ITALY: Milan

ITALY: Milan
We pulled into Milan around midday, and I went straight for the extremely helpful tourist office, who said that there was a bit of a housing shortage due to a trade convention that week. As my flight the next morning was insanely early, and the bus to the airport left from the train station, I sucked it up and spent 50Euros on a room nearby. That’s by far the most I paid for a room in all these travels, but I was expecting Milan to be the biggest hotel expenditure.

I spent a little time emailing about the box and refunds and reimbursements, then set out, on my 7th or so wind, on the pretty town (with awesome mass transit). I picked up some yogurt and fruit at a grocery store and took the subway to the Duomo, which is enormous and beautiful, constructed entirely of pink marble from Candoglia. Many paintings were hung from the ceiling in the middle; I’m not sure if it’s always like that or if they’re there because the museum is closed this year. The most unique aspect of visiting this cathedral, however, is the access to the roof, where one can wander amongst the spires and peer through them over the square and city. It’s another spot where you just can’t stop taking pictures.

On the perimeter of the Piazza Duomo are several important buildings, including the city hall to the west, twin fascist structures with balconies where Mussolini delivered speeches to the south, and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, a huge, glass-domed arcade abustle with shoppers, to the north.

At the other end of the Galleria is Piazza della Scala, with a statue of Leonardo da Vinci that celebrates his many talents and achievements. I treated myself to gelato and meandered through the area before going into La Scala Opera House and its museum. The museum is crammed with a collection of opera goodies: music, instruments, costumes, paintings, sets, etc. Included in the museum’s ticket is access to two little booths overlooking the orchestra seats and stage. I was sad that there was no performance that evening, but there was a rehearsal going on, which was exciting to watch—and honestly, I wouldn’t have lasted through a performance that night!

I walked the length of Via Dante, a long pedestrian-only boulevard, which led to Sforza Castle. All of its several museums were closing, but the grounds were big and castle-y, and there was a pretty park beyond. I walked around there for a while, then took the subway to Brera Art Gallery for a quick visit. Lots of paintings by prominent Italians, and well worth the trip.

They kicked me out at 7:30, and I bought a green and a pasta salad before taking the subway back to the hotel. I realized that my cheap-o flight allowed for only one checked piece of luggage, so I repacked and squished everything from The Box into my two bags and a little carryon extra. I FINALLY fell into bed around 11, totally exhausted, with the alarm set for 4am. Ooof. The shuttle was great, though, and got me where I needed to be. Ciao, Italy! Grazi! (except for FedEx)