Big question: lift or stairs?

Like everyone who lives in Milan, or at least close to the centre, they live in buildings. This insight left me thinking for a while about how much energy is needed to run the lifts of the whole city, or of a whole country. Obviously there are people who require the lift because of a physical limitation, but those who don’t and are able to take the stairs?

When I used to lived in Chile, the lift was my main option to get to the 8th floor of my house. I only used the stairs in case of an earthquake (which there are many in Chile) but honestly my daily choice was the lift. When I moved to Berlin in 2021, I didn’t have a lift because the buildings were so old that many of them don’t have lifts. I lived on the 4th floor and had to constantly walk up and down the stairs, with my grocery bags, with some new furniture, even with my suitcases when I went on a trip.

So when I moved to Milan this year I wanted to make the most of the lift. I am currently living on the 6th floor and when I first arrived in the flat I didn’t hesitate to use the elevator on a daily basis.
During this challenge I decided to go back to my “sporty” Berlin lifestyle; where stairs were my only option to get home. So to answer the initial question: lift or stairs? Definitely stairs.