On Tuesday, we had an indulgent lie in after our long day on Monday and then headed off for our first planned activity which was to be the art gallery in the Brera District. (Pinacoteca di Brera). The weather was looking OK .. for now!
We set off on our half hour walk to the gallery and passed through a beautiful garden – Giardini Indro Montanelli, named after a famous Italian journalist whose statue was in the corner of the park. As we wandered along, we noticed two people doing rope flow in a corner of the park, so approached them and had a chat. It turned out that they both knew Sam so it was a very fun and friendly encounter and several photos were taken to mark the occasion!!! Rope flow had brought us two English together with a Milan local, Phil, and his friend from Taiwan! A small world indeed!
After a quick coffee and croissant stop in a bustling café in La Brera we finally got to the gallery. There was lots of hustle and bustle but it was shut to the public because they were setting up their Armani exhibition for the next day. We had not realised that this week was Milan fashion week and certainly picked up the vibe immediately with a model in classical dress being photographed in the courtyard of the gallery.
So, a quick change of plan led us to the La Scala museum nearby. This was well worth a visit. As we went up the stairs we could see posters from various iconic opera performances over the years. The main exhibition section of the gallery was in a stunning room with beautiful chandeliers and had various busts of famous composers along with memorabilia, instruments and artwork from operas over the years. On the second level there was a rather fantastic exhibition of photos related to the ballet by Gérard Uféras, many of which focused on backstage scenes and images of ballerinas waiting to perform. These were beautifully lit and the exhibition was further enhanced by some paper tutus, some of which are shown below. We were also able to view the inside of the Opera house where a rehearsal was in progress.
We had chosen a fast track access by lift to the top of the Duomo at 1 o’clock. Access was at the rear right of the cathedral and we did not have to queue at all. It was a really fantastic way to do it because we had an amazing view across Milan and beyond and we were able to see many architectural features up close from the roof. There were not too many people there so it was easy to move around comfortably and you could also get unobscured views. At the top we could see the golden statue of La Madonnina at the highest point. Milan tradition dictated that no building could stand higher than the Madonnina. Some modern day buildings that do have to place a miniature Madonnina at their summit so she remains at the highest point in the city. We then made our way down on foot and were able to see the interior of the cathedral. There were a wealth of things to see in the interior but for us the roof had been the absolute highlight.
fter all that excitement we wandered back out to the Piazza and then through the beautiful and historic shopping gallery, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, past shops such as Armani and Prada, expensive looking cafés and some models posing in readiness for fashion week!
We chilled in the hotel for a little while and then walk to the Mercato Centrale for an evening beer and some arancini. The market had a good mix of food stalls, bars and eateries – you could probably have filled up with all the samples on offer! On our way back we ticked another essential item off the list of ‘what to eat in Milan’ by rounding off the evening with a pistachio and chocolate icecream.