1 day in Milan: Buongiorno from Milano

Domenica 30 agosto

We had just two nights and one day in Milano as a stopover between Prague and Bellagio. Our only real plan was to visit Milan's famous Duomo Cathedral, so that's what we set out to do after breakfast at Michelangelo Hotel adjacent to Milano Centrale Stazione, walking along Via Vittor Pisani and Via Marco de Marchi  ....

A gorgeous wrought iron entrance gate to a private residence.

Kartell design store along the way - The EXPO is big in Milan this year.

Duomo fabric-covered designer chairs!


.... until we reached the Piazza del duomo - and there it was! 

Here are Penny's lovely shots of the exquisite detailed sculpturing of the pink and white marble.

Gorgeous cherubs!

You can see where old weathered Italian marble has been replaced, from the marble and granite mines on Lake Maggiorre, where we are going later - this is a constant ongoing job by skilled crafstmen to keep the cathedral in good order.

 The duomo is the catherdral church of Milan and is dedicated to st Mary of the Nativity (Santa Maria Nascente), it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan.

The Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries ( yes 600 years!) to complete, with design work by nearly 100 architects over that time and so it has changes dramatically over time in terms of the facde and decoration. It is the 5th largest church in the world and the 2nd largest in Italy!

Here are some of my ordinary shots

Superb patterned marble and porphyry floor tiles and columns in the Doumo

After a lovely rest and drink or gelato at the Duomo Museum, Penny and I went our separate ways to explore different things - me to visit the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie, the Castello and the CityLife resedential development, all to the west of the Duomo, but a long walk, especially as it was so hot today - very glad of a hat, sunglasses, 30+, shorts and plenty of water!

Milan's most famous mural, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper (Il Cenacolo) is hidden away on a wall of the refectory adjoining the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie. Depicting Christ and his disciples at the dramatic moment when Christ reveals he's aware of his betrayal, it's a masterful psychological study and one of the world's most iconic images.

 As I had not booked in advance I could not see it which is a pity, as I was right there.

Here is a small replica that they have available to view with an explanantin of the scene.

Arriving at the Sforzesco - The Sforza Castle

Milan's imposing castle was designed by Galeazzo II Visconti in 14th Century during the Renaissance period and  it was built as a defensive castle. Throughout its history, the castle was destroyed and built up again modified. The castle houses museums with rarities such as the last masterpiece of Michelangelo, the unfinished Pietà Rondanini and the frescoes by Leonardo da Vinci and Bramante.

Particularly impressive is the tower with the entrance Torre del Filarete, named after the Florentine architect and sculptor Antonio Averlino (called Filarete).

Inside the courtyard

If you keep walking north through the castle and Sempione Park, you end up at

The Arch of Peace Arco della Pace in Piazza Sempione. Napoleon Bonaparte took Milan in 1796/97 while the First Italian campaign. At Milan Cathedral on 26 May 1805, Napoleon was crowned King of Italy with the Iron Crown of Lombardy.

 

By 4.30pm it was 33C

I happened upon a cafe with a clean toilette and homemade gelato - I had uno cuppetta of melon and limone - a welcome relief!

I continued walking nuntil I finally reached the still under construction CityLife residential development which is of interest to me because I had read that Zaha Hadid - an amazing Iraqi-British architect who consistently pushes the boundaries of architecture and urban design - had designed several of the apartment blocks for this exiting new way of living in Milan.

 I loved their smooth curves, lack of symmetry, use of timber amongst trhe stark white finish and the large amount of open space available for private and public use.

 Contrasts in living - the new versus the old.

By this stage I was hot and exhausted, so I braved Milan's train system, managed to buy a ticket and follow the red and yellow lines to get back to Centrale Stazione, then I showered and went to the local restaurant near the hotel, ordered a 1L acqua minerale frizzante (I was feeling dehydrated), and ate a delicious insalata mista and several pieces of bread - I also had a great conversation with the couple sitting next to me who were from Ballarat of all places!