I woke up early around 6:30 am to find out that Samia had been up since 4 am. Despite sleeping late the night before, we were quite well rested, thanks to the nap in the previous evening. We headed down to have the complimentary breakfast offered by our hotel. It was a good spread from tasty scrambled eggs to cereal to fruit to croissants of all sorts. We had a hearty breakfast, went up to our room to get ready and then left for exploring Milan.
Our first stop was the Santa Maria della Grazie church. Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting "The Last Supper" is housed in the building next to the church. Tickets to see the painting sell out fast so we had made reservations in advance through the extremely efficient Visa Infinite Concierge service. The church wasn't too far from our hotel and we were there after a 15 minute walk. After passing through a couple of dehumidification chambers, we finally entered the building that houses the masterpiece on a wall. The building used to serve as the dining hall and it was customary in the Middle Ages to have The Last Supper painting in dining rooms. Leonardo da Vinci took four years to paint it and instead of portraying the usual Last Supper scene where Jesus is sharing bread with his twelve apostles after telling them that one of them will betray him, Leonardo da Vinci decided to paint the moment before the bread sharing. The painting is a master work depicting the psychology of that moment. Jesus is sitting in the middle with a hint of sadness in his eyes. The twelve apostles are grouped in groups of three and each of them has a different reaction to the news. Judas is the only one facing away from the observer. The painting uses symmetrical lines to create a perspective where the observer is drawn towards the center of the painting to Jesus' forehead. The lighting used in the painting takes into consideration the actual natural light coming in that room through the windows so it feels like a part of the room. Leonardo da Vinci experimented with a new "dry" technique using water colors so that he could have more time to decide how he wants to paint and make changes. The downside of this technique was that the painting started deteriorating just a few years after its completion. The painting went through several restoration attempts where the original work was painted over. The final restoration started in 1977 and finished after 22 years in 1999. The painting is in extremely fragile condition so it's kept in a very carefully regulated environment. There is another painting depicting the crucifixion of Jesus on the opposite wall that uses the more prevalent fresco style. It was painted only a few years after The Last Supper by another artist but is in impeccable condition. After exiting the room, we quickly checked out the adjoining church and then walked back to the metro station next to our hotel.
We took the metro subway train to our second stop of the day - the Duomo Milano or the Milan Cathedral. The cathedral has an imposing outer facade of white marble with scores of statues and high spires. There was a huge lineup so we waited for about 90 minutes in line before we were inside. It was worth the wait though. The cathedral is extremely grand inside with giant columns and ornate colorful marble floors. Bisecting the main nave is the transept that is flanked on both sides by chapels decorated with polychrome marble. The most unusual statue in the cathedral is that of Saint Bartholomew that depicts his body post-torture with his skin flayed from his flesh and cast about his neck like a cape. The statue shows all the muscles of his body in intricate detail. It was carved by one of Leonardo da Vinci's students who was inspired by the master's passion for human anatomy. The stained glass windows inside the cathedral are very impressive and thought to be the tallest and grandest in Christendom. Then we went downstairs to the crypt and then took the elevator to the rooftop. The rooftop is lined with roomy terraces where you can walk and see the gargoyles and spires adorning the cathedral facade. After a treacherous climb of winding stairs, we reached the rooftop where atop a tower is a golden statue of Madonna. We sat there for a few minutes to rest and then made our way down using the elevator.
Our third stop of the day was the Galleria Vittoria Emanuel which is a stone's throw away from the cathedral in the same piazza. This impressive building is actually a mall with covered glass ceiling and is the shape of a square cross with a handful shops of high end brands lining the arms of the cross. The floors are made of ornate marble. This gallery was built by the people of Milan to celebrate the unification of Italy and is named in honor of the first king of united Italy, Victor Emanuel the second. It was a hot day and we found respite in the shade of the gallery before making our way to a sandwich shop a couple of blocks away. I had a roast chicken sandwich and Samia had a vegetarian sandwich. Then we walked to our next stop of the day.
A couple of blocks from the gallery is the more than 200 years old opera theater called Teatro Alla Scalla. We took a tour of the museum housed inside the opera theater that also gave us a chance to see the stage and the seating area. The theater is one of the finest opera houses in the world but it's grandeur is not quite the same as the Opera House in Vienna that we visited last year. The museum was interesting as artifacts and musical instruments used in different opera plays of the past were on display. After the tour of the theater and its museum, we took a dessert break at the Cafe of the theater. We shared a strawberry cheesecake and I also had a latte. Then we took the metro back to our hotel for a mid-afternoon siesta. We napped for about three hours.
We had made dinner reservations in the Navigli area which is around the Navigli canal. We took the metro and with a little bit of effort, found our restaurant. It was a very charming restaurant with excellent service bearing the same name as the square in which it is located - Piazza Sant'Eustorgio. We had lightly fried Sienese vegetables for starters - there were potatoes, zucchini, yams and eggplants. The frying was so light that you could taste the distinct flavor of each vegetable. Then we had our main course - juicy grilled beef steak for me and fried veal cutlet topped with cherry tomatoes and tatsoi leaves for Samia. The veal cutlet is a Milanese specialty and is called "Elephant's Ear". After the excellent main courses, we shared a cheesecake to finish off the meal.
After dinner, we walked around the area, only stopping to get mango flavored gelato ice cream. Then we boarded a tram to the Duomo area which passed through the clubbing district. We saw the white marble exterior of the Duomo glowing magnificently in the dark of the night and then took the metro subway to the stop next to our hotel. Our hotel is opposite an old castle called Castello Sforzesco which was the only thing left on our list so we decided to stroll towards it. We sat at a fountain that's at the base of the castle to savor the misty fresh air. After relaxing for a few minutes, we walked back to our hotel and went to bed to end our Milan sightseeing day. Despite going slow and taking frequent breaks, it turned out that we had walked over 14 kilometers in the day but thanks to the nap, it didn't feel too tiring. Milan has pleasantly exceeded our expectations and our trip is off to a great start. We'll go to the Italian Lake District tomorrow. Till then, take care and goodbye!
Our first stop was the Santa Maria della Grazie church. Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting "The Last Supper" is housed in the building next to the church. Tickets to see the painting sell out fast so we had made reservations in advance through the extremely efficient Visa Infinite Concierge service. The church wasn't too far from our hotel and we were there after a 15 minute walk. After passing through a couple of dehumidification chambers, we finally entered the building that houses the masterpiece on a wall. The building used to serve as the dining hall and it was customary in the Middle Ages to have The Last Supper painting in dining rooms. Leonardo da Vinci took four years to paint it and instead of portraying the usual Last Supper scene where Jesus is sharing bread with his twelve apostles after telling them that one of them will betray him, Leonardo da Vinci decided to paint the moment before the bread sharing. The painting is a master work depicting the psychology of that moment. Jesus is sitting in the middle with a hint of sadness in his eyes. The twelve apostles are grouped in groups of three and each of them has a different reaction to the news. Judas is the only one facing away from the observer. The painting uses symmetrical lines to create a perspective where the observer is drawn towards the center of the painting to Jesus' forehead. The lighting used in the painting takes into consideration the actual natural light coming in that room through the windows so it feels like a part of the room. Leonardo da Vinci experimented with a new "dry" technique using water colors so that he could have more time to decide how he wants to paint and make changes. The downside of this technique was that the painting started deteriorating just a few years after its completion. The painting went through several restoration attempts where the original work was painted over. The final restoration started in 1977 and finished after 22 years in 1999. The painting is in extremely fragile condition so it's kept in a very carefully regulated environment. There is another painting depicting the crucifixion of Jesus on the opposite wall that uses the more prevalent fresco style. It was painted only a few years after The Last Supper by another artist but is in impeccable condition. After exiting the room, we quickly checked out the adjoining church and then walked back to the metro station next to our hotel.
We took the metro subway train to our second stop of the day - the Duomo Milano or the Milan Cathedral. The cathedral has an imposing outer facade of white marble with scores of statues and high spires. There was a huge lineup so we waited for about 90 minutes in line before we were inside. It was worth the wait though. The cathedral is extremely grand inside with giant columns and ornate colorful marble floors. Bisecting the main nave is the transept that is flanked on both sides by chapels decorated with polychrome marble. The most unusual statue in the cathedral is that of Saint Bartholomew that depicts his body post-torture with his skin flayed from his flesh and cast about his neck like a cape. The statue shows all the muscles of his body in intricate detail. It was carved by one of Leonardo da Vinci's students who was inspired by the master's passion for human anatomy. The stained glass windows inside the cathedral are very impressive and thought to be the tallest and grandest in Christendom. Then we went downstairs to the crypt and then took the elevator to the rooftop. The rooftop is lined with roomy terraces where you can walk and see the gargoyles and spires adorning the cathedral facade. After a treacherous climb of winding stairs, we reached the rooftop where atop a tower is a golden statue of Madonna. We sat there for a few minutes to rest and then made our way down using the elevator.
Our third stop of the day was the Galleria Vittoria Emanuel which is a stone's throw away from the cathedral in the same piazza. This impressive building is actually a mall with covered glass ceiling and is the shape of a square cross with a handful shops of high end brands lining the arms of the cross. The floors are made of ornate marble. This gallery was built by the people of Milan to celebrate the unification of Italy and is named in honor of the first king of united Italy, Victor Emanuel the second. It was a hot day and we found respite in the shade of the gallery before making our way to a sandwich shop a couple of blocks away. I had a roast chicken sandwich and Samia had a vegetarian sandwich. Then we walked to our next stop of the day.
A couple of blocks from the gallery is the more than 200 years old opera theater called Teatro Alla Scalla. We took a tour of the museum housed inside the opera theater that also gave us a chance to see the stage and the seating area. The theater is one of the finest opera houses in the world but it's grandeur is not quite the same as the Opera House in Vienna that we visited last year. The museum was interesting as artifacts and musical instruments used in different opera plays of the past were on display. After the tour of the theater and its museum, we took a dessert break at the Cafe of the theater. We shared a strawberry cheesecake and I also had a latte. Then we took the metro back to our hotel for a mid-afternoon siesta. We napped for about three hours.
We had made dinner reservations in the Navigli area which is around the Navigli canal. We took the metro and with a little bit of effort, found our restaurant. It was a very charming restaurant with excellent service bearing the same name as the square in which it is located - Piazza Sant'Eustorgio. We had lightly fried Sienese vegetables for starters - there were potatoes, zucchini, yams and eggplants. The frying was so light that you could taste the distinct flavor of each vegetable. Then we had our main course - juicy grilled beef steak for me and fried veal cutlet topped with cherry tomatoes and tatsoi leaves for Samia. The veal cutlet is a Milanese specialty and is called "Elephant's Ear". After the excellent main courses, we shared a cheesecake to finish off the meal.
After dinner, we walked around the area, only stopping to get mango flavored gelato ice cream. Then we boarded a tram to the Duomo area which passed through the clubbing district. We saw the white marble exterior of the Duomo glowing magnificently in the dark of the night and then took the metro subway to the stop next to our hotel. Our hotel is opposite an old castle called Castello Sforzesco which was the only thing left on our list so we decided to stroll towards it. We sat at a fountain that's at the base of the castle to savor the misty fresh air. After relaxing for a few minutes, we walked back to our hotel and went to bed to end our Milan sightseeing day. Despite going slow and taking frequent breaks, it turned out that we had walked over 14 kilometers in the day but thanks to the nap, it didn't feel too tiring. Milan has pleasantly exceeded our expectations and our trip is off to a great start. We'll go to the Italian Lake District tomorrow. Till then, take care and goodbye!
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