Milan

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

This was the last day of our five-week Italian road trip, we planned to take advantage of a walking tour in hopes of learning some things about Milan we'd missed before.  (Like everything else in Milan, the walking tours were not available yesterday, a Monday.)  We met our guide, Marco, and more than 50 other fellow walkers in Piazza del Duomo and began a fast-paced walk though some of Milan's history, neighborhoods, and important figures.  Marco was an energetic teacher, who acted, sang, emoted, and entertained our motley international crew for several hours.

His commentary on the duomo was divided into three segments, as we stood in as many different places in the church's shadow.  The cathedral, originally a bid by the Visconti family for power, recognition, and political legitimacy, took six centuries to complete; its construction slowed by changes in geopolitical fortunes.  Despite the fits and starts, it has been a source of pride since it was begun in the 14th century; until about 50 years ago, it was illegal for any building in Milan to be taller than the duomo's crowning spire.  That spire is topped by a golden statue of Mary, which is affectionately known as the Madronina.  There is great reverence for the Blessed Mother in Milan and throughout Lombardy; many churches are dedicated to her, and Maria is a commonly used middle name -- for men!

After the duomo square, we were off to the church of St. Nazaro, originally built by the patron saint of Milan, Ambrose, in the 4th century, before the fall of the Roman Empire.  Near the church is the University of Milan, whose campus occupies the site of a 16th century hospital begun by one of the Sforza dukes in an effort to modernize primitive medical practices; the original entry leads to a large grassy courtyard, ringed by arcaded porticoes. Across the courtyard, we could see a few laurel-wreathed graduates celebrating with family and friends.

Next up, we headed to the church of St. Bernardino alle Ossa to see a separate chapel there which is decorated with the skulls and bones exhumed from the nearby mass grave adjacent to a medieval hospital.

Back in Piazza del Duomo, we headed to the Galleria, which was originally built, not as a shopping center, but as a monument celebrating the unification of Italy.  When it was completed in 1867, the huge space and soaring dome were lit by gas lamps.  We were fascinated by Marco's description of the coiled spring-powered contraption, the "little mouse" that traveled on a track to light the lamps at base of the dome each evening at sunset.

In the Piazza della Scala, we were amazed to learn that the famed opera house began its life in the 18th century as a casino, funded by the city's aristocracy.  Musical performances were secondary to the gambling and games of chance which took place in the lobby, but were only allowed DURING performances!  It was not until the next century, when the works of Verdi, Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti were performed, that opera became the theater's focus.

We finished the tour at two sites, separated by a few blocks and many centuries, both dedicated to commerce.  The Piazza dei Mercanti was the large enclosed space that was the center of trade and business transactions during the Middle Ages; the roads from each of the six city gates led directly to the square.  Last stop was Italy's only stock exchange, Milan's Bourse, which faces a square where Maurizio Cattelan's 2011 sculpture, The Finger, makes a pretty clear statement about capitalism...

On that note, we bade farewell to Marco and wandered a bit on our own, stopping at a food emporium that makes Eataly look like a bargain basement. We understand that Peck's offers 3200 different types of Parmigiano Reggiano -- we didn't see them all --but we did see saffron going for 19,500 euros a kilo!

One more stroll around the duomo, and we had to bid Milan farewell.  We took the Metro back to our car near the apartment, then headed for the airport, where we returned it to the rental company -- no estimate yet on damages.  We're in an airport hotel tonight, before our morning flight to JFK, and then on to Phoenix.

It's been a great five weeks in a country we love and discover anew each time we visit, but it's time to pack up the memories and head for home.  Right now, that seems like the best destination of all!

Milan

Monday, May 23, 2016

Though the day-long deluge some forecasters had promised didn't materialize,  we did spend the day looking at the sky, and planning our moves according to what we saw there.  Our umbrellas got some use, but we also found ourselves peeling off our jackets when the sun's warmth called for that.  Most of the city's museums are closed on Mondays, so we'd planned to wander a bit, and flexibility was easy, especially with two-day passes for the transit system.

When we boarded the Metro around the corner from our apartment, the skies were threatening, so we decided to head for the Navigli, an area of the city threaded with canals, before it started to rain.  By the time we arrived, it was pouring, so we just got back on the train and headed to Piazza Duomo, where we knew we could keep relatively dry as we visited the cathedral, the adjacent arcaded sidewalks, and the Galleria.

Of course, the rain had let up by the time we arrived, and Tom was able to try his hand at photographing reflections of the duomo's ornate facade in the puddles.  Even under a dark blanket of clouds, the cathedral facade is just glorious -- a confection of innumerable statues and filigree in white and palest pink marble.  The piazza was a busy place this morning, with tourists, shoppers, a wedding party, and workmen preparing screens, booths, shops, and displays for the UEFA soccer tournament being held here this weekend. We were aware of a significant police/military presence in and around the piazza and elsewhere in Milan today.

In contrast to the scene in the square, once we entered through the Holy Door (separate from the long tourists' line, though entering there did not exempt us from a search by the military types who were stationed at all the doors), we were pretty much on our own. The interior of the church is a vast, soaring space, warmed by light entering through many beautiful stained glass windows. (Because we were inside on the pilgrims' itinerary, Tom has no photos.) It's possible to climb a stairway (or ride an elevator part way) to the roof, which we did on a previous trip, but not today.  (I'll say that was because of the rumble of thunder today, but in fact, it was really the creaking of our joints!)  If you get to Milan (while you're young!), do go up; wandering among the statues, towers, and buttresses is an unforgettable experience.

One of the discount stores in the Mall

The enormous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II might be considered the shoppers' answer to the duomo, its neighbor on the piazza.  The four-story double arcade houses a branch of many of Italy's high-end fashion houses; we did notice that the McDonald's that formerly occupied a prime location at the nexus of the four branches of the arcade has been relegated to a spot across the street.  It's a great place to window shop, gape at the insane price tags, and -- keep out of the downpour just outside its portals.

Once the rain let up, we headed back to check out the Navigli, which we found pretty unexciting, and the nearby covered market, which was small for a city this size.  In any case, by the time we got there, most of the vendors had already closed their stalls for the day.  After lunch along a canal, we took a tram and the Metro back to the duomo, for some full-sun photos.

It was starting to get quite warm as we walked up the pedestrianized Via Dante to the Castello Sforzesco.  Via Dante was also in the midst of preparations for soccer-related events, and the piazza just in front of the castle was set up with exhibition space for a design show -- also closed on Mondays.  We sat alongside the fountain in front of the castle for a bit and watched the passing scene, which included a couple of men who zoomed by on what I can only describe as one-third of a Segway -- a motorized tire, no shaft or handlebars, but great balance!
 

The castle was originally built in the 15th century by the Sforza Dukes of Milan.  Enlarged subsequently, it became one of Europe's largest fortifications.  Today, the massive complex houses several of the city's museums -- all of which were closed today -- and lovely courtyards and gardens, which were open.

We took the historic Tram #1 from the castle through some of the old city, then a Metro for a stop to check out nirvana for foodies with funds -- the Milan branch of Eataly, a shiny glass emporium on a piazza with a monumental arch in a part of town with glittering skyscrapers and apartment buildings to match.

And with that, we punched our Metro tickets one more time and headed for home.

Candelo, Orta San Giulia, Vogogna, Lake Maggiore

Sunday, May 22, 2016

We were headed to Milan today, but we extended the short trip from Turin into a full day's exploration.  First up was Ricetto di Candelo, yet another of the "most beautiful" villages, but very different from those we've seen thus far.  This medieval compound, with its walls and some towers intact, was originally a fortified warehouse for the wine and grain produced in the area.  Currently, it contains a couple of restaurants and a few art galleries, but the main draw for us was the fact that the whole place feels so medieval!  The buildings are built of river rocks, stones, bricks, and wooden beams; neither "prettied up" nor over-restored, it feels as if the farmers and local lord just up and left things for 21st-century visitors to wander through today!

Next up was Orta San Giulio, a lovely town on the shores of Lake Orta.  On this warm Sunday afternoon, it was crowded with visitors, and the many parking lots in the upper town were crowded.  We walked down to the lake and found the restaurants and shops in old town and its large central piazza were doing great business.  The piazza fronts the lake and the docks where boats were shuttling passengers to the pretty Isola San Guilio, midway across the lake.  It was a lovely scene, but the crush of visitors during the summer must be terrible!

Our last of the "most beautiful" today offered a very different experience.  Vogogna, with a castle overlooking the old town's quiet streets, was practically deserted.  Though it was evident that this is a functioning town, except for a couple of churches, things were pretty closed up this afternoon.  It was nice, though, to see a group of teenage girls kicking a soccer ball around the medieval covered market hall.

We drove most of the length of Lake Maggiore, intending to see Cannobio, a lakeside town just south of the Swiss border, but the traffic on the two-lane road along the west shore of the lake was pretty heavy, and we needed to turn around and head to Milan before we got there.

Our apartment in Milan is another great one -- and we have a garage for the car, which is a perk we especially appreciate after our parking challenges in Turin.  We have two days here, and tomorrow's forecast promises rain, so we're going to find our umbrellas and see how things turn out.

Sacra di San Michele and the Alps

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Sacra di San Michele (the Abbey of St. Michael) is built atop a rocky crag, VERY high above the valley floor, not far west of Turin.  Most of the traffic on the narrow road ascending the mountain along with us consisted of bicyclists, but it seemed to us that there must be better ways to spend a Saturday morning than the one they'd chosen! After parking the car, we had a 15-minute (upward) stroll to the Abbey, which is where the real work began -- climbing the ~ 250 steep steps (known as the Stairway of Death!) to the church.  We did learn that the name derives from the monks' tombs that once lined the climb, but you could have fooled us!  As each landing rounded a bend and revealed yet another flight of steps, I heard Tom praying aloud -- at least, I think it was a prayer, as it began with "HOLY ...!!!!"

The Abbey is one of several, all dedicated to the archangel, which lay on a straight-line pilgrimage route from Jerusalem, thorough Greece, Puglia in southern Italy, Normandy France, Cornwall, England, and on to Skellig, Ireland.  Records for this abbey date from the end of the 10th century, though the present church is two centuries more "modern."  Ruins of some of the complex's other  structures lay on the promontory several levels below the church, and there are wonderful views of the countryside below and the distant Alps from the terrace.

And, the Alps were where we headed this afternoon.  The Val D'Aosta is a large glacial valley, running east-west, and intersected by other small ones, each one boasting its own craggy castle and historic churches.  Above them all tower the mountains -- some a deep, forested green, others perpetually snow-capped.  Monte Bianco (Mount Blanc), as its name(s) suggest, straddles Italy and France, and is Europe's highest peak; the Matterhorn (Monte Cervino in Italian and Mont Cervin in French) dominates Italy's border with Switzerland.  It would have been easy to think we'd crossed borders as we drove toward Etroubles -- place names and street signs were either French, Italian, or bilingual -- and the architecture had us looking for Heidi along the way.  We drove the narrow road above Etroubles for some wonderful views of the contrasting green and white mountains, flowers, and villages; with a gentle breeze and birds chirping, it was so lovely...

As we near the end of this trip, and are feeling pretty ready to be home again, I wonder -- what does the beginning of an endless Arizona summer have to compare to this???  Lots, I know, but still...



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Turin

Friday, May 20, 2016

With a Metro station at our front door, the trip to downtown Turin was a breeze -- about 15 minutes on the system's only line.  We were headed to the rendezvous point for Free Tour Turin, where we met up with Angelo, our guide, and a half dozen other tourists.  On several of our recent trips, when we've visited large cities for the first time, we've taken such half-day walking tours.  They provide a good introduction to a city from an enthusiastic young person who loves it and wants visitors to know why -- all for any donation the tourists see fit to make at the end of the tour.

Angelo kept us going for three hours and, thanks to him, we saw a great deal of central Turin, learned a bit of history, and got a pretty good workout!  Many of the city streets and piazzas are lined with porticoed and arcaded wide sidewalks, lined with shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as vendors' stalls offering everything from antiques, jewelry, used books, and tourist schlock; they also provide protection from the elements. A portion of Via Roma, a main thoroughfare downtown, was redesigned during the fascist era, and its blocky buildings contrast with the Baroque designs in other areas.  For example, the street leads to Piazza C.LN. (Commemorating the Liberation of the Nation), which was the site of the SS headquarters here during World War II, and shortly thereafter to the Piazza San Carlo, and the two squares could hardly be more different.  Piazza C.L.N. is surrounded with lots of severe, right-angled buildings, and flanked by massive fountains representing Turin's two rivers, the Po and the Dora.

A short block farther along Via Roma, Piazza San Carlo is an enormous space, laid out in the 16th and 17th centuries, and centered on an equestrian statue of some Savoy duke.  The entire square, from the two churches at the entrance, to the arcaded sides, which are home to two of Turin's oldest cafes, is Baroque.  We were amazed when Angelo mentioned that this Piazza, which was HUGE, was the smallest of the three main squares we'd see today!

To mix things up just a bit more, just around the corner was the beautiful Galleria San Federico, constructed during the fascist era, but in the Baroque style!  (Not to be confused with the 19th century Galleria Subalpina, also in the Baroque style, which we saw later!)

Then there is medieval Turin, whose narrow streets we walked through when we entered the Contrada (neighborhood) dei Guardinfanti, named for the women's hoop skirts that were once made and sold there. We also saw walled fortifications built during the Middle Ages atop the -- wait for it -- Roman walls and gates!  (And you thought (hoped) we were done with Roman ruins on this trip!)

Soon, in the next-up HUGE square of the day, we were in Piazza Castello, with the Savoy dynasty's massive royal palace.  This palace supplanted the previous Baroque one that, in another of the mashup of eras that this city is, had been added as a sort of bizarre facade to the existing medieval castle!

From the highly ornate Church of Corpus Domini (built on the site where bread rose to heaven after flying out of the bag containing the loot of some fleeing robbers!), to the Shroud of Turin, the city is notable for its religious history, as well.

A special altar in the duomo contains the secure, temperature-and-everything-else-controlled box containing the cloth in which some believe the crucified Christ's body was wrapped. Since the shroud was not discovered until the 14th century, there is some skepticism about its authenticity, but there are also elements of its composition that have been determined that lead many to believe it is, in fact, Christ's burial cloth.  In any case, the actual article is exhibited only every three to five years (2016 is not in the rotation), but a copy of a copy of the face imprinted on the cloth can be viewed at the cathedral.  To see what Angelo referred to as "the original copy", a visit to nearby church of St. Lorenzo is necessary!  Can you see why my head is spinning?!?

We saw lots more on our morning tour, including the symbol of Turin, the 19th century Mole Antonelliana, which was for a time the tallest masonry building in Europe.  Originally planned as a synagogue, the architect's plans for an ever higher construction put it out of reach of the local Jewish community's finances, the city took it over, and it now houses a museum of cinema!

Our tour ended with a walk (by this time, it was beginning to seem like a forced march) through the
Piazza Vittorio Veneto, "the largest square with arcades" in Europe, down to the Po River.  By that time, we were ready to just sit in the shade across the river and have lunch, which we did -- and then sat some more...

Feeling refreshed, we walked along the river and crossed back to the center of the city to walk a bit through the Parco del Valentino, Turin's version of Central Park, where locals were taking advantage of the green lawns and warm afternoon to sunbathe.

We wanted to see a bit more of the historic city center, and headed to Via La Grange, which parallels Via Roma. This pedestrianized street was lively and that, along with an energy boost from our gelato (flavor: guanduja, based on the local chocolate and hazelnut confection that became Nutella), made us want to keep on exploring.  We walked the length of the long pedestrian shopping street, Via Garibaldi from Piazza Castello to Piazza Statuto, the Metro, and home.

I realize that this day's post seems like a real mishmash, but I wanted to record enough information before it vanished forever from my memory, and also give Tom an opportunity to add whatever photos he wants to include.

We very much enjoyed what we saw of Turin today, and there was much more than I mentioned here.  This brief taste of the city has been a revelation.  Though we've been to Italy quite a few times,  this is our first visit to Turin, and I'll admit that I'd always thought of it as an industrial, business-oriented city -- which it is -- but I'd never known anything about what came before the modern Turin,  or that its historical center would have so much to offer.

There's much more to see here, including several important museums, but though we're staying in the city one more day, we're planning to head out of town tomorrow.  The glimpses of the snow-covered Alps that we've seen surrounding the city, and the views from our apartment windows are enticing, and we've decided to answer their Siren Call and head for the high country to have a closer look.

Neive, Alba, Bra, Turin

Thursday, May 19, 2016

This morning, we pulled up stakes in Parma, and headed for Turin, our base for three nights.  Overnight rain in Parma quickly became a downpour whose intensity was sometimes blinding, that persisted until we reached Asti on the autostrada.  Though it made for tough driving, we were warm and dry as we traveled; like magic, we began to see patches of blue sky just when we needed it.

From Asti (of wine fame), we were headed to Neive, yet another of Italy's "most beautiful" villages.  We parked in Neive's tiny central piazza, where the town hall has an enoteca (wine shop) in the basement featuring the area's pride and joy. As we were enjoying the view over the town and surrounding countryside from a small belvedere, we began to smell sugar in the air; just below us, class was in session at the regional pastry school.  The chatter of the students made it clear that learning by doing is fun -- especially when butter and sugar are involved!  The local clock tower, fortifications, palazzi, narrow streets, and churches were lovely, but not surprising, until we peeked into the church of St. Michael the Archangel.  While the information we'd read in Neive's guides to important local sites had historical information about the church, it evidently stopped short of 2007, when St. Michael's became the center of the area's Macedonian Orthodox Church; we were completely taken by surprise by the profusion of icons and the iconostasis that now separates the sanctuary from the nave.  This was a first for us in Italy!

From Neive, we took the back roads to Alba.  The hilly terrain was blanketed in vineyards, the rows closely spaced as they climbed and descended the slopes.  Though so many of the elements of the area are similar to Tuscany -- hills, vineyards, red tile roofs topping tawny homes and villages -- it seemed quite distinct to us, though it was hard to pinpoint just why.  In any case, the vistas were broad and beautiful, and we had a wonderful drive through this wine-centric area.  This is the home of Asti, Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera d'Alba and others, and there are enotecas and cantine (wine cellars) everywhere.

We stopped in Alba, with its massive duomo, for a walk around and a little contemporary culinary history.  Alba and nearby Bra were Ground Zero for the Slow Food movement, began by a group of local journalists in a defensive maneuver against the threat of fast food (and living) to Italy's gastronomic heritage and way of life.  Since its start in the late 1980s, it has become an international movement.  We also stopped in Bra, where we found little to hold our interest except for a little church pictured below.

In case you could not see the name on the church

Then, it was on to Turin, where checking into our apartment was more frustrating than we'd hoped.  The apartment faces a busy piazza where we'd been told parking would be available.  Let's just say, after a good bit of searching, Tom finally found a spot about a half mile away.  Not convenient, but the car will stay there, as we'll be using the Metro during our time in Turin; there's a station at our front door!  The rest of the good news is that the apartment is terrific -- a modern, two bedroom unit at the top of a seven-story building.  The balconies off the bedrooms look out on the snow-capped mountains that surround the city, and we also had a great view of the sunset.  Who needs a convenient parking spot anyway?!?

Fontanellato, Vigoleno, Castell'Arquato, Bobbio

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Today we planned a route among several of the villages in the area that are part of the "Most Beautiful Villages in Italy" group, and that kept us pretty much off the beaten track.

First up was nearby Fontanellato, a sleepy little town centered on a 15th century moated castle, or rocca, which was the fortified home of a local family until 1951!  It's now a museum owned by the city.  I couldn't help think that the women meeting for coffee in the piazza in front of the rocca have a much more interesting view than my friends do when we meet at Starbucks or Einsteins!

Vigoleno was next up, and I do mean up, as after a couple of days of flat terrain, we found ourselves once again among rolling hills.  The scenery was gorgeous -- lots of verdant fields and woods dotted by warmly-hued farms, small towns and villas.  Vigoleno, with its fishtail-crenellated tower and walls, holds a commanding place at the top of a high hill, which we climbed (drove) via a gently switchbacking road.  We were entranced by this walled town of few narrow streets and more charm than its walls could contain.  The fact that, for the most part, we had the place to ourselves, reinforced the feeling that we were wandering around a too-perfect-to-be-real movie set.  The only piazza sat at the foot of the defensive tower, a gently flowing fountain in the center of the cobblestoned space, surrounded by a church on one side, an inn on another; a home bedecked in climbing roses completed the tableau.

We wandered around and found another church, a small dark space, with remnants of frescoes on its walls, pillars, and in the sanctuary.  Here, as in every church we have visited -- large and small, ornate or stark -- the banner of the Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis was prominently displayed, just as it is at home -- a visible symbol of the universal church and, hopefully, a important movement in that church.  We continued to walk around the small town, taking in the views from the exterior walls, until we found ourselves back in the piazza.  No matter what comes next, Vigoleno wins the day -- and is in contention for Best-of-Trip!

We tore ourselves away, back down the hill, and on to Castell'Arquato, where we walked up through the town to its hilltop rocca and belvedere overlooking the countryside below.  This was a bigger, more real-world place, but it wouldn't have made my "most beautiful" list -- and not simply because it had the misfortune to come after Vigoleno on today's itinerary!

Last stop was Bobbio, back at a lower elevation in the Trebbia River valley.  An Irish missionary, St. Columban, founded an Abbey in Bobbio in the 7th century, and the town became a center of religious and cultural life, with a library, basilica, and scriptorium.  Our first view inside the church of St. Columban was a bit startling, as it's a large space, dominated by blue and white colors and columns painted with faux fluting.  It seemed a little like the sheaths that cover scaffolding on famous buildings undergoing restoration; what's depicted on the surface is what's been covered up underneath.   We roamed a few streets and then drove a bit higher on the hill to the fort (rocca), which had just closed for the day.  We stopped at river level to see the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) ,with its eleven unequal arches; it dates from at least the 12th century and possibly to Roman times.

One more thing of note: on our drive back to Parma, we were on a ring road that was transitioning from a four-lane divided highway to a two-lane road, when -- in our lane-- appeared a wrong-way driver!  It seemed as if every car, driver and passenger going in our direction just gulped, held their collective breath, squeezed wherever they could, and drove on.  Incredibly, no horns were blasted (too much else to attend to?!?), and we heard no crash as we moved on.  Amazing grace...