We have just spent a rather hot, but enjoyable three days in Milano.

Of course Milan’s most famous landmark is the stunning Duomo!

Because the queue was quite long to enter the Duomo, and it was in the sun, and it was 34 degrees, we decided to go through the Duomo Museum first which houses many religious objects used in the Duomo throughout the centuries, but the gargoyles were definitely Rhonda’s favourite.

Construction of the Duomo began in 1386 and continued to 1813 with the final finishes, the last door applied, in 1965! Hence the people of Milan have a saying for difficult tasks…….”it could take as long as the construction of the Duomo”.

Some stats for you….

1. There are more statues on this building than any other in the world.
2. 2245 statues on the exterior with 96 gargoyles and 135 spires.
3. The statue of the Virgin Mary on the tallest spire is covered with 3900 pieces of gold leaf.

We took the 2 euro elevator ride and not the 919 “free” steps to the roof of the Cathedral.

What a magnificent sight! You are surrounded by the spires and all the marble figures.

In the Piazza Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 11 built in the second half of the 19th Century.

Today it houses all those stores that Greg would not let Rhonda enter. Prada, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Armani, Gucci, etc etc etc.

 

 

We did however have a coffee at the Camparino Bar and it was our most expensive yet! 5.50 euros per coffee and 4 euros for a small bottle of water!

 

 

 

 

There is a mosaic of Turin’s Coat of Arms on the floor in the Galleria. Tradition says that if a person spins 3 times with a heel on the testicles, (balls) of the bull it will bring you good luck! So when in Milan………..

 

 

 

After all this exercise, it was time for a cool drink, so what better way to cool down and quench one’s thirst than a bottle of Champagne…French of course!

We had a lovely 2 hours sitting, sipping,munching and watching the “beautiful people” pass by!

We wandered around Castello Sforzesco. It was originally built as a fortress in Medieval times, then transformed to a Palace from the 13th to the 16th Century! These thing take time!

Today the Castello houses many Museums.

Of course in our 3 day Milano “junket”, there were many ABC moments!

Besides the Duomo , the only other one we will bore you with is Santa Maria Delle Grazie.It is where Leonardo’s “Last Supper” is painted so thus it is UNESCO listed.

 

A little away from the hustle of Milano is The Navigili, the canal system. It was a nice quiet spot to sit, relax and have a coffee, cheaper than the Galleria!!!!!!!!

 

 

Rhonda did a “little shopping” , but not the shoes that she wanted. The only pair that she really really really wanted were only 425 euros, but for some strange reason Greg said an emphatic NO.

Scattered throughout the busy shopping area are many stores of ,and for the rich and famous , and the likes of Prada have their own cafes! We decided to have a coffee at the Prada owned Marchesi Cafe and the Barista certainly had a sense of humour! Can you guess which coffee above was Greg’s?????????

 

 

Greg would not even buy Rhonda these shoes! They are chocolate ones at 90 euros per shoe! Yes the window shopping was fun!

 

 

 

Our first nights dinner was sensational. After asking “Mr Google” for some sea bass he kindly suggested a Ristorante , quite near our hotel.

The entree pastas of “Italian Flag” seafood gnocchi, and pesto pappardelle were delicious , as was our main course of salt baked sea bass, as was the red wine!!!!!

On our second night we met the “other part” of our Swiss family, Nadines Dad and his wife, Sparta and Sabin. It was a great night, great food, great company , and it was lovely to see them again.

Before catching the Metro back to our Hotel, Greg took some night shots around the Piazza Duomo! It was midnight, and still loads of people were wandering, and it was still around 30 degrees!

 

We used the Metro system a lot over our 3 day stay and it helped Greg’s knees enormously! We had no problem with our train journeys either! ( Tez, we made sure our train from Milano actually STOPPED at our station!!!!!)

We had a wonderful 3 days, even though it was stinking hot. Milano is a lovely city but we prefer Torino!

So it’s Sunday night , and there is something happening in our Square tonight. Seems to be some type of circus act, so we may partake of a drink to suss it out! Will let you know if it was exciting or not!

So ciao for now!

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxxx