Exploring Milan

There it stood, willowy and magnificent. The Gothic Duomo rose up like a manmade mountain from the pavement and struck awe into anyone who walked by. It made all other buildings around it look shabby and unrefined. With a staggering 3200 statues on the 135 pinnacles that stood boldly out of the amazing structure, it was a true masterpiece. The statues were ornate and detailed, and the marble had a shade of pink in it. The piece of artwork was an amusement park to the eyes.

My heart was racing. There were thousands of butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I was tense. I walked slowly towards them... and began the climb up the 165 stairs.

I thought it would never end. Flight after flight, step after step. The relentless sun shone in through the windows. And then, finally, it ended. The sun burned in though the doorway and blinded me. It looked like the Doorway to Heaven. I hesitated for a split second and then stepped through the arched doorway.

I gasped when the light died down. It was, breathtaking. Amazing. Majestic. Beautiful. My jaw was hanging open. It took me all my concentration to remember how to close it again. The statues on the pinnacles and the doorways were just magical. There were statues of every kind. Scholars, knights, warriors, artists, animals, in fact, there was even an evil Donald Duck! ( true fact; see for yourself) I was amazed. I never wanted it to end.

After we finished the roof top of the Duomo, we headed to the actual church. It was pretty grand. We saw the tiled floors, the arches in the roof, the domed roof, the statues, and even the well preserved dead bodies of the priests of the twelfth century in the sarcophaguses! Ooooooooohh...

We finished in the basilica and headed to La Rinascente, the local department store. We started at the eighth floor and decided to work our way down. The eighth floor was all about the food. We walked up to a chocolate store that caught our eyes. There were colourful chocolate shoes and handbags, big and small. I decided to buy two mini chocolate handbags. They looked delicious.

After La Rinascente, we did more shopping next door at Galleria Vittoria Emanuele, a large shopping centre with a huge dome in the center and detailed paintings on the ceilings, where we also stopped for late lunch. I had a fabulous Pizza Margherita! After that, we headed out and started walking to Castello Sforzesco, the Sforzesco castle.

The castle was huge. Barracks, a once full moat, enormous courtyards, tall trees, everything. We explored the castle and then went into the park beyond it. At the edge of the park was a mini Arc de Triomphe called Arco Della Pace. It was about the invasion of Napoleon. It was exactly like the Arc de Triomph in Paris. Really.

Finally, dark was coming, and we headed back to the hotel. We settled back into our room, and the day closed around us.

Milan Cathedral -- Piazza del Duomo








Donald Duck turned Evil!!


Colourful Chocolate Shoes & Handbags


Arco Della Pace


Castello Sforzesco


Galleria Vittoria Emanuel