It was one of those times where a big lunch and some gelato left us not really hungry for dinner. But, since we were tired, really had to eat something, and it would be our last dinner in Italy, we decided to eat in our hotel. We all got drinks and mom and I split the spaghetti—and managed to annoy the wait staff. They didn’t like the idea that we weren’t eating a full Italian meal in their restaurant. But once we began eating, we realized it was some of the best spaghetti we had eaten in Italy, so we made dad order some. Then he ordered another Heineken for us to split. The restaurant staff was confused and slightly annoyed with us and we found it hysterical. The three of us were cracking up for a good half hour. Oh, wait. You thought I meant The Last Supper. Well then, I suppose I can write a bit about that. But first, let’s go back.
We arrived in Milan to a beautiful train station and made our way to the hotel. We spent the first day shopping in the shopping district. This is the district that contains the offices of Gucci, Prada, Versace and Armani. I was in window-shopping heaven. In the nearby and much more wallet-friendly mall, I was able to shop at an incredible H&M and I can now say I bought some clothes in Milan. Our trusty guidebook led us to the seventh story of La Rinascente, an Italian department store, for an afternoon snack. This stop is recommended strictly for the incredible view of the cathedral. We ended the day at a cozy Italian restaurant where the waiter complimented my Italian and told us about his dreams to go to Los Angeles. Why Los Angeles? His favorite movie, Pulp Fiction, is based there.
When we learned that Da Vinci’s Last Supper was located in Milan, we knew we had to see it. However, getting to see it is not as simple as it sounds. Since the popularity of The Da Vinci Code, getting in to see the painting requires a reservation at least one week in advance unless you book a tour. So, despite our exquisite skill at avoiding tours, we booked at three-hour tour of Milan that guaranteed our fifteen minutes (that’s the maximum amount of time they allow each group of no more than twenty-five people) with the infamous work. The tour started with the Cathedral, the mall, and a castle. The castle museum was definitely an unexpected highlight of Milan. It contained this ceiling fresco by Da Vinci that was commissioned to give the feel of a garden (below) and this beautiful, unfinished sculpture of Mary and Jesus by Michelangelo (above). Both pieces left an impression on me.
Finally, we were off to see Da Vinci’s masterpiece. Our tour group had to split up to follow the limit of twenty-five. We were placed in a holding room, then another, before the blacked out automatic doors let us into a slightly humid, almost dim, temperate room. The rectangular room is quite large, and empty. There are only two prominent walls in the room, one with a large fresco of the same time period and The Last Supper opposite of that. There are absolutely no pictures, but I snuck one. I felt a little bit bad, but I didn’t use flash and half of the picture is my dad’s stomach.. so it’s all good. The painting absolutely took my breath away. The massive portrayal of Jesus and his disciples is nothing short of incredible.
We ended the day with another visit to the cathedral. The doors contain some surprising modern history. There is damage to the bronze doors from bombings in WWII that we were able to find. Inside, the cathedral contains the nail that was (probably) in Christ’s right hand when he was crucified. The nail is honestly impossible to see because it is so high up on the ceiling. However, the trip back was worth it because the cathedral (the second largest in Italy) is, as Mark Twain described in Innocents Abroad: “So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful!... I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands.” After our exploration of the interior, we made our way to the top. The view and the architecture on the exterior are even more impressive than the stained glass windows and beauty of the inside.
I can definitely say I learned something in the two days we spent here. Milan is so much more than fashion. Don’t get me wrong, Milan is fashion, fashion is Milan. The two feed off of each other. However, this place possesses a rich history and has a story to tell. So fashion isn’t so superficial after all.
"Pucci, Fendi, and Cardin, Valentino, Armani too/ Madame love them Jimmy Choo.../ Fashion" --Lady Gaga (for Confessions of a Shopaholic)
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