Friday, 2 February, 2018
Laurie's and my favorite day of the year . . .
GROUND HOG DAY!
It's a long story from our days together at the University of Washington . . .
Batteries recharged, I was back on the train to Milan for more exploration.
My first order of business once in Milan was to get on the Metro's Green Line to the Porta Genoa stop. A short walk ensued towards the Naviglio Grande, Milan's ancient Canal District.
Though not near any lake or river, Milan's sizable port is called the Naviglio Grande. Since 1170 A.D., boats have been able to use this canal system to sail to the Mediterranean Sea from Milan via the Ticino River that flows into the Po River on its way to the Adriatic Sea.
Leonardo da Vinci even designed a lock system for the canals about 500 years ago. Ships then brought in the marble and stone used in the construction that made Milan into the architecturally great city it is today.
The walk, as usual, brought me by some unexpected sights.
Noble Old Milanese Family Name
Graffiti and Church
Artsy home entrance
Really artsy!
Swans on the canal
The #10 Line
These trams are both colorful and an inexpensive way to explore Milan.
I would use the tram system extensively today.
Huge monument on the
Piazza XXIV Maggio
Orange is the IN color
in Milan transportation
Nuovo Mercato Ticinese
This public market is located on the Darsena portion of the canal systems where boats once docked in medieval Milan.
I always enjoy the colors, aromas and flavors of these European markets.
While the Nuovo Mercato Ticinese did have various stalls selling meat, cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables, I was a bit disappointed by how small this highly recommended mercato actually was.
Let's see what they had to sell . . .
Artichokes?
Colorful Produce
Several varieties of blue cheeses
No vegans need apply
Bread literally warm out of the oven
As I said, it was a nice market but quite small for a city the size of Milan. There must be a bigger mercato somewhere in the city.
I continued to explore the area around the Naviglio Grande and bumped into my Church-of-the-Day by chance not design.
Basilica Sant'Eustorgio
It dates back to 1190 A.D.
On the Basilica's Piazza
Old paintings are de requeur
in these ancient churches
Sarcophagus of a Bishop
Interesting Main Altar
The Bishop motif is pervasive in the Basilica Sant'Eustorgio probably because Sant'Eustorgio himself was a 4th-century Bishop of Milan.
Frescoes
A Bishop with horns?
"X" marks the spot
Oakland Raider fans?
Heavenly ceiling frescoes
Frescoes on a column
My "One Church per Day" rule satisfied, I was hungry.
Time for lunch!
No, I can't start with pastries
Can I?
Ah, Sicilian cuisine
PERFETTO!
An arancini and a Fanta hit the spot!
A chocolate cannolo for dessert was
AWESOME!
Fully sated, I was back on the exploration trail.
More of the Navigli Grande
Super Bowl Parties will be going
on all over Europe
The game starts in the wee hours of Monday morning at 12:30 a.m., Central European Time.
Don't look for me anywhere on the streets Monday until late afternoon.
Ode to Ground Hog Day?
Scenic
Cool Bridge
EXPENSIVE beard trim
A taglio is a haircut so a haircut and a beard trim here would cost me 41 Euros or about $51 USD!
Hopefully I can find a more reasonably priced barber in Venegono Superiore.
Colorful, rustic seating
I said goodbye to the Naviglio Grande
area and hopped aboard a tram
to further explore
EUREKA!
The Mercato Comunale
The city's tram system passed near another public market.
LOTS of cheeses
Seafood too
More than one cheese shop option
HUGE cheese wheels
Colorful produce shop
Flowers are needed on each
and every Ground Hog Day
Red Hot Chili Peppers!
Not sure what these are
The Mercato Comunale was much more like it, great spot!
Statue or Bird Roost?
I continued to explore on foot, working my way back towards the Duomo.
Chiesa Santa Maria delle Grazie
No, I did not go in in violation of my "One Church per Day" rule.
This church is famous for one historic artifact found in its formal dining hall or cenacolo, Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece "The Last Supper."
The Last Supper Tour's
ticket office
Extremely popular, the tours are sold out for the next two months!
The next chance to purchase tickets on-line for openings in April comes on February 13th.
I'M ON IT!
Chiesa Santa Maria delle Grazie
mortar and bricks
The venerable #1 tram
Complete with wooden seats and original fittings, it offered a great view of the city but it made a lot of noises as we traversed Milan.
If it were a submarine, these precarious sounds would have me worried about imminent implosion.
Finally, after a few other tram line changes, I opted to head home via the Castello Sforzesco.
But first, TEMPTATION!
I was STRONG!
Mossy Castello Sforzesco
Old draw bridge
The Castello's inner courtyard
Goofy faced lion
Then I realized, what about the "One Museum per Day" rule?
Panicked, I headed straight to the Castello's Pietà Rondanini Michelangelo Museum.
Unfinished, it was found in
Michelangelo's Rome studio
when he died in 1564
It was the only artifact in the museum which, while good to view, was a bit overpriced for the five Euros entrance fee.
Then I realized that my ticket was good all day for all 15 museums on the Castello Sforzesco's grounds.
Quite a bargain!
Again with the frescoes
Brightly painted arcade
Under the guise of being the Castello Sforzesco Museums, I believed that I was well within my rights to visit one more museum on the grounds.
The Museum of Ancient Art it was!
Good mustache
Of course a horse and Knight
atop a Sarcophagus
Shhhh, you are in a museum
Why is there a mini-bull on my head?
Music, a crown and a bearded man,
what more could a woman want?
Colorful ceiling
I like stained glass
Blue too
The answer is
briefs not boxers
Priest needing to calm down
Shocking!
Self-flagellation?
Medusa in his heart?
A good castello must have
GREAT tapestries
How did they do this?
The Sforza family crest
The Madonna Lia (1495)
by Leonardo da Vinci
He is risen!
He is not
Armory Hall
Wedding Pictures on the
Castello's grounds
Cool helmets
Swords are needed to
defend the Castello
Great Archway . . .
. . . and a peaceful fountain
Another great day in Milan.
Snow next week?
I had a good work-out today
Skorpions practice on Saturday . . .
BE THERE!
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