Milan: Football madness, aperitifs and Da Vinci

One of the first things you need to know about Milan is that there are two football teams: AC Milan and Inter-Milan, and you had better choose wisely about which one to support! The city is roughly divided between the two, how people become supporters of one team in the first place is always kind of hazy. I've asked, and the answer I usually get is because their father or mother supports the team- in my case, it was a friend. As I've mentioned before, I was staying in Milan with my friend Andrea- a completely crazy AC Milan supporter (and I mean this is the best of ways), and therefore, I am an AC Milan supporter by association! 

One of the first few days I was there, Saturday April 2nd, was the big match.. AC Milan vs Inter- Milan! While I wasn't able to go to the actual match, I watched it at one of Andrea's friends house. Such an Italian evening- delicious pizza, a football match, and lots of shouting in Italian (complete with hand gestures). You see, there were just two of us AC Milan supporters, the rest of the family and friends there were all for Inter, so you can imagine our satisfaction and delight when.... AC MILAN WON!! 3-0! It was a pretty exciting match, and things get intense related to football in Italy. Earlier that day the boys had been wearing their opposing jerseys around town- attracting loads of comments- cheers, jeers and everything in between. When walking through a market in Busto Arsizio (Andrea's town), one of the merchants shouted his support of Andrea's AC Milan jersey... and promptly lost an old lady as a customer who was and Inter Milan supporter. Like I said, these people are intense. 

The main sights in Milan are the Duomo, Castello Sforzesco and the Santa Maria church. Accordingly, we already saw the Duomo and the Castello at night, but had yet to go during the day! Castello Sforzesco, so named for the Sforzo family who ruled it at some point, was built for the defense of Milan, and hold a very important position strategically. As a result, loads of nations have taken over the castle at different points in its history, from Italy itself to Spain to Austria, each changing or adding onto the original structure. Crossing over the 'dead moat' which no longer contains water, you pass through the thick castle gate into the brightly lit, enormous courtyard. Which is essentially empty. The occasional random statue, some signs explaining the new towers and such, but for all purposes, and empty courtyard. 

Fountain out front of the Castello

Random  Courtyard Statue 

Castello Sforzesco!!

Open Courtyard

Dead Moat!

One of my favorite things about it though, was that along one of the walls was an exceedingly random assortment of archaeological artefacts- columns, stone baths, bits of wall and statues. They really don't seem to fit in with the rest of the courtyard- and they don't! Apparently, these artefacts have been gathered from all over Milan during excavations, and for some obscure reason, were placed here, having lost their original context. I also just realized I've been converted into spelling "artefacts" the British way; yes I do mean "artifacts"! 

Bits of Columns, walls and more alongside the castle wall

Behind the Castello, past its dead moat with a random number of cats in it, lies Parc Sempione, a gorgeous public park, filled with trees, lakes and people enjoying the day. It would be the perfect place to spend a day relaxing with friends during the spring or summer, bring a picnic and a soccer ball. To give you an idea of its beauty- there was even a wedding photo shoot going on.

I can't resist tree-climbing :)

Parco Sempinoe

Arch behind the park

While Milan's night life is nothing like Glasgow's, they do have an European evening tradition that I've really grown to enjoy: aperitifs! Bars all around the city, starting at 7 or so begin to lay out appetizer-buffets. All you have to do is buy one drink at the bar, and you have access to all the delicious food! We've gone to several places in Milan like this, and they were all a lot of fun. The types of food they might have are: fruit, pasta, mini-sandwiches, bread, ham, cheese, rice, couscous, grilled veggies, crackers, and sausages. They don't really have places like that in Glasgow, so I really enjoyed it! Another thing that Europe, and especially continental Europe has that the US really doesn't is small food shops: bakeries, butchers, patisseries, and fresh fruit and vegetable stands. I loved being able to go to the Casa de Pane (House of Bread) with Andrea to get bread for the week. Simple things like bakeries versus giant grocery stores, where the food is fresher and just better in general. 

One of the final sights Milan has to offer that is definitely note-worthy is the Santa Maria church, and next door, the Cenacolo Vinciano, housing Da Vinci's famous "Last Supper." I can't believe I saw it in person- my very last full day in Italy, we managed to get in for free when we thought tickets were sold out. Security was pretty intense- a series of automatically opening and closing glass doors where the entire group was herded from room to room before being allowed into the building where the Last Supper is painted on the wall. I didn't realize how destroyed it is now. Over the years, the church where it is housed has changed hands and occupations numerous times, becoming a stable and barracks at one point. The occupants have often had little regard for Da Vinci's work, and as a result, the masterpiece is faded, cracked and in some parts the details are completely worn away. But despite that, it's pretty incredible- enormous, and intricate, and different from contemporary paintings of the same subject at the time. Having heard and read so much about it, it was incredible to see it in person.

Ceiling in the Santa Maria

Enchanting Courtyard- behind the back right wall is the room with Da Vinci's "Last Supper"

This pretty much sums up me in Italy. I love gelato!

Milan: a city full of banks, motorcycles, shopping, pigeons and really good food. Home to Castello Sforzesco, Parco Sempione and Da Vinci- oh, and AC MILAN!