Milano Cosmopolita

On Friday, I spent the day in Milan, the second largest city in Italy and one of the most cosmopolitan in all of Europe. Milan is unique in its culture because it is more than just Italian, influenced by neighboring France, Switzerland, and Germany. Although the weather was gray and dim while I was there, it was nice to have some needed relief from the Italian sun. The color of the sky also gave the city a certain stateliness, much like the clouds did in Ireland.


My day started off with a bang when I woke up at 7am...for my 7am train. I had a feeling I would be late after the exhausting travels to Rome and Venice, but it was still hectic trying to get ready and packed for my 3-day trip. I ran to the Florence train station, only to find out the next Milan train was not until 9am. So i grabbed a 10 euro ticket (with my railpass) and got a frappé and donut from the nearby McDonald's Café. Not only was my little breakfast inexpensive (2.15 euros!), but also it was pretty fancy for a fast food place. Oh, Italy.


When I finally arrived in Milan, I bought a day-pass for the metro and made my way to the center of the city. The subways in Milan were limited and inconvenient, with only three lines! This comes after living in Paris for the summer, which has more than 14 separate underground subways alone. Right away, I went to the Santa Maria delle Grazie, the church where Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is housed. I had tried to make reservations online while I was in the USA a few weeks ago, but it was already booked then. Unfortunately, it was sold out, as I had expected, when I arrived Friday. Bummer. So I looked around the church, which was cool on its own, before heading to the Castello (the first picture above). The Sforzesco Castle is a museum and was the center of Milan politics for centuries.


Finally, I made my way into the center piazza, which is home to the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (both pictured above). The Duomo, the center of any good Italian city, was as awesome as expected, and pictures cannot capture the detail and ornate features on the inside. The Galleria is basically a shopping mall in a fancy outdoor pavilion. I stopped for lunch at a restaurant and treated myself to a pasta dish and carafe of white wine. Yum.


The Teatro Alla Scala, known as La Scala, is a world famous opera house originating from the 1770s. It is one of the most famous opera houses in all of Europe and was at the center of Italian operas for decades. I took a tour of the facilities and snuck a quick (illegal) photo of the main theatre and box-seating area. It was huge and really fancy. I also saw two famous churches, Sant'Ambrogio and Sant'Eustorgio, which houses the sarcophagus that held the remains and relics of the Magi for over 4 centuries.


Before heading back to the train station, I took a quick stroll through Milan's famous fashion district. One of the four largest fashion centers in the world and the many headquarters of Italian designers, the Fashion District is covered with designer stores on every corner, including Armani, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, just to name a few. Next post is Switzerland!