This past weekend we took the train south to Milan, Italy. We were there for really only one full day, but we managed to see a lot. We started the day at "Santa Maria della Grazie." It's the church where Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper" painting is housed. That was pretty cool to see. Pictures were not allowed, but I managed to get a shot of one of the posters in the gift shop. The kids thought it was a nice painting, but of course they wondered what the big deal was. I tried to explain it to them but we were only allowed to view it for 15 minutes. Then you leave and the next group comes in. Anyway...we continued on and toured "Castello Sforzesco," which is where the royal family lived before the unification of Italy. It's a pretty big castle with massive walls that surround it. From the castle we walked over to Duomo Square, where the gothic "Duomo Cathedral" sits (otherwise known as "Milan Cathedral"). Construction first began on the church in 1386. These days you can purchase a ticket to walk on the roof and see the surrounding city, so we had to do that. Later on we had lunch at the "Galleria Vittorio Emanuele," which is one of the oldest malls known in the world. Built during the reign of Mussolini the mall is an outdoor mall covered with an arched glass ceiling. It is filled with high priced shops and restaurants, but the setting is worth the expense. At one area of the floor there's a fresco of a bull. Milanos believe if you spin your heel on the scrotum of the bull it will bring you good luck. So we had to try that.
So that was about it. We did some shopping, ate some good Italian food, and just basically hung around the Duomo Square both in the day and night. One other interesting thing we saw was the train station. Though construction on the station first began in 1906 it wasn't until Mussolini came to power that the station was completed in 1931. With all the travelers coming to Milan on the trains Mussolini wanted the station to exemplify the power of the fascist regime. So you see a lot of bold statues and columns and frescoes. It was by far the most striking train station I've seen in Europe.
Overall, we really enjoyed Milan. From our area of Switzerland it's only about a 4 hour train ride to the heart of the city, so it's a nice destination for a weekend getaway.
Santa Maria della Grazie. The church where Da Vinci's "Last Supper" is housed.
Taking a tour of Castello Sforzesco.
The Duomo Cathedral
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. One of the world's first malls.
