Finding a home in Milan

Milan has some nice areas to live. Most popular among expats are Brera and Navigli. 

Brera
Brera is the art district of Milan with many bars, restaurants and the famous Brera Art Gallery and Art Academy. You will often be surprised by the elegant courtyards, behind the gates of the residential buildings here.

Navigli 
Navigli is one of the most picturesque areas of Milan. It is situated around the canals designed by Leonardo Da Vinci, that lead from the centre of Milan into the country side of Pavia. Every Sunday morning the Navigli area is scenery of an antique market, every Saturday evening of strolling people. 

Time-consuming
Prices for renting an apartment in the centre of Milan are about 15-20 euro per square metre (per month). If you don’t know exactly in which neighbourhood you would like to live, finding a house can be time-consuming. There are many real estate agencies but they usually cover only one neighbourhood or part of it.

Internet
Finding a house by internet is not easy. Many agencies don’t have a website and those that do, often don't publish photos, prices or details.There do exist some Italian websites where agencies advertise their offerings, but usually also giving poor information. 

Living outside of the city
Expats with children sometimes choose to live outside of the city, at  Lake Como or in Varese or Monza. Reasons are the high level of pollution and the limited number of play grounds in Milan city. Europeans might choose Varese because of the European school.