As with most of the days we spent in Italy, this day would be like the others, with another early start. We had another train to catch today and another new city to explore. Both of us had been looking forward to this day as we would finally be making the trip to Milan. While planning this trip, most of the plan revolved around whether or not we’d be going to Milan. That all was to depend on if we would be able to secure one of the limited bookings to see the Last Supper. Once that was in place, the rest came together quite easily.
As the sun rose over Florence, we were getting ready for the day. Our train tickets were on my phone and, for the most part, we had a plan for how the day would go. The walk to the train station wasn’t far from our apartment. While at the train station, we sought out some food and snacks for the two hour train ride. Knowing that we wanted to go to Milan, I had made sure to research the best way to get there and booked a high speed train. This would allow for us to arrive around 9:30 in the morning, just as most things are starting to open.
Once we had snacks and breakfast in hand, we went to see where our train would be boarding and waited. The Florence Santa Maria Novella train station is well laid out and easy to navigate. As soon as we could, we boarded our train and got comfortable. I liked that we had assigned seats and didn’t have to worry about trying to find a place for us to sit together. I managed to relax and enjoy the ride as we headed to Milan.
The train arrived in Milan right on schedule. As we knew we had places to be and a schedule to keep, we got off the train and proceeded to follow the signs that would lead us to the exit. The Milan Central train station terminal is large and I wouldn’t be surprised if people tend to get lost. There were a lot of shops to explore, and if we had more time, I’m sure we would’ve. After exiting the train station, we needed to figure out how to get to their version of a subway, the metro. I knew that it would lead us right to where we needed to go, it was just a matter of finding the entrance.
Once we found the entrance to the metro, we got our tickets and figured out which way we needed to go. The system in Milan is only a handful of lines, but it does make getting around pretty easy. A day pass was only 7 euros per person, so it is definitely worth it since taxis can quickly add up. After being on the subway for four stops, we were at our destination, the Milan Duomo.
Many people have seen photos of this iconic cathedral, but I can tell you from experience, getting off that subway, coming out of the station, and seeing it in person, there are no words that can truly describe what it is like. When we arrived, preparations were being made in the square for Fashion Week, which was set to start the following day. It was busy in the area with tourists and workers, but it didn’t detract from the grandeur of the cathedral. The white marble and intricate gothic styling make this cathedral stand out among the others we have visited. After taking a few minutes to admire the beauty of the exterior, we proceeded to the line to enter the Duomo.
We had tickets to get in, so there was no need to head to the ticket office. This is one of those places where you need to book in advance. I had booked early and even made sure to book a journey to the roof of the Duomo. I chose to pay more to be able to take the elevator up, but you can spend less and take the stairs. I knew we would probably be doing a good deal of walking, so I decided to give our knees a well deserved rest. You do have to go through security and metal detectors before you enter the Duomo and the only drinks allowed inside are water, even an unopened bottle of soda will not be allowed in, you will have to throw it away, we learned this the hard way.
We spent a few minutes inside before heading out to where we would take the elevator to the rooftop. I do wish we had spent more time inside, but we had a set reservation for the rooftop. The elevator ride was quick and easy. The view from the roof is worth making the journey. You are able to get a great view of some of the detailing of the Duomo that is hard to see from below. Surprisingly there are a number of statues placed around the roof area that cannot be seen unless you journey up there. We both were curious as to why they were there.
There are two levels to the rooftop, once we finished with the lower level, we made our way up a few stairs to the upper and topmost level of the roof. It isn’t often that you can say you have been on the roof of a cathedral, and I will say the experience was really worth it. There were workers on the roof at the time doing repairs, but that didn’t affect the experience. The view itself is amazing as you feel as if you can see the entire city center from the top. You don’t realize how big the structure is until you are on the top looking down at everyone below.
After taking some more photos, we began the journey down. This involved some stairs, but they were not bad. These stairs took us back into the Duomo. We did look around for a few minutes, but as our time in Milan was limited, we needed to be on our way to our next destination. After a quick pop in to the gift shop, we were on our way to the next stop. As to what that was, I wasn’t sure. There were a few things on our list that we really wanted to see if we had time. My husband led the way and I followed, hoping it wouldn’t be too far, and it wasn’t.
While doing research for this trip, my husband came across something he knew I would want to see. Located inside the San Bernardino alle Ossa church is a small side chapel that is decorated with numerous human skulls and bones. While this may be off putting to some, it was something I found really interesting. It took us a bit to finally figure out where it was once we reached the area as you have to enter the church and then proceed to the right down a small corridor to enter the chapel. All of the bones are laid out in a tasteful manner. This was built in 1210 when an adjacent cemetery ran out of space. It wasn’t until 1269 that the church was attached. If you are curious, I definitely recommend stopping in. It is only a five minute walk from the Duomo and is a really interesting experience.
It was nearing lunch time at this point and the snacks we’d had on the train had long left our system, so we set on towards the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II back near the Duomo. It was here that we happened upon a restaurant that stood out and seemed like it would be a fun place to eat. The restaurant was called Old Wild West. Yes, it’s exactly what you would imagine a restaurant with that name would be. The theme was the wild west and they even had an old western style ‘jail cell’ with a table in it. The menu reflected the name as well, showing large burgers, racks of ribs, and baskets of fries that left us feeling almost as if we were back home. The food was really flavorful and the service was friendly. It was a nice change from the numerous pasta dishes we had eaten already during the previous four days.
Once we finished with lunch, it was time to walk through the Galleria. I’d seen photos and videos of it over the years, but being there, in the center of it all, was amazing. Most people were interested in taking selfies showing the high end luxury shopping, but not me. I was more interested in taking in the architecture and admiring the details of the floor. The glass dome in the center was a true marvel. We both made sure to find the bull mosaic and do three turns on the heel to bring good fortune. Whether or not it worked, well that remains to be seen. As we still had other sites we wanted to see, it was time for us to leave the area and make our way to the next destination.
My husband said that he had a surprise for me, so I followed. The entire time I was curious as to where he was leading me. The walk wasn’t very far from the Galleria. We took a couple turns and crossed a street where we came upon an old post office. This building no longer houses a post office, but the façade is still there. Now within the confines of the building is a Starbucks Reserve Roastery. This is not your average Starbucks coffee shop. We walked up and were greeted by staff as they opened the door for us. You’re immediately hit with the smell of coffee as you walk inside. In front of you is various Starbuck Reserve merchandise, to the right is where the baristas are creating all types of coffee concoctions. In the back is where the magic of roasting the beans happens. You can sit and enjoy a drink while watching the process. They also sell bags of roasted coffee, many of these blends can only be purchased at this location.
I got in line as I couldn’t pass up not enjoying one of the beverages. Since my husband isn’t a coffee drinker, I made sure to choose something for him that he would be able to enjoy too. While we waited for our drinks to be made, I looked around and purchased a couple souvenirs to remember our trip. Once the drinks were ready, we looked at the time and decided to make our way to the Cenacolo Vinciano Museum where we had a reservation.
Looking at the map, my husband decided we should walk as it didn’t seem too far on the map. We started to walk through the streets of Milan. We kept walking… and walking,,, and walking. It felt as if the walking would never end. I cannot stress enough to use the public transit that is available in Milan to get around. Things may seem closer on a map than they really are.
Eventually we did make it to the museum. It is here that you can see the Last Supper. This was one of the main reasons we came to Milan. In order to see it, you have to make a reservation in advance. These tickets are released only a few months at a time and they go quickly. I kept checking for weeks to make sure we would secure reservations, which meant until we knew what day we would be able to see the Last Supper, we couldn’t plan anything else. They are strict when it comes to reservations, so make sure you are not late. You do need to exchange the online voucher for your physical tickets.
We were early, so we made the most of it once we exchanged our tickets and found a place to sit. After people watching for a while and drinking some water we purchased from a nearby shop, it was time for us to line up for our tour. Your guide will come out with headphones and a receiver so you will be able to listen to the guide during the tour. You enter the museum and the guide starts by talking about the Last Supper as you walk along a corridor that will take you to the room that houses the painting. The room is climate and temperature controlled, so they limit how many people can go in at one time, which is why a tour is required. You pass through one set of doors and when those close and the air is clear, you will then be able to enter the room you came all this way for.
Once you enter, to the right you will see it, The Last Supper. Almost everyone has seen some version of the painting, but the true age and enormity of the painting cannot be felt until you are up close to it. There are benches where you can sit as the guide talks about the history of the painting. As you only have 15 minutes, make sure to look at all the details and appreciate it. Because Leonardo da Vinci painted directly onto the wall itself, The Last Supper has deteriorated greatly over time. The guide goes into detail about the different techniques Leonardo da Vinci used when creating this masterpiece.
On the opposing wall is another painting, this is a fresco called the Crucifixion painted by Giovanni Donanto Montorfano. Since it was painted in the fresco technique, it is extremely well preserved. Despite the age, having been painted sometime around 1495, the colors remain vibrant. The scene shows the emotions of those in mourning over the loss and even shows, at the top, which of those were destined to rise up to heaven or taken into the depths of hell. I wish I’d had more time to take in this painting. If I ever go back, I’d like to spend more time admiring it.
Once the time is up, you move onto the next part of the tour. This goes into more of the history about the painting and the steps taken to preserve it. It nearly didn’t survive the bombings of WWII. During the tour they go into great detail about what has been, and continue to be done to maintain this priceless work of art. You can even see photos of the wall with sandbags stacked high against it as they protected it during the war. It’s amazing to see everything the piece has gone through over time. After this point we were given time to shop in the gift shop, use the restroom, and even leave if we wished. Since there were other things we wanted to do in Milan, we decided to end our tour here and purchase some souvenirs before heading to the next site we wanted to see.
Knowing the next site on our list wasn’t within walking distance as it was closer to the Starbucks we had walked from to get here, we knew we couldn’t handle that walk a second time. By this time my husband’s feet and back were not in the best shape, but there was one more thing he really wanted to see and I wanted to make sure we made it there. After a short walk, we found a cab and told him where we wanted to go. He was friendly and the fare wasn’t bad, only about six euros, so it was really worth not having to walk again. From the drop off point, we walked the short way to our final stop of the day before heading back to the train station.
The Castello Sforzesco, Sforza Castle, was once the home of the Sforza family that had ruled Milan. Originally called Porta Giovia Castle, was the home to the Visconti family before it came into the hands of Francesco Sforza after he became the heir to the Duke of Milan, Filipo Maria Visconti, by marrying his daughter, Bianca Maria. When the Duke died in 1447, the people of Milan didn’t recognize Francesco as the heir and rebelled. This led to Sforza besieging the city for eight months before the people surrendered due to lack of supplies. Francesco ruled for 16 years, during which he financed urban development and restoration projects, including restoration and improvements to the castle. Enough about the history, let me get back to telling you about our experience.
When you think about castles, you tend to think about ones you’ve seen on Instagram, the iconic images of places such as Neuschwanstein Castle or even the Disney Castle we all grew up seeing. This castle is nothing like that, this castle is more of a fortress. Overtime, it was built up to withstand attacks. It is impressive as you walk up the path to the gate. You enter through the gate and come to a vast open space. The castle, now a museum, surrounds you, yet you feel more like you’re in a park. The towers of red brick are impressive and give you an impression that someone powerful once lived here. We explored the outside area, taking in the architecture and roman pillars before we decided to head into the museum.
Since the day of our visit was on the third Tuesday of the month, admission to the museum was free. The staff was friendly as we walked in and took our tickets. You can book online if you want to, but we weren’t sure we would make it here, so we skipped doing that. During the time we visited, I was surprised to see there were not many people. We walked around and saw everything from large statues, intricate tapestries, to weapons. Every room we walked into was something different and unexpected. It really gave you insight to how things were back during the 1400’s.
We only walked through one small section of the vast castle before my husband decided he needed to get going. It had already been a long day and all the walking was starting to take its toll. After saying our goodbyes to the Castello Sforza and promising we would try to make it back to Milan one day to spend more time here, it was decided that we would make our way back to the train station via the metro. The nearest metro stop wasn’t too far of a walk, but being that it was around the time most people were leaving work, the trains were beginning to become crowded with standing room only. I definitely recommend that if you use the metro, try to plan around the rush hour times just to make your journey more enjoyable and less crammed.
The journey back to the train station was quick, but we still had several hours before our train was set to depart. We found a few souvenir shops and looked around those for a little bit before trying to find a place to sit and relax while we waited for the train. This was actually difficult as there were a lot of people in the station at the time and not many places to sit. I spent some time on my phone checking to see if there was an earlier departure back to Florence, because, at this point, I was ready to be on our way back. Fortunately, I was able to change our tickets to an earlier train and we made our way to the platform.
The train journey back to Florence was smooth and relaxing. Getting back to Florence earlier than planned was a bit of a relief. We made it back to the apartment at a decent hour. Having not eaten since earlier in the day in Milan, we were in need of more than just the basic snacks we had in the apartment. Fortunately, we had a market right across from us. I went over and looked around to see what they had that would be quick and easy. I managed to find some premade items I could heat in the microwave for the both of us. I know, it isn’t what you would expect, but after having gotten up early and all the walking, the last thing we wanted to do was head out for dinner. The food was actually better than I thought it would be. With full bellies, we spent the remainder of the evening watching Netflix and relaxing on the couch, knowing that tomorrow would hold another busy day of adventures for us.
Yet another day had passed and we still didn’t have gelato.
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