Ciao! Wanderlust is touching my soul these days, and it moves me to look back on past travels. So today I’m going to share with you a trip I took to Italy in 2015. Traveling with my daughter Janelle, I did something on this trip I don’t normally do on an overseas vacation. I know I write often of my travels to Europe on Rick Steves tours; I’ve been on several of them now and obviously enjoy traveling this way. But from time to time, I do manage to plan a trip and travel on my own, and that’s what Janelle and I did on our trip to Italy.
To begin with, the trip was kind of spur of the moment. It was mid-May 2015 when we first started talking and dreaming of going to Italy. And on July 2 we were flying off to Milan! Wow! Sometimes I can’t believe we pulled it off, on our own, in that short amount of time, but we did.
Basically, I planned air flights and hotels, while Janelle had the pleasure of figuring out the confusing Italian rail system and booking travel in and around Italy. She also scoped out restaurants and museums. Together, we decided what tourist sites we wanted to visit. We also asked Laura, daughter/sister/world-traveler extraordinaire, for her input on what we should see and do, and she did not disappoint, providing us with a great, detailed list that ensured we would not miss any highlights. And of course, I used my Rick Steves’ travel guide to Italy for reference as well. 😊
There were three legs to this trip: Milan, Florence and Cinque Terre. If this post starts to get too long, I may have to break it up into a second post. We’ll shall see. Stay tuned.
Day 1
Our first stop was Milan. The one thing I really wanted to see on this trip was the painting, The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci. And so, we decided to fly in and out of Milan, in northern Italy. Milan is the second largest city in Italy, and is known for its fashion and design. It is also the financial center of Italy and home of their national stock exchange. I think this quote from LonelyPlanet.com describes the city quite well: “Milan is Italy’s city of the future, a fast-paced metropolis where money talks, creativity is big business and looking good is an art form.”
Duomo di Milano – Our first stop in Milan was the Duomo, a subway ride away from our hotel. While the Duomo is beautiful inside, going up to the roof is also not to be missed as it’s covered in spires, statues, carvings, and gargoyles! And the view from on top is amazing. It offers a panoramic view of the whole city, and on a clear day you can see all the way to the distant Alps.
Looking down into the Piazza del Duomo from the roof
Looking up from the piazza.
This Duomo can hold up to 40,000 people and is second in size only to,
in Italy, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
I have to say I was really taken by this statue of Saint Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. It’s believed he was skinned alive and in this haunting statue his flayed skin is draped over his shoulders.
A few interesting facts about the Duomo:
Construction began in 1386 and was officially completed in 1965 when the last bronze door was installed, though most parts of the building had been completed by 1813.
There are 135 spires on the roof, each topped by a sculpture of a biblical figure.
After conquering Milan, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned King of Italy at the Duomo.
The Duomo is covered with pink Candoglia marble from Lake Maggiore, north of Milan. The Navigli Canals were constructed to bring the marble to the Duomo from the quarries, a distance of about 55 miles. Some of the canals are still in existence today. Speaking of which…
We headed to the Navigli District for dinner that night. This district has become quite a hotspot in Milan, known for its restaurants and art galleries. We enjoyed the local “aperitivo” culture. That is, we ordered a drink and with it came delicious, complimentary small plates of food. The Milanese version of happy hour. 😊
Day 2
It was kind of weird to be in another country on the 4th of July, where our country’s independence meant nothing to anyone but us. We still celebrated the day in spectacular fashion though, by visiting The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. The painting is of Jesus Christ and his Twelve Apostles at their last meal together, and is believed to depict the moment just after Jesus tells his disciples, “One of you will betray me.” As I mentioned, I really wanted to see this important masterpiece on this trip and couldn’t wait for the chance.
So, let me tell you about the really stupid thing I did when the opportunity came. The painting is located inside the Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. To be specific, it’s on a wall in the convent dining hall or, as they call it, the refectory. The masterpiece was painted between 1495 and 1497, and is considered one of the most important pieces of art in the world. Da Vinci used an experimental method--tempera on stone--because he wanted to be able to paint slowly. Typical fresco painting on wet plaster demands that a painter finish his work before the plaster dries and that wouldn't do for da Vinci. Unfortunately, the experiment proved unsuccessful as the paint did not adhere properly and began to flake away only a few decades after the work was finished.
To protect the masterpiece today, its environment is carefully monitored by a sophisticated air filtration system. Only thirty people are allowed to visit at one time, in 15-minute intervals. Visitors pass through humidity and dust-filtering chambers before reaching the painting. I knew this going in and was ready for the dust-filtering chambers. What I didn’t realize was you only spend about 5 minutes in two chambers and then, voila, the final door opens and you are standing in the room with The Last Supper.
And I was not ready. I thought the process to get in was supposed to take at least 15 minutes. So, when the final door suddenly opened and I was staring at The Last Supper, I walked in, in total awe, and forgot to take my sunglasses off! Seriously, I viewed one of the world’s most important works of art wearing sunglasses. I remember thinking, “Wow, they keep the room pretty dark to protect the painting from light.” Crazy. As amazing as the painting was, I think I would have been much more impressed if I’d viewed it looking through the lens of my normal glasses. Ugh. Such a stupid move on my part.
Picture taking is not allowed when viewing The Last Supper, so I found two pictures from the Internet to share with you. The photo above shows the painting at it looks today. Notice also, the top of the door below that was added to the wall in 1652. By doing so, a portion of the painting was removed, including the feet of Jesus. It’s said that by 1652 the painting had fallen into such disrepair that those who made the decision didn’t think placing the door in that location was such a big deal. Wow.
This second picture gives you an idea of how big the dining hall is where the painting resides; it's quite long and narrow in comparison.
The door your enter to see the painting and viewing the church itself.
Back outside, this is the courtyard of the Santa Maria delle Grazie.
We rounded out our time in Milan with a walking tour of the neighborhood that including seeing the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. At this site there is a Benedictine convent that dates back to the 9th century; church construction began in 1503. The most important art in San Maurizio are the frescoes of Bernardino Luini.
While walking, we passed by the ancient ruins of the Roman Imperial Palace. This area was known in the 3rd century as Mediolanum, and was chosen by Emperor Maximian as the capitol of the Western Empire. Once a vast property with a palace, imperial baths and chariot racing grounds, today the ruins are preserved in this central neighborhood of Milan.
On the right, Lauta, our local guide for the walking tour.
Below, is the large, fairly modern building that is the headquarters of the Italian stock exchange. Tourists didn't normally used to visit this area, but it has become a bit of a
photo-op stop since a quirky piece of art was installed in the Piazza Affari in 2010.
The statue bears the title of L.O.V.E., which stands for Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità (Freedom, Hate, Vengeance, Eternity) and was created by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, known for his provocative works. The statue was supposed to stay in the piazza for just a couple of weeks, but the city government has decided to keep it there indefinitely.
Cattelan never commented on the meaning of the statue, but most people assume it refers to the economic crisis that affected Europe – and Italy in particular – from 2008 onwards. The Milanese refer to it simply as “il dito,” or “the finger.”
And then, guess what, our walking tour ended at the Duomo. I guess in Milan, all roads lead to the Duomo. 😊
Which was quite convenient, as the take-away calzone shop that Laura had highly recommended to us, Luini Panzerotti, was right around the corner. A popular place, we had to queue up and wait our turn. The calzones were delicious, and we agreed they were worth the wait.
After lunch, we made our way to the Milano Centrale train station where we boarded the train for our next stop, Florence!
And with that, I'm going to stop now and save the rest of this trip for a future blog post or two.
It's been over four weeks since my last blog post, and I apologize for the delay. I was very busy getting ready for my May Maker Magic program, putting together 45 take-home kits, for a good chunk of that time. Also, I am now back working at the library two days a week, and it is a bit harder to concentrate and write posts at work than it is from the quiet of my own home. But I must say, it is very good to be back in the library, and I love being around people again! I’ve really missed both my co-workers and our friendly patrons. Last week, I took time to snap a few pictures outside the library: signs of spring growth as well as celebrating our library and being open!
I look forward to seeing you all at the information desk real soon.
Until then, take care and stay safe.