I am the first to admit that my feelings for Milan were tainted by the experience we had in this city ten years ago when we were stuck at the train station for most of the day when we should have been in Paris. It was exhausting, frustrating and left a sour taste in my mouth, so I wasn’t really looking forward to coming back.

Well what a turn around after our great night with Aurora “cooking and dining” today was a day off taking in the splendours of this city (and they have them in bucket loads). Using our 24 hour metro ticket from last night which was 4.50 (euro) we had access to all forms of public transport. We caught the train to Piazza Del Duomo where there were a number of wonderful places to visit. On arrival we decided to pay for a slightly more expensive ticket called a “fast track” yep just like Disneyland. Paying extra immediately provided benefits as whilst others wilted under the harsh Milano sun we were almost immediately catching a lift to the roof top of the Duomo Cathedral. It is amazing when get to the top and realise that all of the city roads run from the Duomo or circle it. It is yet another cathedral that you could believe that gargoyles come alive at night to wreck havoc on those below. The first Milano cathedral was amazingly completed in 355, then in the 1380’s the then Archbishop arranged for the construction of the new Basilica as the original cathedral was damaged in a fire in 1075. It is particularly fascinating as you are able to go below the cathedral to the archeological dig and see the preserved parts from the 355 build.

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And then go go inside, this is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have been in. The stained glass windows are just incredible as it is the intricate wood work throughout the building and the marble floors are amazing. The skills of these craftsmen was incredible and it is great to see so much restoration work happening to keep some of these skills alive. The audio tour is a little bit awkward but gives you a ton of information and was really helpful as there is so much to take in. We do tend to get these when we can as they provide a different dimension as you walk through if you have some of the background.

I could have spent hours here, but we had a list of places to see today and so after lighting a candle for Deb we made our way to the Duomo museum (the 25 euro ticket we purchased included entry into the cathedral, the crypt, the archeological dig as well as the museum. The museum was just fantastic and had the models that were produced before construction commenced or a statute was made.

By the time we came out of the museum it was time to recharge the batteries and we had a lovely late lunch in a nearby cafe. Then whilst Steve and I headed for some retail therapy, Pip and Dave headed for another museum where they saw several paintings from some of the wonderful Italian masters.

As Pip and Dave are returning home tomorrow we had dinner at a lovely restaurant enjoying a glass of rose and some wonderful Italian food…Bellissimo, yet another great day 😀😀.