Friday, 17 January, 2020
The weather continues to cooperate and, since I had no pressing Skorpion football issues to work on today, I opted to take the train into Milano to see what if anything had changed in the Capital of Lombardia.
This was my first view of the
Post Office across the street from
the Varese Train Station
The big statues were still firmly in place as I boarded the train for the one hour ride to Milano's Cadorna Station.
One of Italy's most interesting cities
I arrived in Milano at about 11:30 a.m., just I time for lunch.
I headed to an off the beaten tourist path ristorante that deals with local clients primarily with prices and quality that reflect exactly what I was looking for in an authentic Milanese dining experience.
The lasagna Bolognese and
a glass of red wine hit the spot
before re-exploring Milano
Dining in this small ristoranti/bar with a working class clientele just added to the ambience.
Sated, it was time to see the sights again.
Now we're talking
Say, what's that in the distance . . .
The famous Gothic Milano Duomo
This is the first of many Duomo photos that will grace future blog posts in the next six months I'm sure.
An impromptu professional
photo shoot in the Piazza Duomo
I headed to what my brand new Lonely Planet Pocket Milan Guide Book listed as one of the eight must-see sights to explore in the general Milano area.
Of the eight sights listed, I had been to all but one of them over the last two seasons coaching the Skorpions.
The seven listed Milano area sights that I had visited were the Duomo, Da Vinci's Last Supper, the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Museo del Novecento, the Castello Sforzesco, Isole Borromee and the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia.
The missing eighth sight was
the Museo Poldi Pezzoli
It had a pleasant entry court
I had passed by this museum on several occasions over the years but had never bothered to enter until today.
Originally, this was the home of one Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli (1822-1879) who inherited his fortune at the tender age of 24.
His mother's love of art was passed on to the young Pezzoli who collected all sorts of art as he traveled throughout Europe during his lifetime. He literally turned his home into this remarkable museum.
The Sala d'Armi
This armory was the first room to be completed by Pezzoili and has all sorts of 16th-century weaponry of war.
Suits of armor . . .
. . . a closer look at the
mini-army's armor
Firepower
That reminds me, we need
to insure that ALL of the
Skorpions' helmets get painted
black before the first game
One HUGE dagger
Carved ivory
A ivory crossbow
caught my attention
The rest of the museum was . . .
. . . up the stairs to the right
of this fountain and fish pond
St. Jerome and St. Ambrose
ca. 1500 AD
Lots of oil portraits painted on wood
were present in several rooms
Bishop Ulpiano Volpi's
bronze bust, ca. 1640 AD
St. Sebastian
Patron Saint of Archers
tempera on wood, ca. 1490 AD
An ornate ceilinged room
that included . . .
. . . a nice stained glass window . . .
. . . worthy of a closer look
An amazing wood carving
There were rooms full of
precious glass items
An Italian table, ca. 1810 AD
I'm loving the man
on the top left's hat!
A desk, perhaps, in front
of more colorful artwork
St. Julian killing his parents
while they lay in bed
How in the wide, wide world of religion did he parlay this horrific deed into sainthood?
Further review is necessary.
Jesus down from the Cross
A TAPESTRY!
This made it a proper Italian museum in my opinion.
I don't think that the real Cross
was anywhere near this ornate
Pezzoli liked pocket watches
This carved head dates from
the 3rd-century BC
An entire room was dedicated
to standing gold clocks
like this one
How did they carve her
multi-colored wrap?
As it turned out, the Museo Poldi Pezzoli was well worth the visit, especially the Sala d'Armi.
I pushed on in my travels . . .
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
was just as magnificent as I recalled
So was that pesky Duomo again
in the late afternoon light as I exited
the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
Although Milano is considered one on the world's greatest fashion center's, when I got back to Varese I found a profound fashion statement on my walk to my bus stop.
Don't you just love it when your
new jacket completes your
hairstyle and handbag!
Yes, the Bell Tower in Varese
will be competing all season long
with the Duomo for blog photo space
It was a good day with lots of walking.
We'll be back on the practice field on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. Women's Flag team practice followed by a Prima Squadra Offense only session at 3:00 p.m.
Both of these workouts will take place at Skorpion Field, the first ones this week for me on our historic home field.
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