrounded by locals shouting and singing in a language you barely understand, that reminds you exactly why travel matters. It connects you — even for a moment — to the heart of a place.
By the time the sun set, we had walked miles, eaten our fill, and laughed our way through jet lag. It was the perfect beginning — a deep breath before the creative whirlwind of Milan Design Week truly began.
