Trip to Milan, Italy Day 2
The altar and stunning murals at San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, Milan Italy.
We wake up in Milan on a sunny Sunday, Bob and Dean’s one day to take in the sights. Except we all sleep in until 10:30. This never happens, travel is getting the best of us! The guys need their rest, though, and we have a good 10 hours in front of us to explore Milan. And there is a plan. Dean told us over dinner last night that Milan is home to da Vinci’s “Last Supper”. Tucked away inside a chapel named Santa Maria della Grazie, (Saint Mary of Grace), it awaits us a mere 20 minute walk away! You have got to be kidding me!! Who knew?!! I assumed it was in Florence, had not really thought about it! Maybe if I had done some research on Milan… but I had not. I have been focused primarily on London and Paris. What a dope! Well, we will see the Last Supper in all its glory, go to the Piazza del Duomo, see Milan Cathedral, enjoy a leisurely bite, shop our way through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, break for a bit and then meet Jens, their VP of International for dinner in the Navigli District, where the few remaining canals (there used to be more) lined with shops, bars and restaurants intersect. It is supposed to be lively at night! Yes, there is a plan after all. We eat some light breakfast outside at the hotel and are now ready to go. Best check with the concierge on how to get started.
The piazza at the Mandarin Oriental, Milan. Bob's granola, fruit and yogurt. My croissant, jam and fruit I stole from Bob. Lattes and the most amazing orange juice.
Dean asks the concierge about Santa Maria della Grazie/Last Supper and she shakes her head. Tickets must be purchased a good two months in advance. Our only hope is if there is a cancellation. We’ve gotta try. We head out, paper map in hand. As I mentioned previously, the sun is out today. It was supposed to rain, so maybe, just maybe Santa Maria is looking out for us! We head down the street for 10 - 15 minutes and see a big statue of some dude on a horse. To the right, there is a castle with a fountain. That looks cool, let’s check it out! It is the Castello Sforzesco. Built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, it is now a historical site and home to several art museums, as well as a natural gathering place for tourists as well as locals. We mill around a bit, soak in the sights, take photos for other people, then set back out on our mission. da Vinci.
Horse guy statue and the Castello Sforzesco. I tried to research the statue with no luck. I will try to be better in the future.
Down a busy pedestrian way we go. Being Sunday, many of the smaller shops are closed but the larger shopping areas are well populated and the restaurants are full. Looking down a side street, we see tall and beautiful spires. It is the Milan Cathedral - Duomo di Milano - a massive cathedral set on a town square. It is so close, we may as well go see it.
Walking through the pedestrian shopping area in Milan when we spy the Duomo.
The cathedral is majestic and intricate. One can spend a lot of time noticing the details on this building and still never really see it. The piazza here, too, is bustling with people. Many are feeding the pigeons and have 10 - 20 pigeons on their arms, shoulders, etc. Not me. I’ve seen the Hitchcock movie. Not doing it. There is another statue of some guy on a horse. I am gonna have to look these up. More on the cathedral and the horse guy tomorrow.
The Duomo di Milano, Milan Cathedral. Breath-taking in scale and detail. Tomorrow we go inside.
After viewing the massive structure from every which way, we notice the building to our left, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, so we decide to go in. It’s right here. If you haven’t noticed, we are going everywhere but towards da Vinci. The Galleria was built in 1877 as a shopping area. I’m gonna lay a few pictures of this shopping area on you. Because where I come from, we have malls and they suck.
Yeah, shopping area. We leave the “mall” and save the shopping for later, determined to finally make it to the great work of art. The first thing we come across is a large statue of da Vinci. Maybe this is an omen. He will collaborate with Santa Maria and they will get us to see his masterpiece! Somewhere along the way, Dean is fired from navigation and Bob takes over. The paper map is gonzo and we are all GPS. We come across an interesting little chapel-type thing. It is open to the public and it is free. And small. Might as well duck our heads in, right? It is San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. Basically, a nunnery. I wonder if they will let me in? They do. All I can say is “Wow”.
da Vinci and his students surveying the crowd outside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
According to the brochure, the Monastero Maggiore hosts the most decorative and important example of 16th century Milanese painting in existence. It is small but impactful. Every surface is painted to tell a story in the most beautiful way. I am not going to regale you with the details but I did provide a link above and you can study as much or as little as you like. This is one of the best "stumble upon” sites I have ever stumbled upon. It is unclear in the literature, but the artists were certainly fans, and some maybe students, of Leonardo the Man. Stunning.
The San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in impact. Simply beautiful.
We finally arrive at Santa Maria della Grazie, and of course, there are no cancellations and we will not see the Last Supper. Milan, by plane, is so close to so many European cities that we decide that on our next or subsequent trip we will take the time to buy the tickets in advance and fly in for it. And spend the night in Milano. Our problem is we don’t plan in advance. We are pretty fast and loose with our planning. These are business trips and they tend to change until the last minute. I’ve learned to deal. Here are a few photos of Santa Maria.
Santa Maria della Grazie, home to one of da Vinci's most acclaimed works, "The Last Supper". Buy your tickets well in advance.
We are hungry and thirsty and my feet need a break. Time for a quick bite and a glass of wine. We go back to the galleria and find a suitable restaurant (of which there are many). Dean and I get salad Nicoise and Bob gets a Chicken Caesar. We rest for a bit, rehydrate (water) and after lingering over lunch, do some window shopping - the only shopping I like! I do notice some nice luggage and a little leather purse at Bric’s Milano. I show the luggage to Bob and he seems to like it too! I did just buy some soft-sided luggage, but it gets dirty easily. The hard-case luggage is compelling. But for another day. Bob goes in more shops and I get a few more shots of the Milano Cathedral. It is amazing. We talk about going in but the line is prohibitive. I will certainly get in there tomorrow, be sure to read about it.
Salads and lots of water to re-hydrate mid-day. Lunch at the Galleria Vittoria Emanuelle II Shopping Plaza.
We stroll back to the hotel to rest and regroup before dinner. The hotel is .2 miles from the piazza. We were definitely walking in very large circles this morning! Oh well, it was fun, and we got our exercise in — at least 6 miles today! Probably the daily average. The concierge has made dinner reservations at Osteria al Coniglio Bianco — “The White Rabbit” in the canal district. She promises it will be a great evening. Except as soon as we leave the hotel, the rain starts. Jens has joined us, so we are a party of four. There are young men selling umbrellas by the canal and Bob gets one for us. It is a quick stroll to the restaurant and we are seated right away. Bob orders some wine and the guys begin to talk shop, so I leave and take some photos. Because there is only so much shop talk I can take, and I take a lot of it.
The complimentary appetizer course arrives, being Italy, and then we settle into our first courses. I do a tuna tartare with avocado and a lemon dressing which is great. I am pretty sure bad food is against the law in Italy. One of the guys get s traditional Italian appetizer plate including meatballs, anchovy toast, and some other thing - whatever is in the picture, I am tired of keeping track of everybody’s food by now. Someone else gets fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with ricotta (yum), and someone else gets a plate of cured meats. There is a lively table behind us — five gentlemen — and they get this whopping tray of lobster and pasta! Being me, I immediately befriend them and ask them if I can take a picture of their dinner for my blog. Not only do they oblige, but they dish me up 1/2 of a small lobster and some rigatoni. It rocks. I love Italy. I, in turn, give them some of my rabbit terrine with a delicious sauce, some asparagus, fruit jam and toasted bread.. The owner, Giampiero, stops by to chat. He admires Bob’s wine selection and takes a taste. Bob orders another bottle with his guidance. The owner stops at the table behind us. He admires their wine selection and takes a taste. They order another bottle. I am sensing a pattern. This pattern will continue all night, throughout the whole restaurant.
For the main course I (and another guest) choose an Osso Bucco - braised veal shank - over polenta. Bob gets the veal Milanese and Jens gets a seared cod. All of the dishes are delicious. But we are full, so for dessert we select one simple cheese — coffee-crusted gorgonzola — and finish our wine and have some espresso. Delicious in every way, and as convivial as it can only be in Italy. It is still raining when we leave, so no strolling the canal tonight. Tomorrow is a work day for the men, and they leave bright and early in the morning. As for me, I have a few things in mind. Let’s see where the wind blows me. Stay tuned, and thanks for following Ann.