This past weekend was Milano Round 1 for me. I got a free trip to Milan and Como through my program, SAI. It was a fun weekend but I am very happy (and grateful) that I get to go back to Milan again this weekend, because I definitely missed some things.
We actually stayed in Como for the weekend, and when we finally got into the city after some traffic, we had dinner at a brewery! In northern Italy they specialize in making beer (moreso than anywhere else in the country) and we even got a complementary drink with our meal!
(My beer from our first night in Como)
Dinner that night was absolutely spectacular, and was composed of tons of rosemary risotto, different kinds of pizzas, and a pastry dessert of some sort. I was so stuffed driving to our hotel that evening.
The next day we had an hour bus ride from Como to Milan, where we dispersed in three separate groups from the outside of Castello Sforzesco. My group walked to Santa Maria delle Grazie, which is the church and convent which houses Leonardo's famous Last Supper mural.
(Fountain and Sforzesco Castle)
(The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, in Santa Maria delle Grazie refectory)
Because of how fragile the mural is, you are only allowed 15 minutes inside the room with it, which is sealed off at each doorway. When we finally got inside, I found the fresco incredibly breath-taking and to be honest I don’t really know why, exactly. Usually when I see famous paintings like that I just get really excited and love admiring how beautiful they are but somehow this one felt a little different. I knew exactly what to expect from this one, and, unlike others in my group, I knew how big it would be and everything, but I think it was something about seeing it on an actual wall, rather than in a frame, in an old dining hall, rather than an art museum, that may have made a difference.
After we left the little museum we ducked inside the actual church for a few minutes before heading back to explore the castle grounds briefly. The next part of our day was heading to the Achille Castiglioni Foundation (the studio of the late Italian architect and industrial designer.) It was an interesting tour but nothing shocking or overly exciting, in my mind.
After seeing the studio and having a little tour, we were set loose for about five hours of free time. A small group I was with headed down the city center toward the Cathedral of Milan, which we admired from the outside, and I plan to go in this upcoming weekend. After taking some photos we set out to get some lunch, and we ended up in this little place called the English Football Pub. (What we expected and found it to be is pretty self-explanatory.) There we got a beer and some sandwiches and also met a nineteen year old Englishman named Harry, who is teaching English in Milan for a brief time. He took us to some canals further into the city, which apparently weren't the best to see because of how early it is in the season.
(Cathedral of Milan)
We slowly wandered out way back to the castle, stopping in a few shops here and there, and were soon on the bus back to Como for the evening. After we got back, we walked to another delicious dinner, where we had caprese salads, MORE risotto (this time asparagus risotto), pasta, chicken, roasted potatoes, and tiramisu for dessert! We are all still getting used to the meals here, which are served in many, smaller courses than we have in the US.
After dinner we took to the lake front and explored a bit as we made our way back to the hotel. We went to their duomo, found a cute little playground, and some gorgeous views of the lake at night.
(Exploring the lovely city of Como)
The next morning we woke up and had another great hotel breakfast, before walking back to the lake front to go on a boat ride! We had a tour around one section of the lake, and even got to sit up on top of the boat for the second have of the ride. It was a gorgeous day for it, and the lake was absolutely beautiful with all it's fancy villas.
(Me, Bailey and Sydney-my two roommates for the trip-on our boat tour in Como)
(Beautiful views of Lake Como)
We got to see various hotels and famous villas around the lake before coming back to dock, and then continuing our tour in the city center. We visited two main squares and churches, including that of Como's duomo. At the end of our tour we made our way back to te restaurant from the night before to grab bag lunches to eat on the bus. We left Como and headed south to Milan one more time before heading back to Florence, where we visited the Fondazione Prada, which is basically a contemporary art museum funded/owned by Prada. I, personally, found the physical building much more interesting than any of the art. Some of the walls were made of expensive aluminum foam, I believe it was called, and some was even plated in gold. Leave it to Prada to make that happen. The building had really cool bathrooms, and I'm pretty sure some of the walls were composed of polycarbonate! (Shout out to the Cassandra Voss Center)
(Outside of Fondazione Prada)
I think it is safe to say it was a great weekend, especially when it came to food. I am currently in the middle of my midterms, which occur this week. So far they seem to be going pretty well. Before I know it, I will be back in Milan though, this time to spend a lovely spring break with my family! I am so excited to see them and travel around Italy. There will be more on those adventures to come. Since we will also be traveling around various places during a condensed time period, you can check out the home page of the blog to see a labeled map of where I am each day!
Love, abbie