Milano - City of Design, Fashion, Art, & Food

I am by no means a fashionista.  In fact, most of the time, I look like I escaped from a Wal-Mart in the Ozarks.  And, yes, I feel this way almost every day, but the feeling is MAGNIFIED here in Milano.  The homeless are better dressed than I am.  Starving college students are dressed better than I am.  I guess there's no better place to do something about it (flexes credit card).  Onward shop!

Just kidding...there's no way I would spend what the Prada shop at the Galleria d' Vittorio Emanuel II.

It's been there since 1913.  It's prices have been going up ever since.

We started off this morning on a walking tour around the outside of the Duomo (we'll take the inside tour tomorrow).  The third largest church in the world, it's neo-gothic style is imposing, but beautiful on the piazza bounded by the Galleria and a couple of buildings commissioned by Mussolini.  He liked to give speeches from the upper terrace.

Here's the front of the Duomo

From there we headed to La Scala Opera house and museum.  Whether your a fan of opera or not, you can't help soaking up the ornate richness of the place, pretending you are in a box seat for an opening performance of Madam Butterfly, and, of course, taking advantage of a restroom opportunity.

The museum was just as impressive:

Huge bust of Toscanini

The height of a bathroom break.

We ended our walking tour at Santa Maria della Grazie - the church where Il Cenacolo Vinciano (The Last Supper) is located.  

The daVinci painting is actually in the refectory next to the church and is preserved by allowing only small groups to enter at a time (after everyone has spent time in a dehumidifying vestibule).  Such extreme steps are necessary...Leonardo made an error in judgment when he created the painting.  Instead or doing a fresco (which would have lasted hundreds of years), he tried a new technique of oils and tempera - it allowed him to work slowly and make corrections after the fact, but it also caused the painting to start deteriorating almost immediately.  Several restorations have taken place over the years, but all but one were based on the idea that the Last Supper was in fact a fresco...each of the other restorations failed.  Only the last one in 1999 actually addressed the technique Leonardo used and it basically saved the painting...so long as we are careful and commit to preservation methods.

Actually quite amazing.

Hard to top, but tomorrow we'll visit the inside and rooftop of the Duomo and probably the Sforza castle.  Buono notte!