Milan and the lake region
Trip Start
Jul 26, 2010
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Trip End
Aug 08, 2010
Where I stayed
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Saturday, July 31, 2010
For opera there is the world renowned opera house La Scala (Teatro alla Scala) ...
For fashion - well, everything: most Italian fashion houses are headquartered here, and there is hardly any major fashion label that doesn't have a shop in Milan...not to mention twice a year Milan Fashion Week...
I am a fan of both... when the first notes of music escape the darkness of the orchestra pit, when the heavy velvet curtain slowly and solemnly begins to raise - my heart skips a beat, and all my senses sharpen in anticipation of being delighted...
Same with fashion... when I see something (be it a piece of clothing, an accessory or a pair of shoes) that is beautiful yet effortless, refined yet simple, daring yet wearable - it's such a treat for my senses...
I know - I sound almost poetic there! :) ...but I've digressed, since neither opera nor fashion is the topic of this blog...
In fact, the famous La Scala was closed - the season traditionally opens in december, and summer is the "dead season" for the opera...we've been to another great opera theater - Vienna Opera House - just last year, and we definitely hope that one day we'll listen to an opera at La Scala...preferably La Traviata, although I could settle for Carmen, too :)
There are also other things that are associated with Milan...one is the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano)...you cannot escape it - the city's layout is such that most major streets are either radiating from the Duomo or going around it...
I had seen the pictures of this cathedral before, I had heard people saying how beautiful it was, but I was not prepared to what I saw "in person"...it was just surreal...like gigantic intricate white lace raising to the sky...it seemed almost fragile - you have the feeling that it could crumble if you touch it...like an icicle - graceful and whimsical yet ready to melt away under the warmth of your fingers...this only added to it surreal beauty...
As usual, we climbed to the top of the Duomo...actually, only I climbed...there is actually a recently built elevator inside, and while I took the old stairs my angel took the new elevator...I think it's cheating!!!...besides, it was the first time we took separate "modes of transportation", so to speak! ...but we were eventually reunited on the roof ...and I made it there faster than the elevator (it only goes at certain time intervals)...so - there! :)
There is another thing not to be missed in Milan - Leonardo da Vinci's mural painting Last Supper (known in Italy as Cenacolo Vinciano)...but! unlike the Duomo, it could be easily missed for 2 reasons...
First, it is located in a very-very modestly looking, out of the way place - in the dining wing of the Santa Maria della Grazie monastery...it's not a problem to find though...it's just that I didn't expect a painting so famous, surrounded by rumors and myths, painting that inspired so many artists, that was copied, reproduced, even parodied so many times - I just didn't expect it to be housed in such a modest place...
The second reason why you could easily miss it is because it's very difficult to get tickets to see it unless you make your reservations months and months in advance...the painting is rapidly deteriorating, in part due to the technique used by da Vinci...some call it fresco, but it's not - because frescoes are painted on wet plaster, and the Last Supper was painted on a dry stone wall that was sealed with special material before being painted over...with this method, unfortunately, the deterioration is fast...
They keep the painting under perfect conditions - perfect temperature, perfect humidity, all that...they allow only about 20 people in the building at a time and strictly limit the time of your visit to 15 minutes...after that - there will be a siren-type sound informing you to get out...
I tried to reserve our tickets at least three months in advance, but the tickets were sold out for the dates I had in mind...the only option we had was to join a small private tour, so we took that...the tours are more expensive, and you don't have as much time flexibility, but I am actually glad we took it...we only had about 12-14 people in our group, the guide was knowledgeable and nice, and we got to see the Last Supper...unfortunately (or fortunately - depending on how you look at it) the photography wasn't allowed, but I doubt there are many people who haven't seen at least some reproduction of the Last Supper, so - no pictures really necessary...
As a part of the tour, our guide took us to a nearby Sforza Castle (Castello Sforzesco) - one of the biggest fortresses in Europe and the former residence of the Dukes of Milan...once on the castle premises, we "lost" our group and continued explorations on our own...
Castello Sforzesco now houses several museums and art collections, among them the Museum of Musical Instruments, the Furniture Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art...the most well-known of these museums is probably Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco which has an art collection that includes the Michelangelo's last work - Rondanini Pietà...Michelangelo worked on this sculpture until his death in 1564...
Another interesting art collection in Milan is in the Pinacoteca di Brera...in addition to traditional Italian masters it has several beautiful private collections donated to this museum that include a lot of modern art as well...we spent a very pleasant afternoon in di Brera...
Afternoons in Italy end with aperitivi, and arguably Milan has the best aperitivi in all Italy...distantly related to American "happy hour" and loosely translated as "cocktails before dinner", aperitivi is quite a big deal in Italy...it's also a good deal for travelers - for the price of one drink you can have the whole meal...
At the end of the day, being overwhelmed by new experiences, you would want to unwind with a drink or a glass of wine...if you decide to take your drink between 6 an 8 in the evening, the price of it would be slightly higher in most bars (that's where it's not quite like American "happy hour"), but you'll have access to unlimited constantly replenished buffet...in our experience, the variety of these buffets in Milan was much greater than, say, in Rome - meats and cheeses, pastas, pizzas, various crostinis, olives, vegetables, savory pastries, seafood, hot and cold dishes, fruits, desserts...no wonder we never made it to actual dinner after the aperitivi...
Surprisingly, we had never discovered the whole aperitivi ritual during our previous stays in Italy...why hadn't we?!...
Speaking of the drinks - my favorite was (not counting my all-time favorite campari and soda) - "negroni" (based on campari, too)...
If the evening was too warm and I felt like having something lighter and more refreshing, I would go for either "spritz" (a mixture based on wine and orange soda) or prosecco (basically champagne-type sparkling wine)...
You can enjoy aperitivi anywhere in Italy, not only in Milan (yet - as I mentioned earlier - Milan has the reputation for the best aperitivi)...to find the most current recommendations, you can talk to people/read their blogs - the word of mouth brings you the most amazing information sometimes! ... or you can check some websites, like http://chowhound.chow.com/boards (or the Italian version http://gamberorosso.it/ )...I personally also follow the advice of "Frugal Traveler"' from The New York Times (both on the web and on Twitter)...even though I wouldn't call us exactly "frugal" travelers, I still find his advice and insights useful...actually, we went for aperitivi to several places in Milan that were recommended by him, and we were not disappointed!...
The beautiful and tasty attractions notwithstanding, Milan itself is not a very charming city...at least it failed to charm us...the city is rough, gritty and no-nonsense, and it seemed that it was all concrete and stone - hardly a green oasis anywhere...but what Milan lacks in charm is more than compensated for by the nearby Italian Lakes Region...
This region stretches between Milan and the Alps, and it's equally popular with various celebrities who have their second (third, fourth, fifth...etc) houses (mansions, villas, palaces...etc) there and tourists who like to gawk at them...I am indifferent to celebrities and get almost annoyed when some people talk about Lake Como, for example, only in terms of "ah! that's where George Clooney's villa is!"...grrrrr....
Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to explore all the lakes...the most popular are Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Lake Garda...however, somebody who actually grew up in the region recommended that we visit Lake Orta - a smaller, less known, much less touristy place...it didn't work out logistically, but if we return to the region - that would be our main destination...
If you only have time to spend on one lake - I would suggest you make it Lake Como...Franz Liszt once wrote: "When you write the story of two happy lovers, let the story be set on the banks of Lake Como." ...the quote pretty much describes Lake Como in a nutshell - it is exquisitely beautiful, serene and romantic...although if I were to write "the story of two happy lovers" - I would set it somewhere on the shore of the Mediterranean sea, preferably in the south of France...I am more of a "sea" person than "lake" person - love the feeling of hot sand under my feet, the taste of salt water on my lips and the smell of sea...but that's just me...this being said - Lake Como IS very, very beautiful...
It takes you about 40 minutes by train to get from Milan to Varenna...we spent some time there, walked around, took a funicular up high to look at the city and the lake from above...but really Varenna is just a gateway to other places on Lake Como...
From Varenna you can go by boat, ferry or hydrofoil to anywhere on Lake Como - there are many little picturesque towns along the banks of the lake...we decided to stop in Bellagio...funny, but before - whenever I thought of the name "Bellagio" - either a restaurant would come to mind (it was a fancy Italian restaurant, but still!) or Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas...not the city itself...even though they are named after this city - arguably the most beautiful in Italy or at least in the Lake Region...
The part of the lake around Bellagio is called "Centro Lago" (loosely translated - "center of the lake") - almost exactly where the 3 "legs" of Lake Como meet...even from afar you could see the cypress groves surrounding the city, and once you get off the boat you find yourself on a charming lakefront promenade...from there you can take any of the narrow cobblestone streets up...
Bellagio is very-very touristy, but we managed to see a different side of the city... almost by accident we discovered a completely secluded path behind private residences...the path was winding up through what looked like a dense overgrown orchard...we had no idea where it would lead, but we took it anyway... it was completely deserted and at times steep, and seemingly it lead nowhere, so we briefly considered turning back...yet curiosity is such a powerful thing! - we kept walking...
In about 15 minutes of walking we found ourselves on the very top of the hill and were rewarded with the most beautiful view of the city and the lake below...we were completely alone there - no other people, no noise, no touristy restaurants - just the beauty of Bellagio and serenity of the lake...that is when you understand why it is called the most beautiful city in Italy...that is how I want to remember it...
The next day we planned to move to Rome...it's about three-and-a-half hours by train from Milan...we didn't have tickets, so we were very flexible as to our departure time...briefly considered going to another lake for maybe half-a-day, but then decided against it...we don't really like rushed trips; besides, Rome was beckoning us, we missed it and couldn't wait any longer...
stay tuned ...
