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lupestripeWe spent the final day of our Georgia trip in Milan due to the lack of direct flights to the South Caucasus region. Due to the early nature of our flight, 7am, coupled with the fact that Georgia is three hours ahead of continental Europe, we landed in Italy just before 7:30am. Passport control was brisk, a huge advantage of being from the EU and one we are likely to see removed in due course, and we were in the foyet of the main railway station some fifteen minutes later. With the next train to Centrale Station not for another half hour, we jumped on a train to Cadorna, largely because this was nearer to the Duomo, where we had decided to meet Mando at 9am. He is an Italian fur with whom I had been liaising for a while, and he was interested in largely the same things I am, including beer and culture. Consequently, we thought he would be a good guide and indeed this was the case, although Wolfie was still battling his chronic stomach pain and this prevented him from seeing as much of the city as he had hoped. Anyway, we charged our phones up on the train, but soon realised that we had jumped on a stopping commuter service by the way it swept around the outskirts of the city. I feared the worst but it was surprisingly quick, and after speaking to a nice man in Cadorna about getting 48-hour Metro passes, we arrived outside the breathtaking Duomo five minutes ahead of schedule.
Mando was running a little late, so we got to look at the impressive architecture of the Cathedral, one of the true wonders of the world dominating the piazza. We also got to see the stupendous domed arch of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with all of its high-end shopping. Inside here, we saw the interesting signs of Italy's different ages, along with some fantastic artwork and mosaics on the floor, one of which containing a hollowed out divot where a bull's balls once were. Apparently, if you dig our heel into the bull's balls and rotate upon it twice, your wishes will come too. Suffice to say, the bull's wishes were far from coming true, what with the erosion of his bollocks. Anyway, I digress. Around ten minutes into our stay, we spied the obvious looking furry sculking around and made our introductions, before noticing that the queue into the Duomo was surprisingly short. We tried our luck, but unfortunately they wouldn't let us in with my wheeled bag, meaning we had to make a date to visit the next morning
One of the advantages of having a local guide is that they can show you around a number of places off the tourist map. This is what we did that Wednesday morning, despite being jetlagged to fuck with the early start and the long flight. Mando knew of an ossuary nearby, San Bernardino alle Ossa, where one room was reconstructed out of bones from plague victims. It was very eerie, seeing an alter made entirely of human skulls, along with wall fixtures containing piles of them staring back at you. The small chapel did have a heavy reverential feel, however, while it was interesting that some enemies of the state were displayed there as a warning to others one assumes. The crosses made out of human bones were particularly grizzly, but it was the decoration itself that was particularly powerful. This was all enhanced by the evocative late-Renaissance artwork, which added yet further layers of depth and grandeur to proceedings. The nearby Santo Stefano Church continued the theme, it being more airy than the chapel, but with impressively moody artwork hanging betwixt the columns of the building.
Our next stop was the campus of the University of Milan, which is where Mando studies. Consequently, we had quite good access of this former hospital situated in the heart of the city. Apparently the grounds are far too small for the number of students and, like with my former university of Cambridge, it does feel like you are walking around living breathing history. The piazzas were quite charming, while some of the Roman-era ruins such as the places where meat and fish was kept cool, dominating the central squares. Some of the original columns still stand while others have been shrouded by more modern glass structures but the mix of histories was fascinating. One highlight was Ca Granda, the big house, which was founded in 1456. This had a pharmacy, baths, an ice house and a wood house, with these buildings being used for different purposes by the university today.
Milan was destroyed significantly in World War II, so many of the buildings in the heart are reconstructed. A number of the buildings built in the fascist era of Mussolini still survive, and unlike in Germany, the old Italian fascist symbols are still present in the architecture. We had seen something similar in Rome and while the Italian signs are perhaps not as evocative or associated with fascism like they were under the Nazis, it's interesting that the Italians are still happy to preserve this rather long period of their history. Anyway, I am digressing again as our next port of call was the Basilica di San Nazaro in Brolo, built by the patron saint of Milan, Saint Ambrose, in the late fourth century. This was another airy and atmospheric building which I believe forms part of the university.
The highlight of the day for me was probably San Giovanni in Conca, an old church which fell foul of urban regeneration in the 1920s when a new road system for the city was desperately needed. Built in the fifth and sixth centuries and reconstructed in the eleventh (and then again in the thireenth), all that remains is part of the Romanesque apse which has stood in the middle of a junction since 1949. The crypt underneath the church, however, has survived and it's a wonderously small architectural jewel, with valuted brickwork and stone columns telling stories of a building which sadly no longer exists. The Italian Touring Society look after the building, and inside the crypt they had even put on a video show about the church, but the real interest lay in some of the old stonemasonary they had on display, not to mention the boards detailing the history of the church throughout the ages. It's sad to think that such a beautiful building that had played such a pivotal role in this area for fourteen centuries could be so readily destroyed but the buillding had been increasingly downgraded over the previous century and I guess progress is progress. The area still is a key arterial route into the city and its demolition was perhaps necessary. The remains of a Roman-era cistern are also down here along with a lion frieze which used to adorn the old church. It was great that at least some of the building survived, even if it's largely underground, and I am glad that the volunteers are still looking after it. You could feel the history and the fact that the building had a story to tell, and I am happy that this is being kept alive.
We weren't quite churched out just yet, but we were considering whether there was a church-based app to log in to all of the churches we had visited. We must have done over one thousand on all the tours we had been on, but I feared we would be bothered by religious people if such a program exists. Anyway, the next stop was Chiesa di Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia, a wonderful symmetrical building with two tall towers at either end. Inside the artwork was exquisite, all tones of black making it quite a dark and gloomy atmosphere. It did suit the burgandy marbelled walls though, adding to the sense of enchantment. Churches number seven and eight weren't far behind, with the first being dedicated to the military, with it being owned by the city rather than the Catholic Church. It was the circular Civico Templo di San Sebastiano, built in 1576 to give thanks from deliverance of the plague. It's very much an architectural exception of the time, with a circular dome supported by eight arches. Crests of various families adorn the wall, along with a very prestiguous Italian miliary flag. The artwork on the domed ceiling in a beautiful blue hue was breathtaking but this was nothing compared to the optical effect in the next church, the Santa Maria presso San Satiro, which was built between 1476 and 1486. In here, there is an illusion behind the alter which gives a flat wall depth, making it look like the church is cross-shaped when in fact it's merely in the shape of a T. From a distance, it's very deceptive and up close you can see how cleverly done this is. Meanwhile, screened off to one corner are examples of fifteenth century (I think) frescos.
It was now time for lunch, with Manto recommending a sandwich shop very close to the university as a good place to eat. On our way, we spied the ticket shop of the Duomo in the shape of a boat, along with a bookshop stocking books of a loveable little character called Il Lupo. Il Lupo (the wolf) gets up to a number of exciting adventures, but my favourite was Il Lupo investigatore al museo. In the middle of this range of books there sat an Il Lupo plush toy, and I really wanted to get it for Wolfie but he was having none of it. We also saw the oldest continual shop in Milan, dating from the eighteenth century, which so happens to be a British-themed store. It looked quite shit in all honesty, but I took a picture anyway as we walked around the old merchants' area of the city, very near the Duomo. It only took us about ten minutes to reach the sandwich shop, and soon we were sat down in the back tucking in to their exquisite meat and cheeseboard containing a range of local products. The quality of the food was divine and far above anything else you can get back in the UK, but this was nothing compared to their Sandwich of the Day, which was honey, lardo and cheese. It was so rich and unctuous, and at only €5, a fantastic price. I felt quite envious at just how good Italian food is, with this being a pretty standard sandwich shop and popular with the students. We had intended to go earlier in the day, but upon arrival just after 9:30am, they told us that they hadn't had their bread delivery, which is why we had turned up later. But boy was it worth the wait, it was truly stupefyingly delicious and comfortably one of the best lunches I have ever had in a sandwich shop.
Mando had to go to work for a few hours in the afternoon, which allowed us to check into our hotel and have a nap ahead of evening plans. The hotel was a little out of town but the Metro made getting there very easy, plus we got to ride on the driverless trains of the M5, sitting in the front wherever possible to see us go down the tracks. Unfortunately, the sandwich had set off Wolfie's stomach bug and he was in agony, so after spending some time faffing around checking in to some flights and printing out the boarding passes, we headed to the room for a snooze. We were asleep for about two hours before having a shower and arranging to meet up with Mando again, who suggested going down to the Porta Genova area near where he lives. Wolfie was still feeling terrible but he braved it, and soon we were walking by the bohemian canal area of Milan looking for a restaurant. We checked out the market but nothing there really appealed, with me in particular fancying pizza, so we ended up going to a fantastic pizza place that Mando knows, with many of the ingredients being things I did not recognize. I ordered a pizza which was predominantly meatballs and spinach, having had to ask what the spinach word was on the menu. Alas I thought I liked spinach more than I did, but in the end I realised that I had forgotten that the ferrous taste wasn't particularly appealing. Aside from that, it was a good pizza but it was nothing compared to Wolfie's Margharita, which was delicious. I had to eat most of it due to Wolfie's stomach pain having got much worse, with him having to go back to the hotel after we had finished due to his suffering. We had planned to go to a craft beer bar that Mando knows, but Wolfie was far too ill to imbibe. He was happy for me to stay out though, so Mando and I walked over there while Wolfie headed back to the hotel. I didn't realise that for medical reasons, Mando could only drink one beer in a sitting, so we only ended up staying for a couple, with Mando opting for a honey ale and me having two beers from a local brewery called Licor Dei. He was happy to watch as I drank my second, before we headed back to Porta Genova station, where I took the Metro and he went home. Consequently, it wasn't as heavy a drinking session as I had expected, probably just as well based on how expensive the beer was in the place, but I guess it was good for the waistline and I had to see whether Wolfie was fine. In the end he was so I decided to take advantage of my complimentary beer at the Ibis hotel while Wolfie slept.
We had planned to visit the Duomo on Thursday morning, necessitating an early start, which wasn't really Wolfie's bag. However, we were only in Milan once, so we headed off and met up with Mando at the same place as the day previously, before joining the queue to enter the cathedral. It was slightly longer than it had been the day before but not by much, and after passing security, we were soon inside this breathtaking building. Words cannot really do justice to just how awesome a space this is, big enough to fit two cranes in for a start as it was undergoing some renovation. Taking nearly six centuries to complete, its interior is every bit as ornate and intricate as its exterior. The stained glass windows, although not fully radiant due to the cloudy conditions, were still breathtaking while the marble floor and statues on the wall gave a sense of calm and tranquility. The list of all bishops of Milan going back to 51 AD highlighted the awesome history of the cathedral while the revernance of the crypt underneath of Saint Charles Borromeo demonstrated the importance of the building in all Catholic hearts. As wonderful as all this was though, the highlight was probably the archaeological excavations underneath, which showed the original Roman buildings and churches predating the Cathedral.
With time running out, we decided to have a quick trip back to the sandwich shop again, picking up a tasty ham and cheese baguette, again with local ingredients. We then had a quick walk around central Milan, with Wolfie in agony once more, where I picked up a delicious gelato of coconut and milk ice cream. After this, it was time to say goodbye to Mando and head to Centrale railway station via the hotel, where we had to pick up our bags. The bus to Bergamo Airport, some one hour out of Milan, was pretty straightforward although I was just in time booking it, having to get it sorted that morning as you needed to order a seat six hours in advance. At the Airport, through Security, we were delighted to see a craft beer bar set up by one of the local artisinal breweries in Bergamo. Alas, with Wolfie feeling like crap, we only got to sample one beer but we did buy about twelve different bottles, pretty much all of their range, in the shop as we entered the terminal. It was a pleasant way to end the trip, and made up for a lack of a night out before, but alas it was all over as we had to head back to frozen Manchester.
Mando was running a little late, so we got to look at the impressive architecture of the Cathedral, one of the true wonders of the world dominating the piazza. We also got to see the stupendous domed arch of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with all of its high-end shopping. Inside here, we saw the interesting signs of Italy's different ages, along with some fantastic artwork and mosaics on the floor, one of which containing a hollowed out divot where a bull's balls once were. Apparently, if you dig our heel into the bull's balls and rotate upon it twice, your wishes will come too. Suffice to say, the bull's wishes were far from coming true, what with the erosion of his bollocks. Anyway, I digress. Around ten minutes into our stay, we spied the obvious looking furry sculking around and made our introductions, before noticing that the queue into the Duomo was surprisingly short. We tried our luck, but unfortunately they wouldn't let us in with my wheeled bag, meaning we had to make a date to visit the next morning
One of the advantages of having a local guide is that they can show you around a number of places off the tourist map. This is what we did that Wednesday morning, despite being jetlagged to fuck with the early start and the long flight. Mando knew of an ossuary nearby, San Bernardino alle Ossa, where one room was reconstructed out of bones from plague victims. It was very eerie, seeing an alter made entirely of human skulls, along with wall fixtures containing piles of them staring back at you. The small chapel did have a heavy reverential feel, however, while it was interesting that some enemies of the state were displayed there as a warning to others one assumes. The crosses made out of human bones were particularly grizzly, but it was the decoration itself that was particularly powerful. This was all enhanced by the evocative late-Renaissance artwork, which added yet further layers of depth and grandeur to proceedings. The nearby Santo Stefano Church continued the theme, it being more airy than the chapel, but with impressively moody artwork hanging betwixt the columns of the building.
Our next stop was the campus of the University of Milan, which is where Mando studies. Consequently, we had quite good access of this former hospital situated in the heart of the city. Apparently the grounds are far too small for the number of students and, like with my former university of Cambridge, it does feel like you are walking around living breathing history. The piazzas were quite charming, while some of the Roman-era ruins such as the places where meat and fish was kept cool, dominating the central squares. Some of the original columns still stand while others have been shrouded by more modern glass structures but the mix of histories was fascinating. One highlight was Ca Granda, the big house, which was founded in 1456. This had a pharmacy, baths, an ice house and a wood house, with these buildings being used for different purposes by the university today.
Milan was destroyed significantly in World War II, so many of the buildings in the heart are reconstructed. A number of the buildings built in the fascist era of Mussolini still survive, and unlike in Germany, the old Italian fascist symbols are still present in the architecture. We had seen something similar in Rome and while the Italian signs are perhaps not as evocative or associated with fascism like they were under the Nazis, it's interesting that the Italians are still happy to preserve this rather long period of their history. Anyway, I am digressing again as our next port of call was the Basilica di San Nazaro in Brolo, built by the patron saint of Milan, Saint Ambrose, in the late fourth century. This was another airy and atmospheric building which I believe forms part of the university.
The highlight of the day for me was probably San Giovanni in Conca, an old church which fell foul of urban regeneration in the 1920s when a new road system for the city was desperately needed. Built in the fifth and sixth centuries and reconstructed in the eleventh (and then again in the thireenth), all that remains is part of the Romanesque apse which has stood in the middle of a junction since 1949. The crypt underneath the church, however, has survived and it's a wonderously small architectural jewel, with valuted brickwork and stone columns telling stories of a building which sadly no longer exists. The Italian Touring Society look after the building, and inside the crypt they had even put on a video show about the church, but the real interest lay in some of the old stonemasonary they had on display, not to mention the boards detailing the history of the church throughout the ages. It's sad to think that such a beautiful building that had played such a pivotal role in this area for fourteen centuries could be so readily destroyed but the buillding had been increasingly downgraded over the previous century and I guess progress is progress. The area still is a key arterial route into the city and its demolition was perhaps necessary. The remains of a Roman-era cistern are also down here along with a lion frieze which used to adorn the old church. It was great that at least some of the building survived, even if it's largely underground, and I am glad that the volunteers are still looking after it. You could feel the history and the fact that the building had a story to tell, and I am happy that this is being kept alive.
We weren't quite churched out just yet, but we were considering whether there was a church-based app to log in to all of the churches we had visited. We must have done over one thousand on all the tours we had been on, but I feared we would be bothered by religious people if such a program exists. Anyway, the next stop was Chiesa di Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia, a wonderful symmetrical building with two tall towers at either end. Inside the artwork was exquisite, all tones of black making it quite a dark and gloomy atmosphere. It did suit the burgandy marbelled walls though, adding to the sense of enchantment. Churches number seven and eight weren't far behind, with the first being dedicated to the military, with it being owned by the city rather than the Catholic Church. It was the circular Civico Templo di San Sebastiano, built in 1576 to give thanks from deliverance of the plague. It's very much an architectural exception of the time, with a circular dome supported by eight arches. Crests of various families adorn the wall, along with a very prestiguous Italian miliary flag. The artwork on the domed ceiling in a beautiful blue hue was breathtaking but this was nothing compared to the optical effect in the next church, the Santa Maria presso San Satiro, which was built between 1476 and 1486. In here, there is an illusion behind the alter which gives a flat wall depth, making it look like the church is cross-shaped when in fact it's merely in the shape of a T. From a distance, it's very deceptive and up close you can see how cleverly done this is. Meanwhile, screened off to one corner are examples of fifteenth century (I think) frescos.
It was now time for lunch, with Manto recommending a sandwich shop very close to the university as a good place to eat. On our way, we spied the ticket shop of the Duomo in the shape of a boat, along with a bookshop stocking books of a loveable little character called Il Lupo. Il Lupo (the wolf) gets up to a number of exciting adventures, but my favourite was Il Lupo investigatore al museo. In the middle of this range of books there sat an Il Lupo plush toy, and I really wanted to get it for Wolfie but he was having none of it. We also saw the oldest continual shop in Milan, dating from the eighteenth century, which so happens to be a British-themed store. It looked quite shit in all honesty, but I took a picture anyway as we walked around the old merchants' area of the city, very near the Duomo. It only took us about ten minutes to reach the sandwich shop, and soon we were sat down in the back tucking in to their exquisite meat and cheeseboard containing a range of local products. The quality of the food was divine and far above anything else you can get back in the UK, but this was nothing compared to their Sandwich of the Day, which was honey, lardo and cheese. It was so rich and unctuous, and at only €5, a fantastic price. I felt quite envious at just how good Italian food is, with this being a pretty standard sandwich shop and popular with the students. We had intended to go earlier in the day, but upon arrival just after 9:30am, they told us that they hadn't had their bread delivery, which is why we had turned up later. But boy was it worth the wait, it was truly stupefyingly delicious and comfortably one of the best lunches I have ever had in a sandwich shop.
Mando had to go to work for a few hours in the afternoon, which allowed us to check into our hotel and have a nap ahead of evening plans. The hotel was a little out of town but the Metro made getting there very easy, plus we got to ride on the driverless trains of the M5, sitting in the front wherever possible to see us go down the tracks. Unfortunately, the sandwich had set off Wolfie's stomach bug and he was in agony, so after spending some time faffing around checking in to some flights and printing out the boarding passes, we headed to the room for a snooze. We were asleep for about two hours before having a shower and arranging to meet up with Mando again, who suggested going down to the Porta Genova area near where he lives. Wolfie was still feeling terrible but he braved it, and soon we were walking by the bohemian canal area of Milan looking for a restaurant. We checked out the market but nothing there really appealed, with me in particular fancying pizza, so we ended up going to a fantastic pizza place that Mando knows, with many of the ingredients being things I did not recognize. I ordered a pizza which was predominantly meatballs and spinach, having had to ask what the spinach word was on the menu. Alas I thought I liked spinach more than I did, but in the end I realised that I had forgotten that the ferrous taste wasn't particularly appealing. Aside from that, it was a good pizza but it was nothing compared to Wolfie's Margharita, which was delicious. I had to eat most of it due to Wolfie's stomach pain having got much worse, with him having to go back to the hotel after we had finished due to his suffering. We had planned to go to a craft beer bar that Mando knows, but Wolfie was far too ill to imbibe. He was happy for me to stay out though, so Mando and I walked over there while Wolfie headed back to the hotel. I didn't realise that for medical reasons, Mando could only drink one beer in a sitting, so we only ended up staying for a couple, with Mando opting for a honey ale and me having two beers from a local brewery called Licor Dei. He was happy to watch as I drank my second, before we headed back to Porta Genova station, where I took the Metro and he went home. Consequently, it wasn't as heavy a drinking session as I had expected, probably just as well based on how expensive the beer was in the place, but I guess it was good for the waistline and I had to see whether Wolfie was fine. In the end he was so I decided to take advantage of my complimentary beer at the Ibis hotel while Wolfie slept.
We had planned to visit the Duomo on Thursday morning, necessitating an early start, which wasn't really Wolfie's bag. However, we were only in Milan once, so we headed off and met up with Mando at the same place as the day previously, before joining the queue to enter the cathedral. It was slightly longer than it had been the day before but not by much, and after passing security, we were soon inside this breathtaking building. Words cannot really do justice to just how awesome a space this is, big enough to fit two cranes in for a start as it was undergoing some renovation. Taking nearly six centuries to complete, its interior is every bit as ornate and intricate as its exterior. The stained glass windows, although not fully radiant due to the cloudy conditions, were still breathtaking while the marble floor and statues on the wall gave a sense of calm and tranquility. The list of all bishops of Milan going back to 51 AD highlighted the awesome history of the cathedral while the revernance of the crypt underneath of Saint Charles Borromeo demonstrated the importance of the building in all Catholic hearts. As wonderful as all this was though, the highlight was probably the archaeological excavations underneath, which showed the original Roman buildings and churches predating the Cathedral.
With time running out, we decided to have a quick trip back to the sandwich shop again, picking up a tasty ham and cheese baguette, again with local ingredients. We then had a quick walk around central Milan, with Wolfie in agony once more, where I picked up a delicious gelato of coconut and milk ice cream. After this, it was time to say goodbye to Mando and head to Centrale railway station via the hotel, where we had to pick up our bags. The bus to Bergamo Airport, some one hour out of Milan, was pretty straightforward although I was just in time booking it, having to get it sorted that morning as you needed to order a seat six hours in advance. At the Airport, through Security, we were delighted to see a craft beer bar set up by one of the local artisinal breweries in Bergamo. Alas, with Wolfie feeling like crap, we only got to sample one beer but we did buy about twelve different bottles, pretty much all of their range, in the shop as we entered the terminal. It was a pleasant way to end the trip, and made up for a lack of a night out before, but alas it was all over as we had to head back to frozen Manchester.
