September9th-10th
After a long trip we arrived in Milan to start our discovery of this fascinating country. We started with our own walking tour of the main district of the city which is as usual for European cities centered around the cathedral. The cathedral was started in the late 1400's and is ironically not that old for this part of the world. It is said to be the fourth largest in Europe and with it's very high ceilings does seem massive. The interior is fairly dark with little light coming through the beautiful stained glass windows that depict stories of the life of Christ. The outside of he cathedral is being cleaned in anticipation of EXPO which is to be held in Milan in 2015 so shines quite brightly compared to some of the churches we have seen on our other travels. We then strolled through the Gallerria Vittorio which is full of high end stores before stopping for a glass of wine and for me some octopus.
We started the next day with a private guided tour of some of the sights of Milan. Our first stop was to see Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, which is one of the ultimate masterpieces of the Renaissance. Was amazing to see in person this great work of art which has survived for over 500 years. Only 25 people are allowed into the vast room at a time for 15 minutes so we feel very privileged to have seen it. We then went to San Maurizo. Dating as far back as the 9th century this church with a connecting convent is totally decorated with magnificent frescos depicting the stories from the bible. We also visited Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio which was built on top on a. Christian martyr's cemetery around 380AD. The pulpit sits atop of a Chrisian satcrophagus daing from the year 400. In the crypt under the alter lay the skeletal remains of Ambrose who was one of the bishops of the early church. The Benedictine Monastry that is adjacent to the church is now Cattloica University. Was interesting to view the grounds that were designed by Donato Bramante, a Renaissance architect. To complete the tour we were taken to the Sforza Castle. Built in the late 1300's it once guarded the gates to the city. Over its lifetime it has served as home to royalty, a military fortress and today houses an array of museums and it's three massive courtyards host concerts and are public gathering places.
After our quick but wonderful tour of some of the best Milan has to offer we boarded a train to take us on a scenic trip to Lake Como. Our hotel in Varenna sits high up on the hill with wonderful views of the lake and many of the small towns dotting its shores. After a stroll through the town we met up with our tour group for orientation. Eric and I went to a delightful restaurant on the lakeshore where we were entertained by thunder and lightening and a torrential rainstorm.
Glimpse of Varenna
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