We arrived in Milan 3 days prior to our tour begins. Millan is Italy's second city and the capital of Lombardy and is the center of fashion, art, industry and banking. It is also a major university town including couple of the most prestigious art and design schools.
We picked a hotel Spadari located on the heart of Milam within a fairly close walking distance from the Doumo and most places we wanted to visit.
We picked a hotel Spadari located on the heart of Milam within a fairly close walking distance from the Doumo and most places we wanted to visit.
Ross and I also have a cousin living in Milan and couple of old friends that we wanted to take advantage of this trip and visit them too.
Upon our arrival after a good nap and freshening up , we got ready for strolling around the Doumo and Galleria Victorio Emanuele II arcade. and then visiting our cousins. According to their recommendation we met up in a very authentic Sicilian restaurant called Zagara Cafe, outside the touristic district . We needed to use the public transportation, which is very easy to navigate , the only trick is that in Italy in most bus and train rides you have to make sure to validate your tickets upon entering. Our visit was great , in a beautiful cozy patio, savoring Sicilian style pastas and wine and desserts for hours. Life seems more relax and laid back in Italy although Milan is one of the famous cities in the world for having a fast pace and being hectic ,however: even after the restaurant was closed nobody was in rush to boot us out!
È stato delizioso. Grazie mille!
Then we were tired and ready to hit the pillow. Looking forward for tomorrow's adventure.
Till then Buona notte e sogni d'oro.
Upon our arrival after a good nap and freshening up , we got ready for strolling around the Doumo and Galleria Victorio Emanuele II arcade. and then visiting our cousins. According to their recommendation we met up in a very authentic Sicilian restaurant called Zagara Cafe, outside the touristic district . We needed to use the public transportation, which is very easy to navigate , the only trick is that in Italy in most bus and train rides you have to make sure to validate your tickets upon entering. Our visit was great , in a beautiful cozy patio, savoring Sicilian style pastas and wine and desserts for hours. Life seems more relax and laid back in Italy although Milan is one of the famous cities in the world for having a fast pace and being hectic ,however: even after the restaurant was closed nobody was in rush to boot us out!
È stato delizioso. Grazie mille!
Then we were tired and ready to hit the pillow. Looking forward for tomorrow's adventure.
Till then Buona notte e sogni d'oro.
Day 2
Our second day in Millan was spent to visit a friend and strolling around the town . Italy is so reach in history , art and archeology that every direction you take you will run into something from ancient world. We noticed that many urban projects take a long time to finish just because wherever the dig they reach to a historic ruin and the need to close down the project to restore the site or move it to a museum or redirect the project all along. It was relaxing to grab a sandwich and sit on a church stairs in a piazza near our hotel and have lunch like locals and enjoy the people watch.
In the afternoon we had tickets to go and see The Marriage of Figaro in famous La Scala Theater in Milan's city center which is one of the world's most famous opera houses,
inaugurated in 1778 with and opera by Antonio Salieri. The Piazza Della Scala which is between the Galleria and opera house is hosting the statue of Leonardo da Vinci from 1870, in remembrance that Leonardo spent 20 years in Millan commissioned by Sforza family who dominated Millan when Medici family were in power in Florence. The show, the music and costumes were exquisite and an experience of lifetime.
Our second day in Millan was spent to visit a friend and strolling around the town . Italy is so reach in history , art and archeology that every direction you take you will run into something from ancient world. We noticed that many urban projects take a long time to finish just because wherever the dig they reach to a historic ruin and the need to close down the project to restore the site or move it to a museum or redirect the project all along. It was relaxing to grab a sandwich and sit on a church stairs in a piazza near our hotel and have lunch like locals and enjoy the people watch.
In the afternoon we had tickets to go and see The Marriage of Figaro in famous La Scala Theater in Milan's city center which is one of the world's most famous opera houses,
inaugurated in 1778 with and opera by Antonio Salieri. The Piazza Della Scala which is between the Galleria and opera house is hosting the statue of Leonardo da Vinci from 1870, in remembrance that Leonardo spent 20 years in Millan commissioned by Sforza family who dominated Millan when Medici family were in power in Florence. The show, the music and costumes were exquisite and an experience of lifetime.
Day 3
On our third day in Millan we started our day with touring inside and on rooftop of the Duomo to see the Gothic spires. Duomo di Milano is the city's centerpiece and the third largest church in Europe and is 600 years old. There are 2000 statues inside and another 1000 outside and 52, 100 feet tall pillars representing the weeks of the year and the church is as big to hold 40000 Worshippers. The exterior and interior needs to be visited from different angles. The interior includes a large nave , amazing works of stain glass windows, bunch of historic tombs and archeological area in the basement. This spot has been the spiritual spot for over 2000 years. in 2014 in an archeological excavation under the church , they found remains of the temple of the
Roman Goddess Minerva. The Gothic style of the Duomo is very rare in Italian architecture. We recommend you do not miss the touring of the Duomo rooftop. You will get a beautiful
panoramic view of the city while strolling through the flame likes church spires. 300 feet , above everything there is a 15 foot tall gilded Virgin Mary, La Madonnina, is overlooking Millan as the symbol of the city. Every spires and gargoyles and statue is decorated with different details. It is recommended to sit for a moment and try to appreciate the view and the
details in carving of each piece.
Roman Goddess Minerva. The Gothic style of the Duomo is very rare in Italian architecture. We recommend you do not miss the touring of the Duomo rooftop. You will get a beautiful
panoramic view of the city while strolling through the flame likes church spires. 300 feet , above everything there is a 15 foot tall gilded Virgin Mary, La Madonnina, is overlooking Millan as the symbol of the city. Every spires and gargoyles and statue is decorated with different details. It is recommended to sit for a moment and try to appreciate the view and the
details in carving of each piece.
In front of the Duomo is the Piazza del Duomo. In the center of this main square there is the statue of the Victor Emmanuel II , the first king of Italy and next to the Piazza is the beautiful four-story glass top arcade symbol of Millan , the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II built in 1877 , shows the modern era. Italy is the center of fantastic art and excellent workmanship and you definitely see the result in the shops of the Galleria. A great combination of artful fashion with perfect quality. This is a wonderful place to grab a cup of gelato and people watch and day dream about all the famous musicians and artists and historical figures who had been hanging out in that area. Wondering around the center of the Galleria there are many massive artworks referring to four continent except the Oceania cause it was built before the discovery of Australia.
We booked a local tour to Santa Maria del Grazzi to visit Leonardo's the last Super painting , the tour included a walking tour to the Sforza castle and Piazza Mercanti that was the center of Millan in middle ages and Loggia Degli Osii. and Scuola Palatine which are historical buildings located in Piazza Mercanti.
We also managed to visit Santa Maria presso San Satiro church. This Italian Renaissance church houses the early medieval shrine to Satyrus, brother of Saint Ambrose. The church is known for its false aspe to create an illusion of dept and perspective.
We also managed to visit Santa Maria presso San Satiro church. This Italian Renaissance church houses the early medieval shrine to Satyrus, brother of Saint Ambrose. The church is known for its false aspe to create an illusion of dept and perspective.