MAGNIFICENT AND MYSTERIOUS MILAN

Milan was a nice surprise: it had a quiet unexpected beauty. I didn't expect much because every time I mentioned that city people who have been there, they would reply, "eh", indicating that they were not impressed. Okay, it's a big city but some of the sites are among my favorites.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II built in the late 1800's is two glass-vaulted arcades intersecting to form an octagon. This is the posh shopping area in Milan.

SPQR is latin and Wikipedia says it means "The Senate and the Roman People" but my Italian tour guide said that it means "Leave Politics to Rome".

The train station in Milan was impressive and overwhelming. The structure was completed in 1931 and is 656 feet wide and 236 feet high vaulted ceilings and pure marble. Inside there are restaurants, cafes, leather and clothing shops, a great bookstore with a small but decent selection of books in English - for about $20 a paperback - and pickpockets of course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milano_Centrale_railway_station


The Duomo has recently been cleaned. Well, it took 18 years and they are still working on the steeple and the roof but now you can see the gray, pink and green marble that had been covered by years of soot, pollution and grime. Zoom in to get a better look. The nice thing about seeing the Duomo all cleaned up is that it allowed me to imagine how beautiful all the other uncleaned churches might look.

The marble on the floor still looks good because they swept & mopped frequently. Some marble is softer than others. In this case the black area of each tile stood up higher than the white and red areas because the black marble is stronger. There were noticably worn spots on each tile in the white and red areas; my foot slid down into the depressions of the uneven marble. It was a strange feeling to know that years and years of use had created these depressions and that many people had walked on this floor long before I had.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Cathedral

I had my first truly Italian meal in Milan, Spaghetti Bolognese. It was mediocre but the dessert was to die for. I never order Tiramisu here at home because I don't like it but in Italy it's ambrosia- you gotta get some!

I had a great tour of the city that only took a few hours. Here I am at the Sforza Castle.

Leonardo da Vinci and The Last Supper -wow! The famous 15th century experimental process mural of The Last Supper is on the dining room hall of the monastery Santa Maria delle Grazie. This is one location that is not crowded at all. Reservations are required or you can sign up for a tour that includes a visit. The reservation list is usually booked one or more months out so planning ahead is necessary. And it is well worth it.

They only allow 25 people in at a time and only for 15 minutes. First you stand in this chamber that de-humidifies you to protect the mural. There are armed guards inside, you are not allowed to take pictures or video, and you are not allowed to speak. It is a church after all. They have benches so you can sit down and actually enjoy the experience. Our tour guide was the only one allowed to speak and she stood at the back of the room and spoke softly. We could hear her clearly and it was a pleasure to listen. This was probably my favorite viewing experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_(Leonardo_da_Vinci)

Milan was full of mystery: little hidden neighborhoods with tree lined squares, local churches, produce stands, shops, men and women sitting on benches talking, playing games and laughing. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It was magnificent.