Milan

The Alps hike, then Bellagio to relax, and finally a whirlwind day and a half in Milan before flying home to Chicago on a direct flight. My expectations were a bit low for Milan if I’m being honest. I had read many times that Milan was a big bustling modern city that didn’t have the history of Rome or the charm of Florence. Mainly known for fashion and banking. That may be true but I actually loved Milan and would welcome an opportunity to return and see more because a day and a half only brushed the surface of things that interest me. It had a great energy that at the end of a two week trip I appreciated.

It was easy to get from Bellagio to Milan. We took a short ferry from Bellagio to Varenna and then an hour train into Milan Central Station. Milan has a wonderful transportation system which I normally love, but at this point with a short time there I didn’t want to try and figure it out as we were each lugging a carryon, personal item and backpack. Also I had booked a hotel in a very convenient location to the main things we wanted to see so we just jumped in a taxi which was actually really very reasonable. Once we got to the hotel we walked everywhere.

We stayed at the Ariston Hotel which was a Rick Steves recommendation. It’s a recently remodeled hotel in a great location. Bonus - a very nice breakfast is included and I wanted to bring the cappuccino machine home as a souvenir. Also a nice rooftop with tables and chairs and a great view.

The highlight for me was seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper painting. It is painted on the former dining hall of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and it’s miraculous that it still exists. Leonardo worked on it from 1494 to 1498, and within 6 years deterioration had already begun. He painted it on the wall in layers as he would on a canvas instead of applying pigment to wet plaster in the usual fresco technique. In addition the church was bombed in World War II, but the wall holding the Last Supper remained standing. To minimize damage from humidity only 30 people are allowed in the room every 15 minutes. And it’s exactly 15 minutes and not a second longer.

It’s tricky to get a ticket to see it. They tickets go on sale for 3 months at a time, and you need to be ready to get online the second they open for the quarter you will be there. The tickets sell rapidly because tour companies are trying to buy them as well. The tickets are inexpensive - just 15 Euros each, but if you don’t buy directly you will pay 10 times that from a tour company. Get familiar with the purchase policy because it’s well worth it. I paid a few dollars extra to have the benefit of an English speaking guide. While we only had 15 minutes with the painting the guide spent an hour with us telling us the history which was fascinating. This is the building the painting is in and our guide giving us so much information. The photo on the right is how the painting was protected during the war - with scaffolding and sandbags

Seeing the painting brought tears to my eyes. A photograph doesn’t do it justice. For one the painting is very large. In person you can really appreciate da Vinci’s enormous talent creating depth and light on a flat surface. A 21 year restoration project (completed in 1999) peeled away 500 years of touch-ups leaving the masterpiece faint but vibrant. Our excellent guide described each apostle and how their personalities and mannerisms were captured in detail.

Another must see is the Duomo di Milano. Its sits in the center of town in the largest square and you can see it from every rooftop in town. It’s the third largest church in Europe and was built to hold 40,000 worshippers - the entire population of Milan when construction began in 1386. There are more than 2000 statues inside and another 1000 outside.

Just like many popular attractions post Covid all entries are timed and best to purchase in advance. You can also buy a combo ticket to see the inside and go up on the roof 20 stories above. Don’t miss the roof! You walk amongst the spires and have a fantastic view of the city. 330 feet above the roof is a statue of La Madonnina - a 15 foot tall gilded Virgin Mary which is a symbol of the city.

Inside the church you will see the 4th largest nave of all Christian churches stretching 500 feet from the entrance to the rose window. Notice the little red light on the cross high above the altar. This marks where a nail from the cross of Jesus is kept brought to Milan by St Helen in the 4th century when Milan was the capital of the western Roman Empire. One could spend days inside the church examining the stained glass, the statues and other important details but in a day and a half I just got to get an overview.

The outside is incredible as well. It is described as Flamboyant Gothic meaning flame-like and the church seems to flicker toward heaven with flames of stone. It’s all done in pink-white marble with five bronze doors across the front with the largest in the middle. The center door depicts the joys and sorrows of the Virgin Mary and the carvings are gorgeous. Julie and I are standing in front of the center door so you can see how large it is.

On the same large square as the Duomo is a huge equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy. He is looking at the Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II - the breathtaking four-story domed shopping mall named for him. It was built during the age of Eiffel and was the first building in town to have electric lighting. There are tons of luxury shops, restaurants, arts and great people watching inside.

On one of my tours here for Frank Lloyd Wright I met a couple of nice architects from Milan. I told them I was going to Milan in September and in addition to the Last Supper and the Duomo what else should I not miss. They immediately said the Church of San Maurizio, so I put it on my list. It had a very nondescript entrance, in fact if I wasn’t looking for it I might have walked right past it. So glad I didn’t. The church is part of a ninth-century convent dating from around 1500. It’s like stepping into the Sistine Chapel of Lombardy with every inch Bernardino Luigi frescoes. Luigi was a contemporary of di Vinci but was also inspired by Michelangelo and Raphael. And it’s free! But of course I made a donation. Got to keep supporting these things or they won’t exist. Thank you Milan architect friends!

I know I visit a lot of churches when I travel but I love learning the history and architecture. Just my thing so feel free to scroll right past and find a food picture.

One more church on my list - the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio. This is one of Milan’s top religious, artistic and historic sites as this church was built on top of an early Christian martyr’s cemetery by St Ambose around AD380. Two different monastic communities shared the church and had different theologies hence the two different bell towers.

The inside was a little dark but there is a beautiful mosaic above the altar portraying Christ in the company of saints. The golden altar was taken to the Vatican during World War II to avoid destruction. The 12th century pulpit sits on top of a sarcophagus dating from the year 400. Again just not enough time to really cover all the details. I must return!

We did have some good food. I continued eating delicious salads, pastas and gelato. We stopped at a fabulous huge department store right on the square by the Duomo by the name of La Rinascente. It had wonderful merchandise and a huge floor of restaurants and lovely food items to purchase. This salad and serving of Cacio e pepe was delicious.

We walked by one of the prettiest Starbucks Roasteries too. Didn’t stop but such a pretty building.

How about some excellent people watching on Via Dante with a glass of wine - check!

If you noticed me wearing the same clothes pretty much every day in Bellagio and Milan then you are correct. The weather was a bit cooler than predicted and since the goal is to travel light, and I had to bring clothes for the hike, it was jeans pretty much everyday. We didn’t plan to have any fancy meals so as long as I had a fairly clean shirt I was happy. I’m never the best dressed but strive to not be an embarrassment either. Hoping I achieved that goal.

It was a great trip. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to fulfill another of my dreams. If travel is on your list then I encourage you to make a plan and do it. But if you are more of an armchair traveler then that’s fine too. Happy to have you come along through my blog. And now time to start planning my next adventure. Check back sometime and see where in the world is Patti🥰