Castle, gallery, and trendy lanes (Milan - 2)
(cont'd..) As soon as we're done, we headed inside this open-ended elegant glass-roofed building called Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle that is adjacent to the plaza. As it was getting dark, we had the best time looking up to wonder at its centre crest now showing-off its blue-hued colour trinket of lights that acts as some kind of bunched jewels suspended in the air. It was so magical. As usual, this place was filled with locals and tourists. Inside the galleria, I had the chance to participate in a known tradition for travellers in Milan: rubbing my foot over the bull's genital on the central mosaic floor for good luck. I was not totally aware of the tradition until an Italian guy told me exactly what to do.
We also had a long boring walk (I'm pretty sure my wife and her friends did not!) at Milan's trendy lane area called Montenapoleone. If you have experienced walking along Beverly Hills in Hollywood, this is exactly the same. There, shops of well-known designers are lined-up: Scada, Gucci, Armani, Versace, and other signature name brands. No, I wouldn't be tempted to buy a 275-Euro designer silk necktie!
We had a pretty busy first day.
The following day, we went to a flea market.
In the afternoon, we visited Castello Sforzesco, a renaissance castle that used to be owned by military, but now being maintained and operated by City of Milan. There's a vast of open space inside surrounded by high walls. At the front is huge face-clock before a spectacular water fountain. Inside the castle, there's galleries and museum that have multiple display of arts, from relics and sculptures to paintings. There is a gallery that you have to pay entrance fee, otherwise most areas were open to the public. Eventhough visitors who were roaming freely in the castle with their tapping boots and whispers of conversation breaking the silence - because of its immense size, the place had the atmosphere of being eerily quiet.
Later, we had an unsuccessful shot at seeing Como Lago town (outskirt of Milan) in the late afternoon. Sure, we were able to get there, but the area was completely under the blanket of evening darkness. Cold and windy, we still managed to walk along the banks of its great lake, but had to comfort ourselves later on with a sip of warm tea inside at a local bar there.
Our exploration in Milan was great for all its worth. Aside from occasional snag and incident like few unfriendly vendors and limited public washroom, I can say that I'm looking forward to seeing this place again!
Did I mention about this cool Ferrari showroom amidst Milan's attractive museums, old buildings, and trendy shops?
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