IYLC Prague 2014 + Italian Interlude: Day 7: Milan Darling, Milan

With one day left before Prague, it was up early in the morning to catch the train to Milan. Just before I left I bought myself a new necklace and bracelet made from Murano Glass, which I intend to wear during the conference. I was actually at the train station way too early because I was so worried about the water bus taking too long to get there! But otherwise the morning was uneventful. I was thrilled though when I arrived at my hotel! It was so fancy and everything non-alcoholic in the minibar was complimentary. Which was AWESOME (in the heat it was appreciated that there was free bottles of water for me to take adventuring.)

Milan is a very shoppy place. It's mostly big brand name shops and tourist places - which makes it quite expensive. It is very easy to get around in however and I had no trouble finding my meeting place for the bus tour of Milan. The first stop was the Cathedral, which is absolutely glorious. As I was climbing it later, I didn't take too many photos at this time. I did also duck inside and see the traditional neogothic artwork and the world's largest stained glass windows, however was unable to take photographs. Still, it is a beautiful building I will tell you more about later.

Statue of the first king of Italy

Milan Cathedral

We wandered through the Galleria which contains a number of mosaics regarding the history of Italy, including the four cities that once had been capital of the unified nation. For the most part it is just a shopping mall, not actually that exciting, but like most of Milan it is currently undergoing renovations for an international expo (not the World Expo, a different one) so that all of Milan is shiny for next year. We then arrived at La Scala, the renowned Opera House, where we took a tour of the theater and the gallery. I didn't know much, but they had lots of paintings of famous singers. So that was cool.

I really do like Chandeliers

Mozart's hair (not a good photo)

Our next stop on the tour was the Palace of the Duke of Milan. This fortress housed both the Duke and the Duchess who lived at opposite ends of the place (so romantic.) It has a number of famous artworks, including the third and final Pieta which was left incomplete by Michelangelo. We did not go and see this artwork. Instead, we did a quick tour of the Duke's quarters and then got onto the bus for our final destination - The Last Supper.

The moat - now a home for cats

One of the watch towers

Another, close up - with family crests

The final tour stop was the Last Supper, which is a mural painting on a Monastery wall. Having been recently restored, it is quite vibrant, although there are a number of lost details included Jesus' feet from when the monks put a door through that wall. Due to the fact it was a relatively new technique used by Leonardo and the quality of the materials used, it has always been in poor condition - even when Leonardo had only recently finished it. It was nearly destroyed in World War II when the Monastery was bombed and now exists in a temperature and humidity controlled space that requires you to walk through two airlocks to see it.

I was worried I wasn't going to make it to my last Milan tour, climbing the Cathedral, so I didn't catch the bus back to the meeting point, instead going directly from the Last Supper to the Cathedral. Turned out I was the first one there. The Cathedral was completed in 1965, taking 600 years to complete the build. As such, it is a mixture of gothic and neogothic architecture, including flying buttresses and hundreds of sculptures, each one unique. The view is fairly standard, Milan is a modern city, but this church is spectacular. Because of the white marble used, it is constantly undergoing repairs and restoration with whole sections being replaced. The repair work is constant and as such there is a saying that any long, seemingly endless task is described as being "as the repair of the Duomo."

In World War II it was only hit by one bomb, which has left a mark in the church. The theory is that the bright white church was a marker for bombers as they flew over to attack Milan, which is why it was saved, even though they attempted the firebombing technique later used in Dresden. This firebombing technique failed in Milan due to the humidity of the area (they get a lot of rain, much to the disgust of Italian farmers in other regions.)