Milan
Italy, Greece & Montenegro diary : Day 22 - 21st May 2018
Milan is the fashion capital & capital city of Italy. It is also one of the four fashion capitals of the world. It is the house of the famous Gucci and Prada brands. It is a globally advanced city and also thrives on tourism. There are many places of visit in and around this city and it is worth a stop during a tour to Italy.
The city was more of a transit hub on our way out from Italy. With just a day and half in hand, we planned to do as much as possible around the city. We reached here by a direct train from Naples. The journey lasted 3 and half hours. By 2:30 pm we reached Milan Central. The central station is a Palace like external structure and is in line with top modern technology. It houses a shopping mall on the lower floor, that is well worth a visit. We had booked ourselves in a lovely Airbnb, self-catering apartment, right at the heart of the city. The accommodation was at a 6 minute walking distance from the Central station.
We took a short nap after settling down. We decide to check out the city in the evening. Of course, the Duomo (Milan Cathedral) was the choice without a doubt. We got to the Piazza Duomo by a Metro train, from the Central station, in 10 minutes. The tickets were purchased from a vending machine at the station. It was that simple. We climbed up a few stairs from the station to get to the PIAZZA DUOMO. The architectural magnificence of the Cathedral got us spell bound. It is noted to be the third largest Cathedral in the world. The entire piazza was vibrant, with the Duomo as it's centre piece. It was drizzling, but the rain didn't dampen our spirits. We were well equipped with umbrellas. We walked up to the Cathedral to take a closer look.
The lovely frescoes and art work on the Marble cathedral swept us off our feet. The minute detailing on the exteriors displayed the intense skill of its creators. We were able to capture a few good pictures of it, for records. Spotting the STATUE OF LIBERTY, high up on the facade was the highlight.
We walked up to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, lying to the right of the Cathedral. This is one of the oldest and biggest shopping complex that ropes in various branded goods, shops, top restaurants and hotels under one roof. There could be a total of 100 or more prestigious outlets here. No points for guessing that this place is definitely expensive. The interiors of this complex left us totally charmed.
The colourful marble chip work on the flooring , laid out forming a vast creative pattern, coupled with marble designs and frescoes on the walls, clearly displayed the skilled passion behind its craftsmanship. Even the water drains on the designed floor were tastefully built and decorated. The building has four floors. The central glass dome roof structure is the icing on the cake. It is built of iron and glass and is in the shape of an octagon. The glass roofing continues in as two arcades branching out as rays from the central Octagonal dome, running in the opposite direction to each other forming a straight line. The glass panes ensure enough sunlight during the day, giving the shopping complex its palatial look.
The building simply symbolises the wealth, art and fashion sense of Milan. There are also a few activities in the offering in here. One can take a walk on the roof for some photo worthy views , or , spin the testicles of TAURUS the bull for some luck. We had to give these a skip due to lack of time. We thought of walking around the arcade before heading outside to the piazza area. Shopping in some affordable places was on our thoughts. So we did.
The surrounding area across the piazza duomo had some excellent shops lined up. We picked up a few gifts and shopped for some yummy candies. We then got back to the piazza to make way to the metro station on its underground. The sunset seemed to shower its orange colour on the Cathedral and we were able to capture its unusual beauty quickly. We were tired from travel that morning, so decided to call it a day. We headed back to Milan Central and walked back to our home. The night views of Milan city were fabulous. We cooked up a sumptuous dinner and had fun around the dinner table. It was a superb day overall.
DAY 23 : ITALY, GREECE AND MONTENEGRO DIARY - 22 MAY 2018.
A day of shopping in the Fashion capital was the agenda. The Corso Buenos Aires, an affordable shopping haven, was 3 streets away from our Airbnb accommodation. We had a lazy morning, treating ourselves to a lovely home-made breakfast. At around 10 am, we got on the streets of the ever bustling Milan city. We were expecting to carry big baggages on our return from shopping and therefore decided to lunch in our accommodation. The day was bright. First, the street markets welcomed us. Our shopping began. We walked the entire stretch of three streets to reach THE shopping street.
Corso Buenos Aires was more than what we had expected. An entire length branded and non-branded shops, a true shopper's delight. We shopped to our heart's content and as predicted returned home by 1:30 pm with heavy bags. A great home cooked lunch and an afternoon nap got us back our enthusiasm. After the short break, we decided to return to the Duomo to capture the night views. At around 4.30 pm we took a short walk back to the Milan Central Station. The Apple in front of the Station caught our attention. We took a few pictures and relaxed in this area for a while. By 5.30 pm we took the metro to the Piazza Duomo. Luckily, there was no rain. We enjoyed the live music in the piazza and walked around the area. We couldn't get enough of shopping. We also stopped over for coffee and some snacks in a restaurant, on a road parallel to the piazza. After the break we returned, waiting at the piazza for the sky to turn dark.
We waited long enough for the skies to turn dark but the lights in the piazza never came up. The group got a little tired and requested to get back, but I failed to give up. At around 9 pm the lights suddenly came up. The whole place was illuminated. It was well worth the wait. The scene was amazing. We took pictures to our fill and finally returned to our base. A sumptuous dinner was how the day ended. The next morning, we were out shopping for a while again. Our train to Rome Airport from Milan Central was a 2:30 pm. We got to Rome airport much before time. Our return flight to Bangalore was at 8:30 pm. We returned to our homeland safe and sound after a wonderful holiday.