Afternoon in Milano

Today we headed into Milano. I let Brandon pick one day off of school this week, and today was the day.

Rob, Heather and Dylan got to experience public transit in Italy. First off, we rode the bus from our house to Monza, where we had to switch buses for the ride into Sesto. In Sesto we caught the Red line Metro to the Duomo station in Milan.



Once at the Duomo, we let Heather, Rob and Dylan get a sense of the piazza. It's a busy and large area. We ventured into the Duomo. While the outside of the Duomo is one of my favorite in Italy, I don't particularly care for the inside. I find it too dark and bleak. We wandered around the perimeter before going back outside.




St. Barolomeo, a martyr skinned alive by the Romans, carved by a student of Leonardo da Vinci


Candles and prayers

Brandon wanted to take them up to the roof, so we paid the fee and climbed a ton of stairs. Thankfully today was a sunny day. The view of the mountains was pretty hazy, but the city of Milan was pretty clear. We hung out at the top for awhile, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine.




On the lower roof of the Duomo




On the roof of the Duomo


Rob and Heather on the roof of the Duomo


Heading back down to the lower roof


A little frog. The roof of the Duomo is full of details that can only be seen if you are up here.



After returning back down to the piazza, it was time for some lunch. Brandon chose for us to eat at Ciao, sort of an Italian buffet. We've eaten at them on long car trips along the Autostrada and they are pretty good. Unfortunately, that was not the case today. The food was average and the choices were slim.

After lunch we walked through the Galleria, stopping to spin our heels on the mosaic bulls testicles. Locals say it brings good luck.


Brandon, "Why am I doing this?"


Dylan spins for good luck

We walked past La Scala, saw a statue of Leonard da Vinci, then headed to Via Dante so that we could get some gelato while we walked toward Castello Sforzesco. We stopped at Io Voglio for some gelato. Dylan loves gelato!

We spent some time checking out the interior courtyards of the Castello. It is such a huge fortress and was even bigger at one time. Many of the outer walls have been knocked down, but the main fortress still stands.





At the back of the castle I finally found a vendor selling Italian flags, so I bought one. I've been wanting one to take back home with me. We also bought an AC Milan/Inter Milan banner for Brandon.

Time to head home. We caught the metro back to Sesto, then the bus back to our apartment. We had a fun afternoon in Milan. Tomorrow we are heading to see Lago di Como.