Milan, Italy

Sforza Castle
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Milan was our first stop in our one-month tour of Italy, and we spent 3 nights here.

The first thing we did was get some authentic Italian pizza for lunch, and it didn't disappoint! Mine had tomato and artichoke on it, and only cost 1 euro for a big slice. I am looking forward to all the Italian food, but I'll have to do a lot of walking to burn off all the carbs!

First stop in our one-month tour of Italy

Next, we wandered around the main part of Milan. First we visited the Duomo (cathedral), which is currently being restored as it is damaged by pollution and also all the pidgeon droppings! Inside we saw the Crypt of St Charles Borreomeo, which was interesting for me as the primary school I went to was named after St Charles. We also went window shopping in the nearby Emmanuel Vittorio II gallery, an incredible building filled with designer shops. Now I definitely know why Milan is the fashion capital of Italy. We also made the mistake of buying a coffee here in the main square... which cost us 5 euro each!! At least it was good coffee.

The pasta dish I wasn't expecting!
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That night, we went to a restaurant for dinner, where I ordered the 'spaghetti mediterranean', thinking it would be a tomato/vegetable sauce. The whole menu was in Italian so we had to guess. I started to get worried when the waiter came out and put a bib on me... and even more worried when he wheeled out a trolley carrying a huge plate! The plate was sealed with baked bread, and the waiter peeled it back to reveal a seafood pasta dish with mussels, calamari, octopus, prawns and more. The whole thing was quite a performance and not what I was expecting , but it was some of the best pasta I've ever tasted!

Richard in the Verona amphitheatre
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On our second day, we again took a hop on/off bus ride around Milan. We spent most of our time at the Sforza Castle, where one of the rooms inside is painted by Leondardo Da Vinci. The castle looks quite 'dark' and 'evil' from the outside, and apparently the Sforza family weren't very nice so I guess that is fitting! Milan is quite dirty and there are a lot of beggars and hawkers, but it still has a certain charm to it with a lot of narrow cobbled streets, amazing churches, and pretty squares.

Elena on Juliet's balcony in Verona
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On our last day, we spent the day in nearby Verona, which I loved. It is such a pretty old town. We visited an old Roman amphitheatre, which is the third largest in the world, as well as Juliet's house, where Richard rubbed the statue of Juliet for luck in love! We also climbed an old clock tower which had some amazing views over the city, and saw some ruins of an old Roman arena. We spent all day wandering around and discovering more sights - I could have easily spent a few days here. I think Verona will be one of my favourite cities in Italy.

Richard next to the river in Verona
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PS Pics coming soon!