MILANO

Milano....TALK ABOUT A CHURCH....

We arrived in Milano about 5 and. Went right to the hotel. Beautiful place, luxurious room and street cars....ALL NIGHT LONG....SCREECHING around the corner every 5 minutes all through the night...and we were on the 5th floor.

Walked to a little restaurant (most were closed it being the night before Easter) and found... (petit). All whitewashed tables and chairs and the entire restaurant lit by candles. They asked if we had reservations...the place was empty ( it was around 7)..chuckle, chuckle, and we said no. Well, by the time we finished the place was full?

Again, no rush at all. Betty and I had tagletella with red shrimp....Betty asked what red shrimp were and the guy said....fish. Chuckle, chuckle...she still ordered it and it was delicious. Anna had onion soup. 

We limped back to the hotel and crashed!

Easter morning and we took the underground, walked up the steps and the site took our breath away. The cathedral engulfed the entire square. MAGNIFICENT . We couldn't get to the front since mass was going on, but between the magnificence and the incense, you really felt like you were in another realm. 

 After exploring the cathedral, we headed towards a beautiful promenade and strolled along with thousands of others. 

Stopped at a cafe for lunch...we're really not eating that much...we're just looking for clean bathrooms. We were going to share 2 pizzas but were told that we could not share but needed to order 3 plates...so 2 pizzas and bruschetta did it. Italian Ham and cheese pizza was great! 

We then took the underground to the Castella but by the time we got there I crashed, sat on a bench, and told them to go. 

Onward and upward, we decided to head over to Santa Maria de Gracie to see the Last Supper. Interesting story. 

While most frescos are painted on wet plaster, which requires the artist to work quickly, since once the plaster dries nothing can be done....but the paint is set in the plaster so it does not fade. The Last Supper was done on dry plaster, so, by the time he finished his greatest work it started to peel and flake off. He knew he wanted to take his time with form and shadow which is why he elected to do the dry route, but by doing so he created much more detail in facial expression and body language.

Only 30 people are allowed in at a time, and we had to go through 3 pressure locks before we got into the room. By allowing small groups with a limited time....15 minutes...they protect the painting for a longer period of time. 

It was awesome to stand there and look at a masterpiece without having to fight the crowds.

Headed back to the square for dinner and stopped in another restaurant along the promenade. Of course, they put you in the window, so that it looks like the place is full. Well, we were a little slap-happy and I told Betty that when people walked by (at least 50% will look at your plate) SO we covered our dishes with our hands everytime someone looked in. We were laughing so hard even the maitre  'd was laughing.

Then I decided to wave at people walking by who looked. Sure enough, the Orientals always waved back. We were going to take pictures of them taking pictures, but didn't have time as we stalled as much as possible in the restaurant.

Headed back to the hotel; we'll be off to Firenze...