Dad-Daughter European Trip: The Fashionable City of Milan | “La capitale morale”
Continuing with my series of photographs (finally!) from the most epic European dad-daughter trip of (probably?) our lifetime –
29 days from December 2023 to January 2024 via planes, trains and automobiles.
Arrival in Milan
After four full days in Vienna, Miranda & I hopped aboard a Austrian Airlines flight (on Christmas Day!) and took the 85 minute flight to our next destination, Milan, the second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. We checked into the lovely UNA HOTELS Century Milano, a short walk to the city’s most treasured attractions.
Milan is considered the fashion and design capital of Italy (the world even?) and is also a major international financial center, not to mention the headquarters of Italy’s stock exchange. It’s home to the prestigious La Scala theatre (which unfortunately wasn’t presenting an opera performance when we were there) and the Duomo di Milano, “a supreme embodiment of vigorous effort.”
Duomo di Milano
Construction of the cavernous Duomo di Milano cathedral began in 1386 when the style of Gothic cathedrals had reached its peak. The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete with the final details completed in 1965. It is the largest church in the Italian Republic (the larger St. Peter’s Basilica is in the State of Vatican City, a sovereign state!) and the third largest cathedral in the world. More on this fascinating cathedral in a future post!
The Duomo Pass Lift costs 20€ and allows you to visit the interior of the Cathedral, the Cathedral Museum, the archaeological area and go up to the Duomo Terrace by elevator. Rooftop on foot costs 10€ and allows you only to go up to the Duomo Terrace.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Just across from the Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, built between 1865 and 1877 by architect Giuseppe Mengoni. Sometimes nicknamed “il salotto di Milano” (Milan’s living room), it is Italy’s oldest active shopping arcade. It houses some of the most luxurious boutiques in Milan, including brands such as Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and many others.
The Galleria is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy. It is formed by two arcades shaped like a Latin cross covered by a glass and iron dome. The gallery and the roof were unprecedented in dimensions by previously built shopping arcades. The roof that we see today, however, has gone through different historic modifications, including a deep cleaning and repair in 2015 in preparation for Expo Milano 2015.
Museo del Novecento
Also located near the Piazza del Duomo is the Museo del Novecento, a rather small museum of twentieth-century art. The museum opened in December 2010 and displays about 400 works, most of them Italian.
The museum ain’t nothing to write home about but it does feature a nice view of the Piazza del Duomo.
A bench monument to the Bulgarian poet Pencho Slaveikov, who died in Italy in 1912. Italy became a significant part of Pencho Slaveykov’s life, from his official travels for research to his final days spent seeking a cure for his pneumonia (which left him with serious impairments), and ultimately, where he would succumb to his illness at the age of 46. The sculpture is the work by Adrian Novakov.
Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”
The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous paintings in the world. This artwork was painted between 1494 and 1498 and is located in its original place, on the wall of the dining room of the former Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with the Twelve Apostles, as it is told in the Gospel of John – specifically the moment after Jesus announces that one of his apostles will betray him.
In order to create this unique work, da Vinci abandoned the traditional method of fresco painting, painting the scene “dry” on the wall of the refectory. Traces of gold and silver foils have been found which testify to the artist’s willingness to make the figures in a much more realistic manner, including precious details. After completion, however, this very technique, coupled with the environmental factor, contributed to the eventual deterioration of the fresco, which has undergone numerous restorations.
The most recent restoration was completed in 1999 where several scientific methods were used to restore the original colors as close as possible, and to eliminate traces of paint applied in previous attempts to restore the fresco. To ensure that the fresco is maintained at room temperature, since the last restoration, visitor entry has been restricted to a group of 25 people every 15 minutes.
The availability of tickets is very limited, so the advance reservation is considered “mandatory”. We found out the hard way that booking early is crucial. On the day I thought we would just by our tickets online then stroll right in to see the hallowed painting, it was sold out. Luckily, I was able to purchase two tickets for a “Historical Walking Tour and The Last Supper” from GetYourGuide that very morning.
Spending €154.00 on an already very expensive trip to see That Last Supper wasn’t something I was planning on but the best part is that now when I see a replica hanging in someone’s house, I can say: “How cute! You have The Last Supper hanging in your dining room. You know, I saw the real thing in Milan, Italy. It was pretty awesome. A lot bigger than you’d ever imagine, too.” Worth it? Oh, yes.
Oh, and across from Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”, in the very same refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, is another equally large painting, “The Crucifixion” by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano, completed some time in 1473. Painted with the fresco technique (a technique where water-based pigments are applied directly onto freshly laid, wet lime plaster) – unlike The Last Supper – it is still well preserved.
Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa
A lesser known attraction in Milan (and probably for good reason) is the San Bernardino alle Ossa church, best known for its ossuary, a small side chapel decorated with numerous human skulls and bones(!) due to an adjacent cemetery running out of space in 1210. Renovated in 1679, it was destroyed by a fire in 1712. A new bigger church was then attached to the older one and dedicated to Saint Bernardino of Siena (September 8, 1930 – May 20, 1444).
Saint Bernardino of Siena was known for his “bonfires of the vanities” which were frequently directed against gambling, witchcraft, sodomy and homosexuality. Oh, and he’s also regarded today as being a “major protagonist of Christian anti-semitism”, blaming the poverty of local Christians on the Jews lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest(!)
Pinacoteca di Brera
The Pinacoteca di Brera (“Brera Art Gallery”), established in 1809, is the main public gallery for paintings in Milan. It contains one of the foremost collections of Italian paintings from the 13th to the 20th century. More on this truly remarkable museum in a future post.
More images from the cosmopolitan city of Milan coming soon –
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All photographs in this post taken with the Sony A7RV using the Sony 24-105mm f/4, Sony 16-35mm f/2.8, and Sony 85mm f/1.8 lenses, as well as the remarkable Xiaomi 13 Ultra, a camera phone that features a variable aperture 1-inch main camera and Leica co-engineered lens.
View all galleries from our epic father-daughter European Christmas vacation HERE
