This is a throwback holiday to Milan in Italy from quite a long time ago. Those were the days when I was still into shopping and fashion, I mean that's one of the big reasons for going to Milan, right? I remember I got off the plane in the morning, and after lunch jumped onto a shuttle bus to cross the border to a factory outlet in Switzerland for a spot of retail therapy. No time to waste on my long weekend here!!
Lake Como
The next day, I caught the train to Lake Como. It's by the Italian Swiss border, not far away from the factory outlet the previous day.
Lake Como is Italy's third largest lake, but probably the most famous of them all. It's located at the bottom of the Swiss Alps, and has some amazing scenery, hence attracting a lot of tourists, as well as the rich and famous. I was hoping maybe I'd bump into George Clooney, I hear he has a holiday home here.
Sadly, no sight of him. That's probably because George doesn't take public transport, such as this funicular built in 1894 to take people from Como to Brunate up in the mountains.
His loss, because Brunate is a quaint little village located 500m above Lake Como. It has some amazing views looking back down to the lake, and out to the Alps.
My favourite view is watching the funicular going up and down the 1km long track. The funicular ride is quite something.
After lingering around Brunate for a while, I headed back down the funicular again and wandered around Como town for a little while. I even walked back to the lake where all the yatches were, in the hope of seeing George. Still no luck. Maybe we weren't destined to meet. Time to head back to Milan.
Milan Duomo
The highlight of my Milan trip is visiting the Duomo, ie the cathedral. Cathedrals are magical places, and I say so even though I'm not religious. They bring peace and faith to their followers, and is a testimony of history and culture of a place for others.
What I love about Milano Duomo, and still makes it my all time favourite religious structure is its gothic architecture and amazing rooftop. Normally if you're allowed to go to the top of a cathedral, you'd be walking around the perimeter or likely in some sort of enclosed area with restricted views. Milano Duomo is unique in that visitors are allowed to actually walk ON the rooftop. That's such a freaking awesome experience and I have never seen anything else like that before (or after). There were many spires on the rooftop and getting to see the intricate masonry details so close was quite unbelievable.
One of my favourite image from this trip is this one, looking down from the rooftop at all by the people at the piazza.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
No trip to Milan would be complete without a visit to the city's most famous shopping arcade. It's next to the Duomo and even if you're not into shopping, a visit for it's architecture is a feast for one's eyes. After a weekend in Milan, I'd pretty much broke my bank already, but I felt a lot richer after visiting such a beautiful city.