Sleight of Hand

Thursday was our last day in Italy and our day to spend in Milano. We returned our car in the morning to the Malpensa Airport (where we will be flying out of early early on Friday morning). From the airport, we caught the Malpensa Express, a speedy train into the historic heart of Milano. Our first impression as we walked down via Dante, was that Milano reminded us of Manhattan. We really like Manhattan. Not having much of a plan, we headed off in search of the Duomo and instead found the Castello Sforzesco, or Sforza Castle. Here is the complex:

After a quick tour of the castle grounds, we got back on track in our Duomo search. Since we were in no hurry, we were drawn to a small café for a mid-morning cappuccino and pastry. Re-energized, we managed to find the fourth largest church in Europe – it wasn’t difficult. Let me say this right now: this was an awesome cathedral and one of our very favorites. We were so glad that we overcame fatigue and made the effort to visit Milano. Here are a few aerial shots of the Duomo and one interior shot (no cameras allowed).

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Shopping mall. Prada. Gucci. Louis Vitton. Marble tiled floors. Expensive restaurants and cafes. Keep going. . . .

We rested at the Piazza della Scala under a sculpture of Leonardo (as in da Vinci). As we rested we wondered where the La Scala Opera House and Museum was located. Looking at our map, we realized it was right in front of us! A simple building, according to Rick it is considered the “world’s most prestigious opera house.” After a lunch at a vegetarian restaurant(finally!), we returned to the Teatrale alla Scala for a visit to the museum and a peek at the opera hall itself. We were called onto the stage and given a standing “O” for being such fine tourists while in Italy. Thank you, thank you very much.

Okay. First, about the painting at the beginning of this post. It is the phony artwork above our bed at the Hotel Cervo. We couldn’t use a real photo of a real painting BECAUSE OUR CAMERA BATTERY WAS DEAD AND WE DIDN’T KNOW IT UNTIL AFTER WE HAD TAKEN THE TRAIN INTO MILANO. Therefore, true confession: the above photos are all photos of post cards and taken in the comfort of our room after we returned from our day of sightseeing in the city. Weren’t you wondering how we got the aerial shots of the Duomo? And didn’t you think it strange that we didn’t invite our friends to our send off at the Teatrale alla Scala?