Milano
I don't know .... I visited Milano many years ago and then again in 2015. We didn't have that long there, just long enough to return the rental car, have a night at a hotel close to the Duomo, have a meal at the Galleria and walk around a while. We didn't get to many of the recommended sites/sights, and not to La Scala so I can't comment on too many landmarks.
I know many people speak highly of Milano and no doubt they have seen many wonderful things there ... everyone's experience is not the same .... fortunately. |
map courtesy of wikipedia
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Perhaps it was the bustle of the 2015 Expo, perhaps it was just me [having confessed numerous times on this website that 'art appreciation' seems to have passed me by, I think I can safely add 'fashion' to that list], perhaps it was the crowds and the many, many wanna-be's and try-hards parading through the Galleria, perhaps it was the awful, less-than-half meal I had in the Galleria, perhaps it was the grossly over=priced hotel, or the clunky, not-so-clean Metro, or the ZTL traffic fine I collected for driving in a bus lane [mea culpa!!] ... whatever it was, I just can't get wildly excited by Milano ... or even mildly excited, ... SCUSATE MILANO!!!
.... EXCEPT for the Duomo.
.... EXCEPT for the Duomo.
Milan Cathedral
"Saint Ambrose built a new basilica on this site at the beginning of the 5th century, with an adjoining basilica added in 836. When fire damaged both buildings in 1075, they were rebuilt as the Duomo.
In 1386 the archbishop, Antonio da Saluzzo, began the new project in a rayonnant* Late Gothic style that is more characteristic of France than Italy. Work proceeded for generations.
The main spire was topped in 1762 with a polychrome* statue of the Madonna, to whom the Duomo and its predecessor have always been dedicated.
Even now, some uncarved blocks remain to be turned into sculpture. Gothic construction on the rest of the Duomo was largely complete in the 1880's."
Thanks to wikipedia for the above text
* Yes, I had to Google both polychrome and rayonnant;
In 1386 the archbishop, Antonio da Saluzzo, began the new project in a rayonnant* Late Gothic style that is more characteristic of France than Italy. Work proceeded for generations.
The main spire was topped in 1762 with a polychrome* statue of the Madonna, to whom the Duomo and its predecessor have always been dedicated.
Even now, some uncarved blocks remain to be turned into sculpture. Gothic construction on the rest of the Duomo was largely complete in the 1880's."
Thanks to wikipedia for the above text
* Yes, I had to Google both polychrome and rayonnant;
- Polychrome: painted or printed in several colours;
- Rayonnant; characterized by a shift in focus away from the High Gothic mode of utilizing great scale and spatial rationalism, such as with buildings like Chartres Cathedral or the nave of Amiens Cathedral, towards a greater concern for two dimensional surfaces and the repetition of decorative motifs at different scales. ........ apparently! ....... The things I've learned!!
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What a building! The interior was relatively standard, smart in typical Italianate-style. The opportunity to clamber over and around the dome was spectacular. There is a short [expensive] elevator ride to the top once you can find it [it's way round the back and not that well sign-posted] but if you have to be in Milano you should take the time to visit and take the elevator to the top and spend time up there enjoying the view over the city and the carvings ... it is just spectacular!
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