Hi Torch!

To my humble opionion the best thing to do is to find a flat or a room for rent not too far from a tube stop.
If you wanna stay in a lively area with shops and bars you should search for a room in these areas: Porta Romana, Brera (just a few steps from Duomo and Castello Sforzesco so...... very expensive!), Piola (near Polytechnic), Via Moscova, Corso di Porta Ticinese and all of the Navigli area (a lot of nightlife and a little bit noisy).
Hope I was helpful!

Tiziana

 

Unfortunately River=Mosquitos is a good equation in Milan at Navigli Area, especially (but not solely!) in summer.
In June and July (August was quite rainy in the past few years) the city is VERY VERY VERY humid and hot so to my humble opinion air conditioning is not a luxury but simply something that helps surviving in those months. :thumbsup:
R u searching for your flat through an agency or by yourself?

Tiziana

 

Take a look at these websites:

http://milano.kijiji.it/ (Section "Case")

http://www.easystanza.it/

http://milano.bakeca.it/ (Section "Case")

You'll find many ads from private owners - basically less expensive than estates.

Tiziana