We have had a great time in Florence - but it's time for more adventure! Today we travel to Milan, a large cosmopolitan city in Northern Italy. By bus, it would take most of the day to get there, but we will travel by . . .
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| Bullet Train! Or Alte Velcita' as they are called in Italian - High Speed! |
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| While these trains are incredibly smooth, they are very fast - we clocked speeds of 300 km/hr (approx 185 mph)! The only real sensation of going that fast was when a high speed train would pass going south - the interaction was over in a second! |
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| Milan has a modern train station for the high speed trains. |
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| The station is surrounded by many ultra modern office complexes |
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| We caught our bus and went to Piazza della Scalla - so named for this world famous opera house. La Scalla is home to many varying venues of performances these days, e.g. symphony, ballet, etc., in addition to the opera. |
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| In the center of the piazza stands this marvelous statue of Leonardo da Vinci - newly cleaned! |
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| The guide met us and gave us some background and history of Milan |
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| Steve brought along a little golf seat that allowed Sharon to get off her feet when the opportunity arose |
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| Just behind the statue of Da Vinci is a spring fed faucet with very sweet water! |
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| The Piazza della Scalla offers an entry into Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II |
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| This large shopping mall is lined with high end shops and is one of the first ever of this kind in the world (opened in the 1870's). Its popularity has prompted many malls to copy the name Galleria! |
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| The Galleria is lined with all sorts of shops, including high end restaurants (if you have to ask how expensive it is, you probably can't afford it!) |
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| At the intersection of the two corridors is an octagonal courtyard. At the junctions in the upper corners are murals depicting the "four corners of the Earth" - here Africa |
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| Here America |
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| Here Europe - I missed shooting Asia (Sorry) |
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| The crest of Milan (?) |
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| On the floor below is this mosaic of the Bull of Turin - the depression where the bull's . . . well between the bull's legs is significant |
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| If you put your heel in the depression, then spin about, you will have good fortune - here George |
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| Theresa |
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| Sharon |
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| Bob |
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| The Galleria opens into Piazza del Duomo |
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| While the group went down into the subway station to "smile" Tony hung out on the piazza and just people watched. |
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| Vittorio Emanuele II was the first King of a unified Italy since the 6th century. Italians refer to him as Padre della Patria - Father of the Fatherland |
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| But of course the main attraction here is the Duomo - the Cathedral- under construction for over 500 years! |
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| They were cleaning the interior, so "cherry pickers" were everywhere! The Cathedral i svery large and expansive |
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| This ancient Roman tub serves now as a baptismal font |
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| The main altar with a huge pipe organ to the left side - we were to have mass here later, so look further down for more photos |
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The main altar has this ornate reliquary but I have been unable to determine what it contains - any help would be appreciated |
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| A side altar dedicated to the Blessed Mother. The Cathedral is in fact dedicated to St Mary of the Nativity |
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| Another side altar with the crucifix |
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| Madonna & Child |
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| Our guide pointed out the two styles of stained glass - this one painted glass with the separating lead used mainly for effect and structure . . . |
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| . . . and this style where the story is told primarily with small bits of glass help in place by the lead |
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| Many more side altars and niches - unfortunately I cannot identify them all |
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| Some find this rendition of the Blessed Mother nursing the Baby Jesus disturbing, but I find it very natural |
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Near the entrance to the crypt on the far right side of the cathedral is this side altar -but at the left is a fabulous statue of St Bartholomew (my patron saint) |
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| The legend has it that Bartholomew (also called Nathaniel) was martyred by being flayed (skinned) alive |
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| In the view above, Bartholomew seems to have three legs. Here you can see the third is his skin hung over his left shoulder! |
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| The principle relic of the Cathedral is one of the nails used to crucify Jesus. St Helen traveled to the Holy Land in the 4th century and returned with many relics of Christianity |
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| This phot0 from the web shows a close up of the nail which is retrieved from it's perch nearly 90' above the main altar, each year on the Saturday closest to Sep 14, the nail is retrieved to be venerated by the public. On the following Monday it is returned to its lofty perch. |
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| The earthly remains of St Charles Boromeo, former Bishop of Milan |
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| We boarded our bus for a driving tour of Milan. We made a brief stop at Castello Sforzesco (Sforza Castle) |
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| This 15th century fortress was one of the largest in Europe |
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| The interior courtyard |
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| The moat |
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| And drawbridge |
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| This modern sculpture pays homage to the sewing industry (Milan is considered by many to be the fashion capitol of the world - rivaled only by New York and Paris) - here is a knot in the thread |
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| We saw many buildings and I just lost track - any help would be appreciated |
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| Back to the Cathedral for mass - in a chapel immediately behind the main altar! |
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| Theresa & Bob after mass |
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| Then on to the hotel. What the hotel in Florence promised, this hotel delivered! Comfy bed! |
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| We could not remember ever staying in a nicer hotel! The rooms were very spacious and quiet! |
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| We never used the jacuzzi tub, but the shower was great |
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| Theresa was happy to find dual sinks! |
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| At dinner, Bob ordered a half carafe of white wine. When it came, we teased him that it looked like a flask, so he hammed it up a little! |
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| A night time drive back to the hotel |
Tomorrow - another field trip!
We will drive an hour or so to Turin to view the Holy Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus.
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