Orange trams brighten up already colorful streets.

Rumor has it that no map exists for the tram system in the city of Milan. Searching around travel forums shows people asking for said map but no one ever being able to produce one. I don't know if one exists either.... Search 'Milan tram' on Google Maps and you will get this map with the locations of tram stops, but no indication at all where they go.

But I do love the Milan tram system, maybe for this seeming chaos and quirkiness. It seems to me there is hardly a street in central Milan where you won't see a tram crossing in front of you at an intersection, hardly a street without a maze of intertwined wires above providing electricity for them. And I love the bright orange trams curving and clanging, passing each other on parallel tracks or backing up behind one another. It takes me back to my childhood somehow, stirring up memories of being led around by my mother, holding tightly to my hand, on New York City subways. Or maybe to Christmas train displays in Manhattan. Seeing trams I feel I'm inside one of those displays. It's probably a combination of those memories, since without having any clue where I am going I'm usually led around by the hand on the Milan trams now too, just as if I were small.

Inside, the trams also evoke a bygone era, again reinforcing this childhood sense in me. They are the old original cars, beautifully maintained with their shapely wooden seats and brass handrails kept polished just by the hundreds of hands holding them. Little white light fixtures hang from the ceiling, and even the modern adverts don't distract too much.



The problem does remain though, how to use the system without a map? Mystery answered... This link, for the Azienda Transporti Milanese, otherwise known as the ATM, can help. Here, you can put in a starting and ending location in Milan and receive a map and directions as to which trams, buses, or metro to take. In the section called Route and Timetable finder, on the left, choose a tram route from the drop down menu. The map will then display that tram route, and list below it all the tram stops on said route. Clicking on the name of a specific stop will show you its location on the map, as well as give access to a timetable. There is an option you can click which eliminates the underground, meaning that your trip will be only on trams or buses. And the site is available also in English. I played around and it works quite well. This could turn out to be very useful...  Next time maybe I'll use this system in advance, and bring maps with me into Milan. And who knows? After some time maybe I'll know something the Milanese all seem to know.. just where indeed each of those trams is going!