This happened on January 31st. The post is so late because my internet access in Venice is limited to Monday thorough Friday, before 5 o’clock. There are plenty of internet points but I refuse to pay for it so am using the WiFi at school. But this post is about Milan…
I only had one day to see the city and I was doing it alone and in the rain. I went with Nicola because his metro stop for work is very close to the Duomo. It was an interesting commute. No Italian suburbanite drives into a city; a lesson that we Americans should learn and follow. Comparisons of Milan to NYC are partially accurate, but Milan is not nearly as big. One similarity I noticed is that around 3 o’clock, Italian teens crowded outside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II hoping to be on TV or called up to the studio for TRL. It was just as pathetic as it is in Times Square. (I can’t bad talk TRL without admitting that I have been… twice. Shout out to Kate and Rich!!!!) The city is very cosmopolitan and doesn’t try to hide it behind centuries of art like other Italian cities do. Still, the art and the history exist. The city is centered around the Duomo, the third largest church in the world, and surrounded by landmarks of Italian and European history. For instance on one side of the city is Il Castello Sforzesco, a 12th century castle built as a defense against Venice, and on the other side is the one time home of Napoleon, where he lived while Milan was the capitol of his Kingdom. The city is also the fashion capitol of the world, with posh designer shops throughout as well as home to a colossal football stadium and enormous Stazione Centrale (central train station). I think the city of Milan was perfectly reflected in my visit to the Chiesa di Santa Maria Della Grazie. Attached to the church is the refectory that houses Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper and until February 16th, Andy Warhol’s version of the same painting. It was pretty moving to view da Vinci’s Ultime Cene at the same time as Warhol’s Last Supper and as I mentioned, I think it was symbolic of Milan’s integration of old and new.
**Travel Tip** If you are going to Milan and want to see the Last Supper, call and reserve a spot for the tour. It’s the only way you can see it. I was lucky that there was a cancellation. Other than that one ticket, they were sold out for 2 weeks (I got the last ticket to the Last Supper).
Then I met Nicola at his office and got a first hand viewing of how the Italians work. One man was watching movies on YouTube, another was playing Pinball, everyone else was on AIM or something but nobody was doing any work…? I will never understand how this place can sustain it’s self as a country with such a laid back lifestyle. We had dinner out, Chiara, Donato, Nicola, and me. It was mostly seafood and a lot of wine and very delicious. The next day, I left Milan and arrived in Venice.
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1 comment:
you always manage to score last minute tickets to things.
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