For those of you who have been to Italy but have not been to Milan, you probably haven’t missed much. Rome, Florence, Venice are the tourists’ dream. Milano, however, the industrial city in Northern Italy and a fashion and design powerhouse, is loved by its connoisseurs. The meandering, tight, cobble-stoned streets, that characterize the city center, are home to boutiques, coffee shops (called Bar(s)) and restaurants of all kinds; these are set off by the city's many neoclassical buildings and peppered with flowered courtyards and jewel-like chapels. The city center can be easily covered on foot (the cobble stones are a menace to stiletto heels, so beware). Alternatively, you could hop onto a tram (electric streetcar) or use the ubiquitous Metro. The city certainly has major tourist attractions, like Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper mural painting; the La Scala theatre; and the Duomo, the city’s main cathedral. But I won’t get into that here, as all this information is available elsewhere. If interested check out this link http://www.aboutmilan.com/.
Anyway, for me, visiting Milano is sort of going home. My mother still has her apartment there, a stone throw away from the Duomo. It is not the apartment in which I grew up. My parents moved to the current flat from our previous one in Milan when I was already a university student in Israel. But for me it is still home: a place I used to visit first alone, when on holiday from my studies, and then with my future husband and now with my husband and children.
For my kids, a visit to Milano means having a food and shopping fest. This trip was no exception: we adults started off the morning with cappuccinos and a brioche (Italian croissants); the children had a cioccolata (the bittersweet thick, creamy kind), brioche and lots of tiny fruit pastries; then we shopped (and popped in to see churches on the way); lunched (pasta or pizza and a salad topped off by an espresso and tiramisu’ dessert); and shopped again (sunglasses, clothes, bags, shoes, suits, dresses). An ice cream and dinner would top off the day.
We managed to squeeze in some haute culture too. La Scala, the city’s world renowned opera and ballet theatre, held a free dress rehearsal of its new ballet for the city's residents and tourists. We were among the lucky ones to get a ticket (it took some standing in line, but not bad at all). We got seats in the platea (the main floor) close to the stage and even managed to peek at the musicians in the orchestra pit. And of course, we got to see a La Scala ballet on stage at La Scala. In short, we got the works.The kids and MM left this morning on their way back to Israel. I am staying on for two extra days. To shop, of course, and meet old friends. I am in the apartment. The window is open and the noise of the traffic is coming through. Yet the house feels very quiet. And cool. I am sitting in the living room. The same one in which my parents hosted scores of dinner parties and friends. I am writing this blog. And a sense of quiet contentment mingled with melancholy has settled over me.
Picture captions: Galleria Duomo http://www.smallandeleganthotels.com/Milan/Milan%20Photos/milan.jpg
Berry Tartlet by Dolce Europa Fine Foods http://www.dolceeuropa.com/individual_b.htm
La Scala interior http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Scala
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bellissimo!
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