Ah Milano!

There were 2 things that surprised me as we arrived in Milano – the beauty of the Central Train Station (a Mussolini era masterpiece) and the great hotel I had booked right across the street from it (amazing view of the train station). We arrived in Milan after a 3h52m train ride, 227kms. Very relaxing. Lots of time to eat, snooze, check the computer, knit, read a good book, whatever vacation time is made of. Coming to Milan marked a stop closer to our original itinerary that followed the Orient Express.

I had been to Milano in 1989 when the bank draft that had been given to me as a gift needed to be encashed for badly needed funds at the end of a holiday. The bank draft, purchased from the TD Bank in Canada, was labelled Banco di Milano. It was August, when most of this city is deserted for summer holidays. I located the nearest branch of Banco di Milano and with much gesturing and posturing, I managed to convince them to hand over the equivalent of $200 dollars. After a night in Milan, I was returning to France where I spoke the language and hoped to get away from the tourist menu food I had encountered for most of my trip to Italy. I have since returned to Italy during July and August (summer again!!) and can’t say I enjoyed the experience (with some exceptions). Too hot, too crowded and populated with mostly tourists. Not my kind of travel. We can hope that this third visit to Italy would finally charm me? Good news, it did!

Armed with my Mediterranean vibe (acquired in the Riviera), I was ready to visit the great Duomo of Milano that I had seen on TV broadcasts of the Olympics, just weeks before. The other item on my list was the fashion district or at least some serious window shopping during our long walks. I was always impressed with the shop windows in Italy. They have a way of presenting merchandise, whether it be fashion or furnishings that is unique.

So we made our way to the Duomo by way of the Galleria, the oldest shopping centre in the world. Gorgeous architecture, impressive sights, but never visit on a Sunday. Too many people! All I could think about was pickpockets (I do learn) while I was distracted taking pictures. So we kept walking and I resolved to return on a quieter day, which we did.

We also visited the canal area. It was the kind of place where families sit on the grass, enjoying a picnic in the sun. I have photo proof! Other sights we passed on that Sunday were La Scala, the opera house and the Leonardo da Vinci statue in front the the Museum of Science and Technology.

One morning, we set out to find a gluten free bakery so I could enjoy and pastry and a coffee. I found the perfect croissant that did not disappoint, and a pastry for later (it didn’t last very long in the packaging).

Even though there are a number of restaurants, we ended up settling on the Mercado Centrale, an artisan food court, located in the Milano Centrale (train station). We enjoyed people watching as we tried beer, wine, middle eastern food, and other more Italian delights over the 3 days we stayed in the city.

We visited the Sforza Castle and area, arriving there by historic tram. Milano has very good public transit, although we mostly walked and only tried the older tram. The weather was beautiful, so it was easy to just keep strolling and look at the sights along the way.