Our midway point during the trip was the city of Milano, halfway on the train from Switzerland to Roma. The hotel we picked was in a convenient location within walking distance of most spots in the city and about two blocks from the metro.
We wandered down the main shopping street, seeing lots of interesting styles, rather different options than what I see in Bologna, but nothing worth stopping for. With our miniature tourist map that was lacking quite a few street names, we arrived at the beautiful cathedral. The inside was just as stunning, but offered a lot of the darker styles of art. Beside the cathedral is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a fancy cross section of streets with the fancy stores like Prada, the floor was a mosaic display of art.
Going through the gallery there was a square with a statue featuring the famous Leonardo da Vinci, reining over the park.
Churches were on every corner. One even had an artist in the front, just painting the scene.
Wandering a bit more we arrived at the river, offering a glimpse of the water life, including restaurant ships. Turning the corner a family of ducks was enjoying a lunchtime swim, the baby ducks still getting accustomed to the water. It was fascinating watching them jump up out of the water and skim across the top, walking on the water.
There were lots of different statues and sculptures around the city, a bronze circle object and funny men with varying expressions.
All of the main city sights we visited the first day, just walking the city. We had a half day left the following morning and decided to make the most of the visit by going to the Castello Sforzesco. Inside the castle there were a couple of galleries, one featuring old ruins and another showing musical instruments. The displays were neat, I really enjoyed the string instrument section and the old harpsichords with painted sides.
Nearby was a funny modern statue with bright colors and twists and turns, adding a bit of life into the rustic city.
No comments:
Post a Comment