Everything was booked in advance - we were expecting 3 days in Italy - 1 in Milan and 2 for a walk to the lakes of Como and Lago Maggiore.
A great surprise, indeed! And when it is presented with great love and the desire to make the person feel special is not how my N-th birthday will not become a special one.
Take off:
The luggage was arranged for about an hour and a half. A dream did not hurt me. Well, I slept for about 2 hours and I got up impatiently and arranged everything for our trip.
Just before 8am we were conveniently accommodated in the airplane and preparing for another exciting journey along with our little trip-traveler who fortunately took the whole flight about an hour and 25 minutes.
Ciao, Milano!
We moved relatively quickly from the Bergamo airport, about 50 km from the center of Milan. There are several options for traveling by train, taxi or bus. We chose the bus transport. Twenty minutes before Terminal 2, buses run to different companies. The ticket costs 5 euros and the trip lasts between 40-60 minutes depending on the traffic. We traveled for an hour - on the first day of the week at 8:30 local time imagine what a move to Milan. H0 anyway :) Go to pleasant conversations, singing songs, reading books and so on.
We arrived at Centrale Milano , where we took a taxi to take us to our hotel, which was 5 minutes from the Cathedral. In Milan, you can not just take your hand in the middle of the boulevard and the taxi to set five cars, to detect just as much and just take it as it is here in Bulgaria. You stand on a special stand, in a queue of people, and taxi cars arrive at the same time, and you get up when your turn comes.
For 11 euro and about 15-minute trip we moved to Via Borromei 4, where was our hotel Vecchia Milano. A decent room, a room in which everything was necessary except one - there was no window mosquito, and three nights I fought in battle with those insects that were biting everything upright. This in the joke, though I really do not joke. If you go there, pick up devices against mosquitoes, the repellents at least did not work for us.
Duomo
The Milan Cathedral or the Duomo di Milano is perhaps the most iconic memorial in Milan. Everyone who visits the city remains with this memory forever. As I told you after settling, we immediately tightened and headed for the cathedral. There are no 7-8 minutes to pass through several streets and here is the 108-meter masterpiece of human craftsmanship. The crowd in front of the temple was enormous ... Everyone posed for a visit to this beautiful city in front of this majestic building. The Duomo ranks second largest Catholic (and largest Gothic) temple in the world, definitely the most beautiful and memorable building in Milan. An interesting fact about the Duomo is that most of Milan's streets meet before the Duomo.
Once before the cathedral was built at the same place, there was an ancient temple known for having been named St. Augustine. The construction of the Duomo began in 1386 and was completed only in 1805. For five centuries it was rebuilt and shaped, and that is why it is interwoven with different styles. Gothic remains the most basic, followed by well-recognizable Baroque elements and later neo-classic and Neo-Gothic.
Unfortunately, we were unable to climb to the highest point of the temple, on which a gold-plated statue of the Madonna was placed at the end of the 18th century. The cathedral is decorated with 135 pointed towers above each of which have a different sculpture.
Let me confess and we did not come in because the day we were in Milan all day had huge tails and the weather was extremely hot and somehow we decided we did not want the child to do it either. Another time…
On the other hand, we went through several times and resumed before Duomo to enjoy it. Let's face it, let's face it. Many people, many pigeons. There were people walking alongside us who offered in their handfuls of crumbs that you could possibly feed the pigeons, and they would take you with a professional camera and take a photo at the moment. I do not particularly like these feathers. Still good photos we did without feeding these pizzas.
Castle Sforza
From here, we drove Via Dante to Sforza Castle. Far away, his mighty stance was slowly rising. It was built 6 centuries ago. It is popular with the famous Leonardo da Vinci, and the fact that the castle keeps the memory of not only a few dramatic events: Italian revolutionary wars, family drama, love stories, jealousy and betrayal.
We walked past its tall walls, but we decided that we would not go to the museums of the castle itself.
Park Sempione
It is located in the northwest part of the city, or as soon as we left the Sphinn Castle, we entered the park itself. Huge, huge. It turns out that this is a favorite place for the Italians. As a matter of fact, there were not many people in the time zone we visited. On the other hand, there were a few lakes where ducks and other water floats swam. The child enjoyed them quite well and did not stop pa-pa.
At the end of the park there is a Peace Arch. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century by order of Napoleon. It is located at the site of the ancient city gate of Sempione since the time of the Roman Empire. Initially, the Arc of Victory was named - in honor of Napoleon. Later, it gets the name Peace Arch.
Gallery Vittorio Emanuele II
What it means to be in Milan and not to visit one of the three most emblematic places, perhaps. The Duomo, La Scala and the Gallery. This is the paradise for all shopping maniacs. A showcase after the showcase was a popular brand after a brand. Prada, Gucci, Versace, Zhivanshi, Yves Saint Laurent and more.
It impressed me not the above, but the architecture of the place in question. Unique.
Vittorio Emanuele's Gallery (Victor Emmanuel) is located at the very square of the Duomo, again in the historic center. Do not forget to step and turn 3 times (or at least once) onto your heel on the worn-out spot of the bull displaying, as it is believed to bring you luck. Where is the place? You will see a crowd of people and you will know where it is.
Interesting is the story behind the construction of the Gallery. Milan was not among the rapidly developing cities in the middle of the nineteenth century, and with a slight envy, he looked at the industrial progress of the major European capitals. The idea of a passage linking Duomo Square and La Scala Square crystallized and more than 170 architects submitted their drafts. Of course, only one of them was approved and that was the project of Giuseppe Mengoni. His idea was to form a long gallery, crossed by sleeves, with a spacious hall in the middle.
Work on the construction started in 1865. and lasted about two years. During the first sod, King Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy was personally present. About two years later, the Gallery was discovered, but tragic developments accompany the opening celebrations. Architect Mangoni died while inspecting the security of his work. Suddenly he fell from the roof and died. That's what the official version claims. The conspirators, however, claim suicide due to the architect's deep disappointment due to the king's absence during the opening. The story tells, however, that the King himself had gone after two days. What is the truth about the death of Giuseppe Mengoni - a suicide or a random incident ... no one knows.
Navili Channels
Here it is as if I came into another world. Although I have never been to Venice .... so I imagine it. We went over to Naviley. They call it a town in the city, because the atmosphere here has nothing to do with the center of Milan.
The large Navili (Navialo Grande) canal is surrounded on both sides with numerous cafés, cozy restaurants, wine shops and souvenirs. In one of the main streets of this main artery, we found a great restaurant, which we used for my birthday.
Incidentally, once the canals have reached the interior of the city, right up to the Duomo. Milan had a wonderful harbor, although there was no river. These canals have been used to distribute a large part of the building materials for the Duomo.
After dinner we went back to the center and our hotel. Perhaps you will be stubborn that I have not kept a ticket for Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper or that we have not entered La Scala ... These places remain an experience for the next time we visit the city again. Still, it was a pleasant unexpected tour and we were visiting the places we were reading at the moment.
The next two days we went on a tour of two lakes in northern Italy - Lago Maggiore and Como.
