MILAN – I’ve come to Italy once again, this time to lead a 14-day Islands and Lakes Garden Tour, starting in Lugano and moving to the beautiful lakes just north of Milan before moving south to Sardinia, Naples and Ischia.
Most of the 35 people with me on this adventure are meeting me here in Milan. We came here two days ago to rest and get over jet lag before the tour starts in Lugano.
Milan is a fantastically stylish, creative, high-energy city, full of charming cafes and excellent restaurants and some amazing architectural sights.
The 14th century cathedral right in the centre of town is without doubt the No.1 tourist attraction with its breathtakingly ornate facade and stunning 135 Gothic spires each topped with the figure of a saint or angelic figure.
But I have been to Milan a couple of times before and on one of those occasions, I got to walk on the roof of the duomo among the spires.
This time, I wanted to fill in a few gaps in my Milan experience, such as taking a closer look at the magnificent central railway station which was built in the 1930s.
I had seen this from the outside years ago and was aware of the monumental stature of the building with its gigantic winged horses decorating the facade.
But I had never walked around inside where I knew there were magnificent, high, cathedral-like ceilings and vast staircases and huge, open interior spaces similar to what you find at the Philadelphia art museum.
What I wasn’t expecting was how the stylish Italians had turned these somewhat brutish interiors into very elegant, inviting spaces by installing cafes and coffee shops and fashion boutiques.
As well, many of the walls have been fitted with gigantic TV screens, which make the experience of the place a little surreal like walking into a chic nightclub.
Loraine and I had fun wandering around these amazing interiors and found no menace that you often find in bustling railway stations where thousands of people are rushing here and there. It was Saturday morning and the mood inside the station was quite peaceful.
Elsewhere in Milan, we checked out a huge Eataly store which had three floors with very attractive restaurants on the top floors and innovative culinary products scattered and displayed everywhere.
But, as in all things in Milan, there was an astonishing and admirable artistry to the displays and the whole overall ambience of the store that again made us think how lucky these Europeans are to have such a place in their neighbourhood.
Of course, we wouldn’t be enjoying Italy without stopping for food and wine.
Etiquette, even in the simplest pizza places, is very impressive. At Piz, a popular pizza spot close to the Duomo, they serve waiting customers free prosecco and sometimes small pizza pockets to ease their wait time. We were happy to wait, even more happy when they started to give us free prosecco.
And when it came to pay the bill at the checkout, the owner served us shots of limoncello and meloncello while the bill was processed.
More than this, the service was attentive, food excellent and price fair; everything you could want from any restaurant, but Piz also happened to have phenomenal atmosphere.
One novel discovery was when we ordered Molecola, Italy’s equivalent of a Coke, which came, unsurprisingly, in a stylish, engraved bottle with smart label. I have never had this drink before but liked it, perhaps mostly because of its container.
We also found time to explore the Galleria and duomo piazza where we were entertained by a talented violist street musician serving up a lively, classical rendition of Coldplay’s Viva la Vida.
We also took time to use the city’s very efficient and clean Metro to get around and we had fun exploring the fashionable Brera area as well as Isola neighbourhood with the magnificent Vertical Forest building (Bosco Verticale) designed by Italian architect Stefano Boeri as part of an incredible renaissance for the area near to Porta Garibaldi station.
This buildings look even more impressive in reality than in photos like the ones here because when you see it in real time the wind makes the trees and shrubs move and the whole building shimmers with life and vitality and a beautiful earthy greenness.
This radiated from the building sending positive energy into the space around affecting the whole neighbourhood. I can’t wait to see the area completed because there are enormous gardens being planted that will eventually create a wonderful, green, garden atmosphere for this modern district.
Having rested in Milan, we headed north with our gathered group to start our tour in Lugano.
swhysall@hotmail.com
SOME MORE SNAPS FROM OUR DAYS IN MILANO
