MILAN (Sun 21 June)

We started the day with the complementary ‘Twinky’ bar and coffee that they call breakfast over here. So much for what we call a ‘Continental breakfast’. The dietary pattern seems to be to have a sweet brioche and coffee for breakfast, large 3-4 course meal for lunch followed by a siesta, and then a large late dinner about 9-10pm.

Went off to see some of the sights. Caught the Metro (5 mins walk away) to the Duomo. Spent a bit of time perusing outside before going in. Got ourselves reacquainted with the touts. They came in a different flavour here. They were flogging off, or rather forcing upon you, little bits of string to tie around your wrist. “Share some love from Africa”, they say, but you know that the only love involved is that of the Euro.

The Duomo itself took 425 years to build and has resulted in the phrase ‘like the cathedral’, the same as we would say ‘coming … like Christmas’. The outside is just a mass of marble steeples and statues crammed into every available space, (132 spires and 3200 statues at the last count). This cathedral holds an item from every one of the apostles whether it be a piece of hair or a fingernail (makes you wonder how they get hold of these things), and it also holds one of the nails from Christ’s cross. This goes on show once a year in September, until then you just have to look at the little red light that they have suspended above the alter and imagine. But the first impression when you walk in is firstly how dark it is and secondly the huge number and girth of the pillars holding the ceiling up, after all this is the fourth largest Duomo in Europe. There was a service in progress while we were there so we didn’t get right up to the alter end, but it is a fantastic church.

We saw a guy in there with a ‘Cats’ T-shirt on from the musical and it made us think that the whole thing really is like a huge theatrical masterpiece. The dramatic pipe organ music (it could be straight out of Bram Stokers Dracula), the bell ringing, the smoke and candles, the Latin intonations. It really is a great show.

As we came out, there was a woman who was wearing a sackcloth-like cassock-like outfit, and she was striding up and down the breadth of the piazza screaming at the top of her lungs, preaching the good word. She kept this up for about four hours that we know of, after which we saw her collapsed on the grass in the heat recovering. You have to admire her dedication.

To the left of the Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Once you get used to the grandeur of the place with its high vaulted glass ceiling, and amazing, intricate marble floors, you realize that it is a shopping arcade. A shopping arcade complete with Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and McDonalds. You can buy a Big Mac there for 6.40 Euro (about 14.00 NZD), hmmm … I don’t think so.

Through the other side of the arcade is the statue of Leonardo da Vinci and his four helpers in support. This lead us to our next destination the Museum of Science and Technology (Museo Nazionale Della Scienza e Della Tecnology ‘Leonardo do Vinci’). A very cool museum, which has a large part dedicated to Leonardo’s work. It is only when you see it all together that you realize once again just how many pies that he had his fingers in, and he seemed to excel in all of them.

From here to the Cenacolo Vinciano to try and get to see the ‘Last Supper’. We had tried to book in a few days ago, but this is booked out for months. But often if you show up at the right times, they have cancellations and you can get in, but … not today. So after a stroll through the castle and the park (yes we found another city with a park, and some of those green things that we call trees) we climbed aboard the Metro home.

We had an interesting experience on the way home. We had an older woman push her way on right behind us, who I didn’t like the look of. We were obviously tourists with maps, cameras, and non-Milan, uncool shoes and clothes. This woman had one arm very obviously on show and the other hidden under her very large handbag. She was pressing herself up against Justine, against her handbag. As soon as I realized what I thought was happening, I put my arm around Justine’s shoulder and over the top of her handbag holding it shut. As soon as I did that, the woman jumped back about three feet and threw both her arms in the air, as if to say ‘it wasn’t me’. Then she was the first off at the next stop. She gave the impression that she had been caught. When we got off, I told Justine (who was oblivious and just thought I was being nice), we checked our bags and were all OK. I like to think that I was wrong about her, but I don’t think so. When you experience the hospitality that we have received, you like to think that these things are just myths, but you still have to be aware.

Then in contrast to that we returned to the same restaurant for dinner and were greeted like old friends. The two experiences couldn’t have been more different.

There is so much to see and do here, it is a shame that we can’t stay longer. We have just been reading a little of the history of this city. Napoleon, Mussolini, corruption in politics, shootings, bombings, churches, castles, … it really would make your school boy history lessons more memorable wouldn’t it.