Milano

Last weekend - surprise, surprise - it was pouring with rain in Ticino. No news there. So we decided to get around to doing another touristy thing that had been on our todo-list for ages and go and see Milan. The weather in Milan was not great either, but at least just normal rain rather than the Ticiniese Power-Shower rain that soaks you to the bone in 5 mins max....

The train station in Milan is a beautiful old building - sadly full of rather scary people who look like they might mug you any minute. So far, exactly the Italian experience one expects. After the train journey we thought it may be a wise idea to visit the facilities in the train station before exploring the town. Like most modern train stations, Milano Centrale has some glitzy and expensive loos - 2 Euro per person. Thankfully we had the right change from previous outings to Euro-Land. The difference between Milano and, say, Paddington or Cologne, is that in London or Cologne you pay your exorbitant amount of money but at least you get a well looked after, clean, toilet. In Milan, you pay your exorbitant amount of money and get - filth. Just like you imagine Italian public toilets to be.  So far, so good. 

But at least the day ticket for the underground is only 3 Euro, so that balanced our accounts nicely.  First of all, we went to the Duomo, aka Cathedral. 

Outside the Dome, they were putting up the world's biggest xmas-tree, hence the construction equipment.

When I say "the world's biggest xmas tree", what I mean is a tree where it takes this kind of equipment to decorate it:

The Duomo alone makes it worthwhile visiting Milan, it is very very beautiful inside and outside. 

As it was a Sunday, we were fortunate enough to get there in time for mass, incense and all, which was fascinating. Unfortunately, we could not take any photos inside (no flash allowed), so we can only share the outside view with you.  And we never made it to the museum, which shows the history of the building, so we need to go back there some time... maybe when the weather is nicer, though.

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From the warmth of the Cathedral we went to the cosy warmth of the adjacent shopping arcade, which houses all the expected (Prada etc, see pictures), as well as a McDonald's.  The following picture is taken standing in front of McDonald's, looking at Prada...

I also rather liked the medieval notes of the flags at the entrance to the arcade:

But above all, given the grey and rainy weather outside, I liked this image:



Our next touristy to-do was the Sforza Castle - again, this alone would make it worth to visit Milan. En route there, Andy spotted the Harry Potter Bus, which looks like this:

What I forgot to mention so far is that Milan appears to be a city full of African street sellers selling umbrellas, they were EVERYWHERE and we must have been the only tourists who did not buy an umbrella... instead, we opted for indoors entertainment at Castle Sforza - see http://www.milanocastello.it/ing/home.html
It is a beautiful building, and parts reminded me very much of Moorish architecture  in Andalucia:

Somewhat ironical, then, that the Duke of Milan who lived here in the high times of the castle had the nickname "il Moro", but apparently just because of his dark complexion.  In any case, thanks to him Leonardo da Vinci worked in this castle and some of his most famous works are from this period.

For my part, however, I was most fascinated by the amazing ceilings in the castle, so I took loads of pictures of them - here is a small selection.







... and then there was the room that looked like the setting for some scene from the Lord of the Rings: 

For now, this is all I have time to upload, but there is more to show about Castle Sforza and Milano, so watch this space... :-)