Milano.....Just As I Remembered It.....An Ugly City

     In my early twenties I had the life changing experience of hitchhiking through Europe with a friend.  Before this trip I had only been outside of Canada once, to the Caribbean.  It was during this trip that my dream of continuing to explore the world was born.  I knew then that I needed to see and experience more of what the world has to offer.  For me it was like opening up a bag of potato chips; there is no way you can stop at just eating one.  

     During this trip we stopped over one night in Milan.  My memory of Milan is that it is an ugly city that lacks the charm and character of the many other european cities that I have seen.  I thought that perhaps my memory of Milan could be wrong as a lot of time has passed causing memories to get foggy, so I decided to go back.  And given that when Liz and I took the kids to Pisa my recollection going into that trip was that the Leaning Tower was outside of the city turned out to be drastically wrong, it seemed more then possible that I was wrong about Milan.    

Milano Centrale

     So with an open mind Libby and I set out on the train for Milan.  I arrived at the train station excited about my little adventure.  It began with me checking in Libby's dog bag.  I anticipated that I would be carrying shopping bags, and therefore I would not want to be lugging this bag around.  While my italian is still very poor, I understood enough to get that the gentleman at the baggage check-in was teasing me about checking in a bag that is smaller than my purse (which Libby rides in).  He laughed out loud.  Keep in mind that people before and after me were checking in suitcases that weighed up 20 kilograms.  The gentleman then in jest tossed the bag into the arms of another employee that looked at him and laughing said something to the effect of what is he to do with it, something so small.  We all had a good laugh together.

     Arriving at the Duomo I was immediately struck by the architectural detail.  While the Duomo is massive, it at the same time has this fragile look to it because of all the ornate detail.  As I looked around the piazza I wondered if I had misjudged this city as in that moment I was surrounded by architectural genius.  I had not been to this area of Milan during my previous trip.  This I would have remembered.  

                     

     In the same piazza as the Duomo is the Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II.  It is Milan's version of a shopping mall.  The Eaton Centre it is not.  The Galleria can only be described as a beautiful marriage of glass and iron.  The ceiling vaults are adorned with incredible mosaics.  I could not help but stand there looking up in ah.  It is even more flabbergasting when one takes into account that the Galleria was opened up in 1867.  I constantly find myself shaking my head wondering how so many wonderful structures were created in Italy without the assistance of present day construction equipment.  In present day Canada it is a rarity to have a home built with square corners and even floors, yet hundreds of years ago many magnificent, and architecturally sound, structures were made.  They still stand today in honour of the geniuses who expressed their creativity through what really are works of art.  At the centre of the Galleria are the designer powerhouses Prada and Louis Vuitton.  From there radiates out stores from every designer that one can possibly think of, as well as small chic boutiques.  While I was starving because I headed out so early in the morning, I went hungry because I refused to pay the ridiculously exuberant restaurant prices.  Given the prices of food, lets just say there was no food court as Canadians and Americans know them, I didn't even dare to go into the shops.  I did find a restaurant that served a glass of prosecco for 4 euros; cheaper than a bottle of water.  I had to make sure that I didn't dehydrate in the heat.      

      

     After the Galleria I went into Italy's version of Macy's - la Rinascente.  There is a la Rinascente in every major italian city, including Florence, only what made this one different is that it had some american designers.  When I saw the Jimmy Choo section, and right next door Michael Kors, my heart pitter pattered.  I felt the excitement that I do when I stroll 5th Avenue in New York.  While I looked, I did not buy.  For years I dreamed about owning a pair of Jimmy Choos, but I mourned the loss of this dream long ago when I travelled to New York after breaking my ankle to at last buy myself a pair of shoes for my birthday.  I was devastated to see that two years after breaking my ankle it still swelled up too much to be able to wear a pair of Jimmy Choos.  My birthday dream was shattered as I realized that Jimmy Choo and I were just not meant to be.  As I drooled over the shoes in la Rinascente, the practical side of me thought that with the cobblestone streets of Florence if I dared to put on a pair of Jimmy Choos I would be certain to break an ankle again.  So while I slowly walked around admiring the very stylish shoes, I didn't buy any. Besides now living on a frugal budget I would need to experience more than my heart going pitter patter.  Now I would have to go into heart arrhythmia over a luxury item to be persuaded to purchase it.  

     While I strolled the Corso Vittorio Emanuele shopping district, that extends over several blocks, I was left thinking that really other than the american stores, the shopping in Florence is just as good.  Every designer label that is in Milan is in Florence, from high end to more modestly priced.  Nothing screamed, "Buy me!", so I walked away empty handed.
     Exhausted, and feet sore, Libby and I then took the bus tour of the city.  I always like to take a bus tour when I go into an unknown city because it gives you a great overview of the city.  

     Libby has become much braver since living in Florence.  She decided to jump over a woman's lap and ride on another woman's lap for much of the tour.  More people were taking pictures of Libby than of the surroundings outside of the bus.  Being a protective mother my first instinct was that I wanted to take her back, but then I remembered how important it is to encourage our babies to bravely face the world, so I let her be.  In time she made her way back to me.  My friend Al thinks that I baby Libby too much, hence why I try to not be so neurotic when it comes to her, but part of me thinks so what if I baby her. That day, however, Al's voice in my head won out.   

     As I looked around and listened to the audio tape about the beautiful neighbourhoods that we were driving through I thought to myself, "Are you kidding me?".  I realized that my memory of Milan was indeed correct.  With the exception of the area surrounding the Duomo, Milan is ugly.  Yes there is the Castello Sforzesco, a grand castle that is fortresslike, but other than that there really is nothing special about the city.  At least in my opinion.  It just seems to lack the charm and character that many other cities have in Italy. Even Rome, as big as it is, has many areas that leave you walking away with your eyes wide and your mouth open because of the splendour.  Many times as I listened to the audio tape and the narrator characterized an area as beautiful, and a well sought after section to live in, I looked around wondering if I was looking at the same thing as what was being described.  At one point I leaned over to the woman sitting next to me and I said, "Am I missing something".  She laughed and quickly replied, "No".  I was so bored with what I was looking at I almost fell asleep on the tour.  Being a travel junky, and a history geek, I get excited to learn about a city, its people and its culture.  I have never almost fallen asleep on a tour.  For the first time in a long time, rather than being struck by what I was seeing, I was struck by what I was not seeing; what Milan seemed to lack.  I don't have many pictures of Milan, as frankly there was not a lot that I thought was worthy of capturing in a photo.  I got back on the train to head home thinking that Milan was just as I remembered it, an ugly city.   I left Milan feeling grateful that I picked Florence to live in and was reminded what a special city Florence is. 

Castello Sforzesco

     The next day I shared my trip to Milan with the owner of my favourite little coffee café. While sipping the most delicious expresso in all of Florence, I dared to express that I thought that Milan was ugly.  His reply was, "Firenze e tu e questo caffé sono belle. Milano é brutta".  He agreed with my observation that other than the area around the Duomo, which is unquestionably beautiful, there is just nothing special about Milan.  I don't regret my day trip though.  If you dare to venture out into the world some places you are going to love, and some places you are not.  The not so wonderful places make you cherish the special places all the more.  And I took comfort in seeing that not all my memories of my trip through Europe decades ago are warped.