Travel
Milan is "modern" and "industrial". Ask anyone and that will be their answer. Milan is the Fashion Capital of Italy and this title alone built my expectations around two words: glamorous and cold, maybe a bit bitchy. But to my surprise, none of these were true. Milan is far from glamouros. In fact, if you are a girl traveling on a budget Milan is pretty ugly. Gray streets stranded by matching stone buildings, a bit of litter here, a bit there, lots of people in a never-ending rush hour hustling on narrow sidewalks and noise, blissful traffic noise that make the entire city seem a mad house. Yeap, that's how Milan welcomed me first time I stepped on Corso Buenos Aires, one of the largest shopping streets in Europe. The shops? Medium budget to low, shops for normal people who don't need luxurious conditions to go shopping. Same shops you would find in any average city of Europe so there is really no good reason to come all the way to Milan to buy a United Colors of Benetton T-shirt.
Gray and gloomy as Milan might be, I still have to tell you about the balconies. I was deeply impressed with the number, the variety and the beauty of the Milanese balconies. The same ugly and sad stone buildings I was telling you about are dotted sometimes with stone carved Baroque or Rococo balconies like the one in the picture. The iron carved balconies are not missing eighter, but the stone ones fascinated me most. Some of these buildings are former palazzos, that with the pass of the years received another purpose and today are luxury hotels or public institutions. Others are still proudly keeping their title. I also have to add that I haven't seen anywhere else in Europe so many roof gardens. Milan doesn't have many green parks or public gardens, but the locals seemed to have found an even better way to spend quality time close to nature; not to mention a way that suits their private character.
- Sistine Chapel Endangered By Sweaty Tourists
The Creation Of Adam, Sistine Chapel, VaticanThe priceless frescoes in the Sistine Chapel are in serious danger according to Vatican Museums chief. And tourists are to be blamed. "Sweat, breath, carbon dioxide and all sorts of dust" pose a real threat...
- Bergamo. A Tale Of Two Cities
Bergamo is not a big city. And it's not very famous either, I mean, how many of you have heard about it before? When given the chance to visit Italy everybody crowds in ever famous Rome, Venice or Florence keeping it safely on the beaten path....
- Milan Monumental Cemetery. A Love Story
Just before leaving Milan we made one more stop. It might sound strange to you that we went to visit a cemetery even if we had no relatives buried there, but the truth is that Milan Monumental Cemetery is an open air museum with ravishing sculptures...
- Train Misadventures In Italy
Next day we visited Turin, the capital of Piedmont, about 130km from Milan. We took the train from the Central Station (the ticket costs about 9euros one way per person and it takes 2 hours to get to the destination). However, we made it...
- Returning To Milan. Duomo And Pasta
“Heaven is where the police are British, the lovers are French, the mechanics are German, the cooks are Italian and it is all organised by the Swiss. Hell is where the police are German, the cooks are English, the mechanics are French, the lovers...
Travel
Milan. Where Nothing Is What It Seems
Milan is "modern" and "industrial". Ask anyone and that will be their answer. Milan is the Fashion Capital of Italy and this title alone built my expectations around two words: glamorous and cold, maybe a bit bitchy. But to my surprise, none of these were true. Milan is far from glamouros. In fact, if you are a girl traveling on a budget Milan is pretty ugly. Gray streets stranded by matching stone buildings, a bit of litter here, a bit there, lots of people in a never-ending rush hour hustling on narrow sidewalks and noise, blissful traffic noise that make the entire city seem a mad house. Yeap, that's how Milan welcomed me first time I stepped on Corso Buenos Aires, one of the largest shopping streets in Europe. The shops? Medium budget to low, shops for normal people who don't need luxurious conditions to go shopping. Same shops you would find in any average city of Europe so there is really no good reason to come all the way to Milan to buy a United Colors of Benetton T-shirt. But Milan also has more serene, pedestrian shopping streets like Via della Spiga and Via Montenapoleone, two of the most famous and influential fashion streets in the whole world. Every designer imaginable has a shop or two in these streets: Armani, Iceberg, Luois Vuitton, Dior, Bottega Veneta, etc. Some of these brands were even born in Milan. If being a shopaholic in Milan has been you lifetime's dream and you've been saving for the big day since ever, hiring a personal image consultant might be just the right thing to do. A personal image consultant might bend your budget but at least you will have lived the dream to its fullest. You come up with the budget they come up with the shops in your budget. We all have our bucket list and it is a healthy attitude for every once in a while to check an item off the list.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan
Milan is a private city. I was really hoping to see people wearing catwalk clothes in bright daylight. But people are dressed here like anywhere else. Milan lacks the chicness of Paris and keeps its secrets to itself. Everything goes on behind closed doors in beautiful courtyards and living rooms, restaurants and tearooms. Sometimes if you walk the streets of a friendly bourgeoisie neighborhood you might get the feeling that the city is shyly opening to you. The big wood doors are left opened all day long and you can see most charming courtyards with dark green vegetation against beautifully painted walls hidden behind small wrought iron doors. But the iron doors are as far as you will get.
Gray and gloomy as Milan might be, I still have to tell you about the balconies. I was deeply impressed with the number, the variety and the beauty of the Milanese balconies. The same ugly and sad stone buildings I was telling you about are dotted sometimes with stone carved Baroque or Rococo balconies like the one in the picture. The iron carved balconies are not missing eighter, but the stone ones fascinated me most. Some of these buildings are former palazzos, that with the pass of the years received another purpose and today are luxury hotels or public institutions. Others are still proudly keeping their title. I also have to add that I haven't seen anywhere else in Europe so many roof gardens. Milan doesn't have many green parks or public gardens, but the locals seemed to have found an even better way to spend quality time close to nature; not to mention a way that suits their private character. In Milan, nothing is as it seems to be. Take for example Teatro alla Scala, one of the most famous opera houses in the world. A two minutes walk from Il Duomo, passing through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, La Scala is just another building. The statue of Leonardo Da Vinci steels the show before the opera's building. It doesn't even have its name carved in stone. And it's small. And it lacks the "Wow" effect the Paris Opera has on the outside and the Budapest Opera on the inside. But La Scala is tough and wants only the best performers because it can give something valuable in return: one of the best acoustics in the world and prestige. Over two centuries of history have made it clear that La Scala doesn't have to explain itself to the world. We visited the La Scala Museum where sculptures and paintings of the most outstanding performers are to be found and we could watch the "Romeo and Juliet" ballet's rehearsal through a glass from one of the lodges.
Las Scala Opera House, Milan
Another structure that defies the eyes is Il Duomo, Milan's famous Gothic Cathedral. So bright and rich in decoration on the outside that one could spend a good couple of hours admiring every saint and every tower, once you are inside semi-darkness encompasses you. The huge stained glass windows you wouldn't have guest to be so colorful from the outside reveal a kaleidoscope of Biblical scenes so vividly depicted. They also don't let much light to pass through which makes the Cathedral pretty dark, softly reminding you that the main purpose of this place is not to be admired by tourists and encouraging you to search inside your soul. The Cathedral has a good number of religious paintings on display too, but you are not likely to spend much time looking at them.
Stained glass window, Milan's Duomo
I recommend you stop a moment on one of the benches and have a little chat with Leonardo. I also encourage you to make a booking for his "Last Supper" in Santa Maria delle Grazie Church. The booking has to be made weeks in advance. You can book online but be aware that there are a lot of scam pages that will charge you double or triple the entrance fee. Since Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" the painting became quite popular with the tourists. But you cannot just show up at the door of the church and ask to see the painting. "Last Supper" is kept in a cold room and only a limited number of people can enter per day. This is due to centuries of appalling neglect. Today, the life-size figures of the painting taking up a whole wall of the church is unfortunately in pretty bad shape.
Leonardo Da Vinci's statue in front of La Scala Opera House
Just behind Leonardo Da Vinci's statue, on the small street that passes next to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II you will find Luini, finger liking good Italian take away. You will see it by the crowds gathering at its doors. The mozzarella and tomato panzerotti is the best. You have to try it, believe me! Well supplied you can find your way down Via Dante towards Sforza Castle, now housing various museums. Get through the gates and go to the park behind it. If you still have any panzerotti with you, enjoy your picnic. If not, enjoy the views.
The park behind Sforza Castle, Milan
The Brera District is the most artistic part of Milan. It is a bohemian quarter, with lots of antique, fashion and art shops. You will find it between Sforza Castle and La Scala Opera House. No visit to Milan can be complete without a visit to Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan's art gallery, one of the fines in all Italy. You won't have to cue here like in Uffizi or Vatican but you will be able to admire for as long as you want and without being bothered by the crowds, masterpieces by Caravaggio, Mantegna, Raphael, Tintoretto and many more. But the highlight of the gallery remains "The Kiss" by Francesco Hayez.
Brera Art Gallery, Milan
There is one more place I would like to recommend you in Milan, but I will keep it secret till the next post ;)
- Sistine Chapel Endangered By Sweaty Tourists
The Creation Of Adam, Sistine Chapel, VaticanThe priceless frescoes in the Sistine Chapel are in serious danger according to Vatican Museums chief. And tourists are to be blamed. "Sweat, breath, carbon dioxide and all sorts of dust" pose a real threat...
- Bergamo. A Tale Of Two Cities
Bergamo is not a big city. And it's not very famous either, I mean, how many of you have heard about it before? When given the chance to visit Italy everybody crowds in ever famous Rome, Venice or Florence keeping it safely on the beaten path....
- Milan Monumental Cemetery. A Love Story
Just before leaving Milan we made one more stop. It might sound strange to you that we went to visit a cemetery even if we had no relatives buried there, but the truth is that Milan Monumental Cemetery is an open air museum with ravishing sculptures...
- Train Misadventures In Italy
Next day we visited Turin, the capital of Piedmont, about 130km from Milan. We took the train from the Central Station (the ticket costs about 9euros one way per person and it takes 2 hours to get to the destination). However, we made it...
- Returning To Milan. Duomo And Pasta
“Heaven is where the police are British, the lovers are French, the mechanics are German, the cooks are Italian and it is all organised by the Swiss. Hell is where the police are German, the cooks are English, the mechanics are French, the lovers...