Milano

I had been to Sicily, but never the mainland, so I always had to add an asterisk when people would ask me if I had been to Italy (since Sicilians have their own strong identity). Also, as the son of an art history teacher, I have always longed to see the land of the famous Italian Renaissance artists.

So here I was on my way to Italy. My twelve night itinerary included:
Two nights in Milano
Three nights in Venezia
Three nights in Firenze
Four nights in Roma

Between the two Ryanair flights and three Trenitalia trains, I was able to book all of my transportation for about $150. And the hostels ranged from about $13-$20 a night. God, I love traveling in Europe.

Upon arrival, I had very little knowledge of the city of Milan. I knew that there was a big cathedral and some Da Vinci stuff. Supposedly, though, a Last Supper ticket had to be booked months in advance, so I wouldn't even be able to see that... or so I thought!

When I arrived in Milan on Friday night, I figured I'd check the availability of the Last Supper anyway. The one 15-minute time slot that was available in the next month was... THE FOLLOWING MORNING AT 8:15AM! Sometimes when you travel, the stars just align for you.

Saturday was my one full day in Milan, so I decided to make a marathon out of it. I left my hostel just before sunrise and had a pleasantly eerie stroll through the streets of this old city.

After Da Vinci's Last Supper, I saw Milan's Sforzesco Castle, some Roman ruins, two museums, and the Quadrilatero D'Oro (Milan's equivalent of Paris's Triangle D'Or). I found an iPad cover on sale... for only 98 Euros!!!















Oh, and I also saw the Duomo.

With tired feet, I rewarded myself with an early night's sleep in preparation for... Venezia!!!
I had high expectations for this city. Would it live up to them?