Milano

Sorry for getting this post out so late, I've really been enjoying my time and haven't felt like finishing any of my in progress posts.

A couple of weekends agoI had the opportunity to travel to one of the fashion capitals of the world: Milan.  While the intent of going there wasn't to shop, I made sure to stop by Louis Vitton, Prada and the other meca fashion conglomerates in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping mall.  Milan isn't just known for its fashion status, it also has one of the most unique cuisines in Italy due to the local grown ingredients.  Another attribute of Milan's food scene is the heaviness of their pastas and other dishes.  In researching Millan, I found an interesting comparison.  Many know that Paris and Rome are considered sister cities because of the large river that runs through each one.  One of Milan's sister cities is Venice.  Like Venice, Milan has a canal (granted, very small) system that runs through the, what I like to call "Happy Hour District" in the south-central Milan.

Traveling to Milan was by train.  If you know nothing about the train systems of Italy, you should know that if your destination is not the final destination of the train, to read the departure board carefully.  Since our train was headed to Milano, Turino being the trains final destination, I scrambled back and forth on the platform for a good ten minutes thinking my train had been cancelled.  In fact, all I had to do was look at the train number listed on my train ticket.  After the brief panic attack, I sat down on my first ever train ride.  Unlike airports, the train systems of Europe do not require security checks, baggage limits, etc.  You simply hop on and show your ticket to the conductor as he passes through your cabin.  Simple.

Many people that I have talked to about my eight month trip know I am using the book 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die as a rudimentary guide to seeing the world.  Along with the Galleria, I also wanted to see two other buildings in Milan: the Duomo of Milan and the Pirelli Tower.  The Galleria of Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the world's oldest shopping malls.  Approaching it from any side but one of its four major axes gives it the appearance of a large stone building with no clear function.  Upon reaching the entrance, a large glass  barrel vault pulls you into the space.  The three story building holds luxury fashion and household items on the lower floors and residential flats on the upper.  At the intersection of the barrel vaults is a large glass dome with iron support details that is simply beautiful.  Together, the stone walls and modern glass ceiling create an indoor-outdoor relationship that allows shopping to occur in all weather conditions.

                

Adjacent to the Galleria is the Duomo of Milan.  The Duomo is a gothic style cathedral that is famous for having the most stone statues built into its walls, columns and roof.  The cathedral faces a piazza and welcomes people as they leave the metro or the Galleria.  Atop of the Duomo is a golden statue that contrasts the stone statues that cover the rest of the cathedral.  The interior of the cathedral was simply breathtaking.  While not as decorated as St. Peter's, the gothic style creates a verticalness that is unmatched by any space I have seen.  I only got to see the interior at night, but during the day the interior is naturally lit through stain glass windows.

Pirelli Tower was once the tallest building in the world.  It was the first building to abandon the block form and use a more modern tapered design.  As a commercial building, I was unable to go inside, but even from the outside the building was compelling to look at.

For food in Milan, I tried a new dish: spade tartaro (swordfish tartar).  I've never had tartar before and I was... surprised to realize that it was cold.  Nevertheless, it was delicious with a glass of red wine.

While checking off buildings in the book is fulfilling, it's going beyond the locations listed in the book to meet locals, eat exotic foods, and enjoy life that have and will continue to make my adventure one of a kind.  One such stop was to Santa Maria Della Grazie to see the world's famous Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci.  Until recently I had always thought it was in Paris with the Monalise, alla The Da Vinci Code movie.  While I only had 15 minutes to see it, I made sure to sit down and enjoy the 129' masterpiece before secretly capturing a couple pictures.  Ssssshhhhhh don't tell the Italian authorities please!

My overall thought of Milan was not as good as I had hoped.  While I did enjoy the city, after seeing the Duomo, Galleria, and Last Supper there wasn't much to do besides eat, drink, or shop.  Milan is much more modern city than Rome and as a result it is missing a lot of the historical character that makes Rome so beautiful.