Verona – Milan – Verona – 9 July 2011

Caught the 7.30 train to Milan and arrived just after 9.00.  Probably the biggest railway station we’ve ever seen!  Caught Metro which deposited us right outside the Duomo – another monumental piece of church architecture.  Set in a huge piazza surrounded by very impressive buildings.  All very clean and immaculately cared for.  To get into the cathedral, I had to pull my shorts down(!) – just too short.  Inside the Duomo is rather sombre and a bit depressing, with semi - mummified ex – cardinals lying around in illuminated glass tombs. I suppose it concentrates the minds of the faithful on their mortality, which is what a church should do, really.  Emerged into the daylight again and strolled through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a grand shopping arcade (full of shops like Prada, Louis Vuitton and rather disappointingly a MacDonalds), the other end of which is La Scala, a rather ordinary looking building with an extraordinary interior.

Had a walk to Castella Sforzesco, a very unusual Moorish looking place with a fountain in front and surrounded by parkland.  Most of the castle has been turned over to various museums, none of which we visited!

We ate crepes for lunch. Jane had one of chocolate, orange and cream and Tony one of honey, lemon and sesame seeds – both were delicious.

From what we saw of Milan on our brief stroll it is a very nice city, well cared for and spotlessly clean – perhaps the fact Berlusconi lives here has something to do with it.

Took the train back to Verona, and after a slight mishap with the bus, arrived back at the apartment at 4 pm.

After updating the blog we sashayed out found a lovely restaurant called “La taverna della stella” where we enjoyed sea bass and lamb chops as our mains. We got a little tiddly  which we blamed on being dehydrated after a long, hot day.

Milan's stupendous Duomo. Many flying buttresses.

Almost Jewish candelabra. Sacrilege!

Entrance to galleria Vittorio Emanuele.

Knocks the Highcross into a cocked hat - the galleria.

The unassuming front of La Scala opera house.

Leonardo, Milan

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Castella Sforzesco.

Interior of La Scala

Arco delle Pace. (peace)