Day Trip to Milano

On Sunday, we had a choice between two day trips lead by the faculty of CESA. I chose to go to Milan with Dr.Knox.
My reasoning for picking Milan was because:
1) Dr. Knox loves Milan and is so passionate about it, so I would never get a better tour guide 
2) I had never been to Milan before 
3) My other option was to go hiking (I'm not the outdoors type)
So without hesitation, I signed up for the Milan trip. Like I said, I have never been before but I heard things from the internet and others who have been there. To be quite honest, I didn't expect much. I had heard it was like other cities: congested, dirty, not much to see. So those opinions gave me low expectations, as well as New York city is my home and honestly in my mind nothing compares to the Big Apple.

Clock in the train station

We met Dr. Knox a quarter past 8 to start our full day adventure in Milan. There were 16 of us all together and it was a pretty even mix of business and architecture students. Although, only girls from the business school came on the trip. The train ride was easy and brought us quickly to Milan. We stopped briefly in the train station so the architecture students could observe the architecture of the train station. I went outside to look with them and it was stunning! The ceilings and arches were so elaborate, it seemed so silly to make a train station so extravagant. Dr. Knox said it was Mussolini's doing to show Italy's power. This train station put my normal train station (Grand Central) to shame. After looking at the architecture of the station, we headed to the metro to begin our walking tour.

Architecture at the Train Station

                                                                                 


The metro was just like any other subway, although I was very cautious because we were warned about all the pic pocketing that goes on in Milan. When we first emerged into the city, I was greeted with familiar tall buildings and construction. Typical city I thought. However, this was not anything like I pictured Milan to be like. Everything was a lot cleaner than cities in the states. (Minus the occasional puddles of urine in the streets...ew) Also, the courtyards reminded me of the ways you imagine European towns: cafes and restaurants down the square with a fountain in the middle.

The one downside to having a tour lead by Dr. Knox is he walks faster than road runner. Even with a smaller group of 16 people, we usually spread out across at least 2 blocks. When we finally all got back together where Dr. Knox stopped, we were in front of Castello Sforzesco. I did not expect there to be any castles in Milan, so I was delighted to get a chance to see one. 

Entrance to Castello Sforzesco

 A little background for anyone who doesn't know what Castello Sforzesco is. "Along with the Cathedral - Milan's most famous and much beloved monument - the big Castle is linked to the vicissitudes and dramatic events that the city has been experiencing over the past centuries. For many years, in fact, it has represented a symbol of the power in the hands of the Dukes, as well as of the foreign dominators. Only at the beginning of the 20th century the Castle assumed its distinctive role, becoming a place of culture, which hosted numerous Lombard art collections. The Castle was named after Francesco Sforza, who transformed it into a ducal residence in 1450. But its origins date back to the second half of the 14th century, at the time of Galeazzo II Visconti." 

 Find out more here!

Courtyard

Although we only walked through the courtyard, the castle was very cool to see! One thing I found strange was in the castle, where the moat used to be, is now grassed over and full of stray cats. It was weird but the moat must have been huge. 

Looking from the entrance to the courtyard

Courtyard

After we got all the wanderers of our group back together. Dr. Knox lead us to the Palazzo di Brera. This he said was similar to a noble's house, second class to the people who lived in Castello Sforzesco. The palazzo was initially designed in the Baroque style, a style favored by the Jesuits, but at the end of the 18th century it was remodeled in the neoclassical style favored by Maria Theresa.

 Find out more here! 

Neoclassical Style

I found the Palazzo to be interesting. I enjoyed the many sculptures throughout the building, especially the one above of Napoleon. (Dr. Knox said all girls take this butt picture) 

By this point in the day Dr. Knox could gauge we needed a lunch break from all the walking we had done. So he lead us to our next destination for some much needed rest. 

Inside the Galleria

To get to a good spot for our lunch break, we had to walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This is actually what I had expected from Milan. In the Galleria you find upscale stores, cafés and restaurants. The most famous is the Savini, a prestigious restaurant. Since it is one of Milan's most popular attractions, the Galleria is constantly crowded with locals and tourists, the latter often snapping pictures of the spectacular architecture. 

Find out more here!

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip because every girl dreams of being able to have a wardrobe of Gucci, Versace, Valentino, and Prada. Or maybe that's just me. Either way it was spectacular! They even had a caffe in front of the Gucci store which made me laugh and also make me wish I could afford it! Although we just walked through, I had a great time watching all the tourists in awe  and seeing all the locals nonchalantly sipping their 10 euro coffees in front of Gucci. 

When we had finished walking through the Galleria, we had made it to the monument Milan is most famous for. The Duomo. Not only was this building massive, but it was stunning to look at. The amount of detail on it was just incredible. Lines were out the door all afternoon to get a glimpse inside. Sadly, I had shorts on which is not Italian Catholic Church approved. So I only got to admire the beauty from the outside. 

The Duomo is literally at the center of Milan. Streets radiate from the cathedral or circle it. The cathedral occupies a site that has been the most central location in the city since its founding. 

Find out more here!

While I sat outside the Duomo waiting for my group, I got to enjoy my first gelato on the trip! I'm a purist so I always stick to chocolate. It was delicious and a huge portion! I ate my gelato around the piazza where the Duomo was and watched as the gypsies tormented all the tourists. They are string bracelet ninjas! They attach it to your arm before you can jerk away, then ask you money for it. (ridiculous I know) Other gypsies would put bird food in your hand and as pigeons attacked you, they would ask for change. These guys need a better sales strategy. 

After finishing my gelato, we went into an art museum that was featuring an Andy Warhol exhibit. It ended up being a free ticket which was great and it was a chance to get in some air conditioning. We ended up spending so much time in the other exhibits, that we had to run through the Andy Warhol one to make it back in time to meet up with our group! I made sure before I left to snag a picture of Marilyn though.

Typical Couple in Milan

The day was finally over and we headed back to the train all very tired and legs quite sore. I would have never expected to have had such a great time in Milan. I will now always have these memories as my first trip during my study abroad. It was such a great time, I may have to squeeze in another visit to this fashionable city. Thank you Milan for being a wonderful host!

XOXO RIVA DIVA