After a very restful day yesterday Rita and I decided that a day trip to Milan was in order. Milan is a very big city and so we focussed on visiting its two main atrractions, the Duomo (Cathedral) and the Galleria (shopping). We took the train as its only an hour from Varenna and we had been told parking by the Duomo is very difficult and expensive (24 Euro a day). The train was very efficient and we arrived into Milan Central Station without any problems. Its a massive and beautiful Art Nouveau style station built in the early 1930's. We had no idea where we were in relation to the Duomo and so we asked a policeman. He said to take the yellow line Metro for 4 stops and we would be there. We headed into the Metro station and looked for the ticket machines. We were accosted by a very friendly person who asked us if we were English and if we wanted to take the Metro to the Duomo. We said yes and he took us to a ticket machine and pushed all the right buttons for us. The cost for the two tickets was 2 Euros and we put in a 5 Euro note. We handed us our tickets but wanted to keep the 3 Euros change. We settled on him keeping 1 Euro for his help and headed for our platform. As soon as we climbed out of the Metro station we were facing the front of Milan's Duomo and its truly magnificant in its size and design.
The construction of the Duomo started in 1386 and was not completed until the early 1890's and in fact minor improvements continue to be made, so you could say the Duomo has never really been finished. The church was built starting with the back and moving to the front, so the front facade was not built until 1682. The outside of the Duomo is finished in marble that was shipped into Milan on barges up the 50 km Darsena Canal, which was constructed in the early 17th century for this purpose and is still in use today.
When you walk inside the Duomo you really get a feel for its massive size. There are five bays (entrances into the Duomo)with six buttresses spanning its 93 meter width. The layout of the inside is in the form of a Latin cross with five naves (the central one is double the width of the others) and the space is divided up by fifty-two 52 gigantic columns. The floor in marble and stone was started in 1585 and was finished in the mid 1950's.
After making our way around the inside of the Duomo we went outside and headed for a side entrance that has a 280 step tower taking you to the rooftop. You can walk around the outside of the Duomo and see the incredible detail of the hundreds of spires and archways. It was a very hot day and being on top walking around on the granite and marble made us very thirsty and so we heading down for lunch.
We found a delightful sidewalk restaurant next to the Galleria but were too hot to stay outside and chose the cool, airconditioned interior. After a hearty lunch it was time to explore the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 11, a huge shopping mall created in 1867 when two piazzas were joined together by glass and steel roofs that created four covered streets. Most of the big fashion names are there (Prada, Gucci, Louis Vitton, etc) as well as many independent stores selling clothes, jewelery, books, antiques as well as cafes and restaurants. After helping fuel Milan's retail economy we headed back to Varenna and a very nice tapas dinner on our deck.
The front facade of the Duomo viewed from Piazza del Duomo
Inside the Duomo looking down the massive main naive
One of the Alters in the side aisle showing the early 13th century "Candelabro Tivulzio"
From the terraces on top of the roof looking towards the front of the Duomo
The 108 meter spire on top of the roof of the Duomo completed in the 1860's is currently undergoing rennovations
The triumphal arch entrance into the Galleria from Piazza del Duomo
Inside the Galleria showing the detailed mosiac tile work.
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