should i use mono to develop linux app

should i use mono to develop linux app

i have years of experience developing on microsoft development stack
primarily visual studio 2012/c#. but right now, im required to develop app
on linux. while i know c++, its been years since i really touch that. i
have few questions.
can i develop using mono and compile binary for linux and windows with no
code(or minimal) code changes?
can i develop on windows platform using visual studio 2012, compile for
linux on window platform? do i need to use virtual machine for compiling
for linux in windows platform?
how do you setup your development environment if you want to develop linux
app on windows platform(develop on windows, compile for linux and windows.
my linux box use for testing is a separate machine.)
thank you.