Milan 2008

Rosemary's Travel Diary

Sat/Sun - This was a long travel day: Los Angeles to Chicago, Chicago to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Milan, with long layovers between flights. On the long taxi ride from the airport to our hotel I had the chance for some Italian conversation, discussing the weather and the toll roads with the driver. The good news is that I was able to understand most of what he said. All that time spent listening in class is finally paying off. We took a short nap and then walked out for dinner. Our hotel is just a couple of blocks from Piazza del Duomo, the big square around the cathedral. There is a large pedestrian-only zone that extends along some of the streets that connect to the piazza. After dining at one of the touristy sidewalk cafes we went back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep.

Mon - Our first excursion was to the roof of the Duomo. This proved to be a good decision, as we were able to enjoy it early in the day, before the big tour groups and rowdy teens arrived. It is the second largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and has the most elaborate exterior of any building I have seen. Construction and decoration, inside and out, took place from 1386 to about 1858, with finishing details added in 1965. Still a work in progress, the cathedral's facade is currently under renovation, its scaffolding shrouded in canvas covered with ugly advertising. But the other sides of the building are fully visible, and they are amazing. There are thousands of statues from different artists and eras. Many stand dramatically on the tips of tall spires where they are hard to see from the ground, making the climb to the roof a must. Gargoyles act as spouts to drain rainwater from the various levels. High above everything else is a golden statue of the Madonna, nicknamed Madonnina, one of the symbols of the city of Milan. Inside, the cathedral is filled with more artwork, and here we can appreciate just how huge it is. It was designed to hold 40,000 people, the entire population of the city at the time. After visiting the cathedral, we tried to go to the nearby museum, but it is closed for renovation.

Near the cathedral is the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele, a covered shopping mall designed by Giuseppe Mengoni and built between 1865 and 1877. The glass roof is over 90 feet high, and the sidewalk is decorated with mosaics. Here we had lunch, being wished "Buon appetito" by passing students, then continued walking through the Galleria to Piazza della Scala, which faces Milan's opera house, La Scala. We had checked ahead of time to see if we could get tickets to a performance, but there are none while we are here. We went inside and got a good look at the interior of the theater, then visited the museum, which is filled with antique instruments and mementos of the many composers and performers who have worked here. There was also a special exhibit honoring Maria Callas.

Milan is known for fashion, and there are plenty of high-end boutiques and shops here. We enjoyed some window shopping in the late afternoon. Lots of lovely and interesting things to see. Nearly every person (not counting tourists!) who walks by is beautifully dressed. Whether the clothes are expensive or not, business or casual, they always fit perfectly and have a "well put together" look. I have noticed two fashion trends that I don't like: the return of textured stockings, and extremely short, severe-looking haircuts on women.

After a nap, we met with Steve's publishing colleague Federico Monti Arduini and his son Nicola, who took us out to a wonderful dinner. They are charming and friendly, and were kindly flattering about my Italian vocabulary, which is nothing compared to their fluent English. Federico also introduced us to an after-dinner beverage called Mira, which is made in a way similar to limoncello, using berries. Afterwards we all went to Chocolat, widely considered the best gelateria in Milan. It was excellent, and the only two-level gelateria I have seen. It rained, or drizzled, very lightly, on and off during the pleasantly cool evening.

Tue - We had planned to walk along Via Dante to the Sforza Castle, but it was raining too hard, so we took the subway instead. The castle dates back to the 14th century, but over the centuries it has been damaged, particularly during WWII, and much of it has been reconstructed and restored. Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked here for many years. It now houses several museums. We toured the Museum of Ancient Art until it closed for lunch. We had the "business special" at a nearby restaurant and then went to the Museum of Arts and Science. What an odd place! It has a relatively small exhibit on da Vinci, a small collection of African art, and a huge amount of space devoted to educating the public on how to tell the difference between authentic and fake art and antiquities. It reminded us very strongly of a high school science fair project. Later, we took a subway ride on a quest to see "Leonardo's Horse", the largest equine sculpture in the world. It has a twin in Grand Rapids MI, which I have also seen. It wasn't easy to find, and people whom I asked for directions had never heard of it, even though it was only about a half mile away. (I realized later I should have asked for directions to the stadium, which is across the street from the sculpture and much more visible from the street.) A bus driver finally pointed us the right way. The horse is exhibited in a courtyard next to the Cultural Park and a racetrack. Although it is as big as the one in Grand Rapids, this setting somehow makes it seem smaller and less dramatic than the large, grassy field that surrounds the other one. While we were there, just one other couple showed up, and we took pictures of each other.

Back at our hotel, we took a nap and then went out looking for a place to have dinner. The top of the nearby Rinascente department store had been recommended to us, so we rode the escalator through nine floors of designer fashions and housewares. The top floor has a very impressive deli and restaurants, one on the terrace with a view of the duomo. But it was too cold to eat outside, and too hot inside, so we rode back down and returned to the Galleria where we had a nice meal.

The famous facade of Milan's cathedral is partly obscured by draped scaffolding as it continues to undergo renovation

Over the centuries, scores of artists and craftsmen have decorated every inch of the building.

Here's a closer look at some of the detailed work along the upper edge.

Many sculptures are mounted on tall spires and can barely be seen from the ground.

So tourists climb to the roof for a closer look.

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Thousands of sculptures, representing five centuries of work by countless artists, cover the cathedral. Particularly impressive are those mounted on the tall spires that give it such a distinctive look.

Inside the cathedral is Marco d'Agrate's sculpture of
St. Bartholomew, who was martyred by being skinned.

Piazza del Duomo features an equestrian sculpture of
the ever-popular Vittorio Emanuele II.

Piazza della Scala, facing the famous opera house, is
dominated by a sculpture of Leonardo da Vinci.

Entering the Sforza castle.

Modern art on display outside the Sforza.

A window overlooking Piazza dei Mercanti

From the art collection at Sforza Castle:

Sepulchral Monument of Bernabò Visconti by Bonino da Campione

14th century decoration

15th century fresco

Over a period of 17 years in the late 1400's, Leonardo da Vinci worked on the design for a massive horse sculpture. He built a full-scale clay model, but the project was never finished, and the model was destroyed when Milan was invaded by France a few years later. In 1990's a team of sculptors working with Leonardo's sketches and related materials created two 13-ton bronze statues. One was placed at the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the other at the Cultural Park in Milan, Italy.

"Leonardo's Horse" in Michigan.

"Leonardo's Horse" in Milan.