Milan The Fashion Capital

 “Milan is marvelous, picturesque, and full of elegance.” –Wesley Sneijder

Milan was not on my itinerary the first time I visited Italy. Neither was it on my schedule the second time I was in Italy. While I had always wanted to see the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, somehow there were other parts of Italy that continued to take precedence. It wasn’t until I was planning a summer trip with my sister that we elected to meet in Milan, visit the lakes and take the train to Venice that Milan happened for me.

Dominated by the Duomo di Milano with it’s over the top beautiful blend of Gothic and classic Roman styles the city exhibits an elegant extravagance. The third largest church in the world, second only to St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican the cathedral is the center of the city from which all roads radiate or circle. The contrast to the busy square full of people that I witnessed during my visit and the echoing emptiness when Andrea Bocelli stood alone outside the church singing Amazing Grace on the occasion of Easter, 2020 brought tears to my eyes.

When I visited I did not realize that visitors can climb to the roof level among the spires of the church for amazing views of the city. The intent of this access was to allow the worshipper to experience the symbolized heavenly realm in a way that connected back to the city. Fortunately it was raining cats and dogs the day we visited the inside of the cathedral so I don’t feel too bad about the missed rooftop opportunity.

A statue of Vittorio Emanuele II the first king of a united Italy. This is in the far corner of the square from the Duomo. Now we all know and appreciate good Italian coffee but one morning walking towards this square I was amused to notice signs announcing the opening of the first Starbucks in Italy right here in Milan. Just another nod to the cosmopolitan vibe of the city.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the beautiful glass covered 19th century arcade housing luxury shops and upscale dining establishments. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a restaurant highly recommended by our hotel here but only browsed and window shopped through the plush luxury arcade.

The Last Supper by Leonard Da Vinci painted directly on the dry wall of the refectory of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie is a major attraction here in the city. Unfortunately due to its location and the nature of the paint used the painting deteriorated considerably over time. As if that was not enough, the monks decided to cut out a door to the kitchens right into the wall with the paining thus destroying a portion of the painting. Subsequently the door was bricked and several restoration attempts were made though you can still see the outline.

Now the room is temperature and light controlled and the number of visitors are tightly controlled. Due to it’s popularity its best to get a front of the line access to visit.

Needle, Thread and Knot sculpture in the center of the Piazzale Cadorna outside the Ferrovie Nord railway station is a nod to Milan as the mecca of fashion.

The sculpture consists of a 19 meter tall steel needle with multicolored reinforced fiberglass thread that pops up in another point of the square with a knot at the end. According to the artists the needle pulling thread through fabric is a metaphor for a train going through a tunnel. The thread wrapped around a needle also "paraphrased" the city emblem of a snake coiled around a sword. According to the City of Milan, it is also meant as a tribute to Milan's influence in the fashion industry and the three thread colors represent the lines of the Milan Metro.

This square itself is very bright and colorful and we enjoyed the trams threading their way on the surface even as the metro makes it way below the surface.

Sforza castle is a short walk from the railway station and worth a quick visit.

Lake Como is an easily accessible 51 miles from Milan and many local tour companies offer day trips. The city is dominated by the gothic Como Cathedral in much the same way as Milan is dominated by the Duomo. We strolled along the narrow streets filled with sidewalk cafes and shops where we got to enjoy our afternoon boost of gelato.

We found seats at the lake side right across the ferry terminal as we waited for our ferry where we made the acquaintance of a host of Bangladeshi street sellers. When my brother in law spoke to the gentleman in Bengali the guy was thrilled. He must have sent out a bat signal and soon we had a host of these gentleman who came to chat us up and show off their wares at bargain basement prices. While we bought from these gentleman, so did many of the folks on our day tour.

The lake is well known for it’s attractive villas that have been built here since Roman times. Many of these villas have beautiful gardens that benefit from the mild climate. The beautiful Villa Del Balbianello is famous for its elaborate terraced gardens and distinguished by the two towers that are all that remain of what was once a monastery.

Many famous people have homes along the lake including such celebrities like George Clooney, Madonna, Richard Branson, etc. I was seated next to a guide with a small group whom she was provided a commentary as we looked on at the beautiful sights along the lake shore who pointed out landmarks and names which was quite interesting.

Towards the middle of the lake is a village which has some historic significance in the local area and the church with it’s bell tower visible from the water.

The distinctive orange awnings of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo a luxury hotel on the lake that has been a destination for weddings of the rich and famous.

Bellagio was one of my favorite destinations on the lake where I would have loved to linger beyond a delicious meal and a quick tour of the island. On the way back we got on a ferry where we rode with the cars and buses and once across the lake made our way back to Milan by road rather than crossing the lake to Como.

Teatro La Scala, the world famous Opera House first opened in 1778 is in Milan. We were fortunate that there was a dress rehearsal underway when we visited and we were able to creep in quiet as mice and take a seat and observe goggle eyed around the beautiful wedding cake like tiered boxes surrounding the stage. We took the stairs to appreciate the poster of who’s who of famous operas featuring legendary performers.

Imagine the tales these walls could tell you. I visualized elegant women clad in luxury fashions, shimmering jewels around their throat and ears, dangling a glass of champagne as they mingled with handsome tuxedo clad men during the intermissions.

The cathedral houses one of the most important artifacts of Christianity: a nail from the true cross. The Holy Nail is lowered by a hoist to the ground so that it can be seen by the faithful and remains on the ground for 40 hours known as the Rite of the Nivola celebrated annually in September. At the end of the 40 hours the Nail is put back in its case, signaled to the Duomo visitors by a red light, switched on to indicate the position of the tabernacle.