# Does anyone here live in Milan?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 10, 2026, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349 "2026-03-10T23:34:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 16\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nayna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ebca7d/32.png) [@Nayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nayna)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2026, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/1 "2026-03-10T23:34:57Z")

</div>

I know this is a very long shot, but I don’t belong to any other communities with people from countries and cities all over the world.

My daughter and I went to a few Olympics events last month. We stayed in about eight places over 12 days and were traveling with just a small backpack each, and all of our mountaintop events were at the beginning of the trip, so somewhere in the middle, we shipped a box of heavy winter clothing home.

To be precise, on February 16, we shipped a box from a post office in Salorno, Italy to my home in Pennsylvania, United States.

I have all of the paperwork, and I can track it, and it seems to have been in a post office in Milan, Italy since February 17.

I don’t speak the language, and I am obviously not in the area. Are any Dopers around who could stop by the post office in Milan or or call and talk to somebody in Italian? I’ll pay handsomely! I just want our stuff back.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/2 "2026-03-12T21:31:14Z")

</div>

I’m in South Africa, but I have friends in Milan.

I can contact them, but this is as long as a long shot can get, don’t get your hopes up.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/3 "2026-03-12T23:41:15Z")

</div>

Perhaps you should contact your local postal service and work through channels?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nayna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ebca7d/32.png) [@Nayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nayna)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/4 "2026-03-13T00:29:05Z")

</div>

Oh, sure, I think so, too. It’s pretty much my _only_ shot, so I figure it’s worth a try! Stay tuned, please.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nayna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ebca7d/32.png) [@Nayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nayna)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/5 "2026-03-13T00:31:00Z")

</div>

That honestly didn’t occur to me (I think of it as totally different organizations), but I’m willing to start anywhere. I’ll stop by tomorrow.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nayna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ebca7d/32.png) [@Nayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nayna)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/6 "2026-03-13T00:32:19Z")

</div>

I thought of you and your Secret Santa gift experience, actually, but this box contains nothing but clothing. It’s a mystery!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/7 "2026-03-13T00:33:15Z")

</div>

I assume the USPS has a process by which they can contact the Italian postal service or that of most other countries.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/8 "2026-03-13T00:45:28Z")

</div>

It hasn’t been a month and the Italian Post must have been crushed by millions of extra Oly tourists & athletes mailing similar packages. The US has been particularly slow at clearing small packages Stateside, too.

I wish I thought a visit to a USPS office could help in any way and I’ll eat my hat if anything comes of it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/9 "2026-03-13T00:47:00Z")

</div>

I think the OP should at least start the process of tracking the package.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nayna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ebca7d/32.png) [@Nayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nayna)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/10 "2026-03-13T19:23:22Z")

</div>

I’m really not all that anxious to receive it; I’d just be happier if I could see some progress. You might be right, though; it seems that “International Standard” takes 10-25 days on average and frequently takes much longer.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nayna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ebca7d/32.png) [@Nayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nayna)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/11 "2026-03-29T12:41:34Z")

</div>

The box arrived yesterday! Honestly, until @jnglmassiv wrote that it hadn’t even been a month, as though shipping a box from Italy to the United States is _expected_ to take a month or more, it seemed egregiously late to me. All in all it took 42 days. Thanks for your input, everyone.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/12 "2026-03-29T12:55:23Z")

</div>

I made a few calls on your behalf. Glad it worked out 😉

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/13 "2026-03-29T17:06:26Z")

</div>

> [@Nayna](#):
>
> is _expected_ to take a month or more, it seemed egregiously late to me. All in all it took 42 days

That does seem pretty slow, even for Post. Did you notice any more updates to the tracking before it arrived?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nayna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ebca7d/32.png) [@Nayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nayna)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/14 "2026-03-30T19:47:40Z")

</div>

I probably hadn’t looked in a week, but it took one day to get from Salorno to Milan, and it was in Milan for at least 24 days.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/15 "2026-03-30T20:28:40Z")

</div>

Someone suggested that the post office in Milan was backed up after the Winter Olympics. That seems plausible.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-here-live-in-milan/1028349/16 "2026-04-03T18:45:16Z")

</div>

I used to take our dog to the vet in Milan. [It’s a happening place](https://www.villagewoodsapts.com/living-in-milan-il).

> [@](#):
>
> Whether you’re craving Mexican food, Italian food, American food, or any kind of cuisine in between, you’ll find what you’re in the mood for in Milan.
