A Whirlwind Visit to the City of Fashion

Arty shot of the arching gothic spires of Milan's Duomo
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We had never really planned to spend a lot of time in Milan - much of what we had heard and read of the city indicated that it was nice but really unremarkable unless your interests really lie with the world of high fashion and size 0 models!  Nonetheless it is the travel hub of Northwest Italy and since we were going to be passing through by train it would have been a real waste to have spent no time at all looking around.

The train ride from Bergamo took about an hour and I have to say that our first impressions of Milan were less than favourable.  The train station is not well signposted and finding the left luggage section took some time.  After dropping our bags we again had real trouble locating the Tourism Office which is hidden away inside a dead-end mini-mall on the upper level with almost no signage at all...we suspect it may be done on purpose to ensure fewer customers and lower costs on free maps, brochures etc!

Denise peering down from the top of the Duomo after many flights of stairs
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Once we had a map we caught an underground Metro to the Piazza Duomo - but again after a series of frustrations including a self-service ticket counter that said it accepted credit cards but didn't and a 'helpful' local who was clearly trying a con job.  Once at the piazza it was worth the trip...the gothic cathedral is very impressive and clearly at the end of a long cleanup and restoration with the gleaming white marble almost pristine against the deep blue sky.  Entrance is free and the interior is quite dim, which just serves to highlight the stunning stained glass windows - some of the nicest we have seen yet.  We also decided to climb the Duomo - Euro 4 each - which was slightly less organised than St. Peter's, with the people going up and down the same set of very narrow steps.  The climb was very worthwhile - with three different viewing levels and a lot of work done to make the roof area accessible and large enough for big crowds.  The gothic spires and sculptures that line the Duomo are truly impressive, and from the very top you get a great view of Milan.  What we found quite interesting were some of the statues and carvings which seemed less traditionally Christian - with a lot of pagan elements like angels with the legs of fauns, very large and bare-breasted nymphs and even Roman centurion look-alikes.

Rob lording it up on the roof of the Duomo
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After the Duomo we wandered through the famous shopping arcade dedicated to the first King if the Unified Italy - its been around for a long time and was one of the first covered malls in Italy.  Funniest things was seeing all the high fashion houses like Prada and Yves Saint Laurent with their monograms and logos and in the exact same style a McDonalds and the large RM monogram for Ronald McDonald the clown...someone has a great sense of humour!

The old opera house was less than impressive from outside and so we wandered through the streets of the Golden Quad where all the main fashion houses have their bases...interesting in a kind of detached way for those of us who find it difficult to get excited by brands.  The Public Gardens were far more enjoyable and we had to tear ourselves away from our park bench next to the stream to find the restaurant recommended by our new Europe on a Shoestring Guide.  Run almost entirely by Asians - seemingly from China - they served excellent pizza and pasta for very good prices...good experience.  We has our first good Italian Risotto and a Gorgonzola and Rocket pizza.  After another mad dash - in which I made the mistake of pushing the SOS button on a street lamp instead of the button to cross the road - we retrieved our luggage, jumped on the train and settled in for the 5 hour ride to Nice.  Goodbye Italy, Bon Jour France!