Milan, Italy

Shea has been working a lot in Milan lately.  We were lucky enough to have him travelling there for meetings on a Friday which allowed me to tag along and make a weekend out of it.  Because it would have made him a jerk in business class, we splurged so we could both enjoy the comforts of first class travel.  British Airways (our preferred carrier now that we are Silver Members) provides a wonderful Lounge for its high members where there is unlimited alcohol and food.  That made waiting in the airport very comfortable!

Milan is a very beautiful city.  I had heard that it was very similar to Naples (which still tops my Worst City list btw) so I was not expecting much.  The streets were very clean, the people were friendly, it was easy to get taxis and shopping was excellent!

We visited the Milan Cathedral first.  Now, you would think that cathedrals are getting a bit old by now. And to be honest, the interior was not much compared to some of the others we have seen.  The big attraction for Milan's Cathedral is definitely the exterior and the roof.

The Milan Cathedral is Gothic style and it is the 5th largest Cathedral in the World.

The interior is pretty amazing.  The cathedral claims to have one the the Nails that held Jesus to the cross.  

A Statue of St. Bartholomew. He was martyred by being flayed alive. That is his skin wrapped around his body.  

After climbing approx. 160 stairs, you are on the terrace or roof of the cathedral.  This was the best part!

It's one thing to enjoy the Gothic carvings from the ground, but the details are truly amazing close up.

Looking down onto the streets below.

Just some carved stone from the 17th century.

Like all old things, renovations are needed.  They are currently working on fixing some of the crumbling architecture. It was odd to see everyone relaxing and enjoying the sun on the roof of a church!

The Milan Cathedral is very connected with the Virgin Mary.  At the highest peak is a statue of the Madonna. 

The Virgin in stone.

Us enjoying the views of Milan.

Another highlight from Milan was this wonderful park called  Parco Sempione.  Because the weather was so lovely (+20 degrees), it was an enjoyable walk.  

The park with the Arco della Pace in the background. It seems that every city has one of these things.  

A close-up look at the Arc.

The park is loaded with turtles.  

Shea enjoying the sun.  He did burn. Can you see the turtles in the background?

On the other side of the Arc is the Castello Sforzesco, basically an old castle.  

The Castle's defences were first designed by da Vinci.  Later Napoleon did some remodelling. 

The interior square. 

This used to be part of the moat system. Napoleon had them drained.  Now there are cats living the life down there!

One of the corners of the castle. 

The front entrance. 

The front entrance close-up.

I think my favourite part of Milan was the one thing that pictures are forbidden. We got to go and see The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.  It was spectacular to see it in this very unimpressive room, just painted onto a plaster wall.  It was originally painted in the dining hall of a Monastery and depicts the moment that Jesus announces to his disciples that one of them will betray him.  He finished the painting in 1497.  Did you know everyone except Jesus has feet in the painting? The images we see of this work most often cuts off just after the table cloth.

From left to right, we have Bartholemew, James the Younger, Andrew (all three show surprise), Judus (in shadow, not blessed by God), Peter (angry and holding a knife, perhaps foreshadowing his actions in the Garden when Jesus is arrested), John (the youngest apostle as traditionally depicted swooning),  Jesus, (His hand toward the bread), Thomas the Older (his raised finger depicts his incredulity of the Resurrection), James (stunned), Philip (wanted more information), Matthew, Jude and Simon (Matthew and Jude look to Simon for answers).  

Interesting fact: During WWII, the Monastery that houses the painting was destroyed by a bomb.  Thankfully, sandbags had been stacked against both sides of the wall in order to protect the masterpiece.  

The painting was behind the wall on the right.  Those are sandbags that are stacked and supported.

Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie. The place where The Last Supper is located. 

Another interesting fact: There is another painting on the opposite wall of The Last Supper.  It is called The Crucifixion by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano.  You kind of feel sorry for it though because it is beautiful but overshadowed by The Last Supper.

Shea without a beer.

These open street restaurants were everywhere.  It was a great way to enjoy  the afternoon sun. 

 Finally it was time to go back to London.  While flying over, we sort of got near our future London home.  It was hard coming back to our little flat when we are just a few months away from moving into something far more comfortable.

Home is just down there...