Our Italian Adventure

Amy & I decided to attend the Milan Fashion show. If we’re not up with the latest fashions, then we feel embarrassed in front of our friends. Just kidding, we could care less about fashion. While in the planning stages of our trip, we decided to do a day trip from Verona. It came down to Milan or Bologna. Amy voted for Bologna, but I made the final decision. Let’s visit Italy’s second most populous city. It was happening, the Duomo was huge, what could go wrong I said? Turns out, as usual, Amy was right. Bologna would have been the better choice.

Italy Fun Fact: During our entire Italian trip, we found about 80% of the food servers in restaurants to be male. About the complete opposite of what we’ve experienced in the United States. Many of them seemed to be in the 35-50 years-old range. We also enjoyed not having to leave tips (beyond an euro or two). It was so refreshing to know the employees were being paid full wages and their wages were built into the prices. We wish the United States would do the same.

Our first warning about Milan was on the train. It seemed pretty crowded for this Friday, May 30th. No problem, Milan is a very big city. Over three million people in the metro area. We arrived at the beautiful Milano Centrale train station which was built in 1931. This art deco station with a grandiose facade is one of the largest train stations in Europe. We can attest to that. There were multiple layers and getting to our subway station was somewhat confusing. Warning sign number two: The train and subway stations were packed. And it was only fifteen minutes past nine!

Milano Centrale Train Station

The plan was to take the subway to Piazza Duomo and slowly work our way back during the day. We arrived at the Piazza Duomo station and made our way upstairs excited to discover Milan. Piazza Duomo is a massive square in front of Europe’s second largest church. A lot of people visit this Duomo every day, but having a large open square results in not making it seem crowded.

This is what Piazza Duomo normally looks like.

As we stepped into clear blue skies, our eyes caught sight of the beautiful and magnificent Duomo. Wow, that is truly amazing. But why is there fencing around most of the Piazza? Why are we now squeezed into a much smaller space. Everyone is pushing and trying to make their way toward the Duomo. Is Piazza Duomo going thru some extensive renovations? Why are there tons of police and paramedics in the area. We soon learned this day was going to be hosting the annual free “Radio Italia’s Live II Concerto in the Piazza Duomo.

This is why the Duomo area was a complete mess. (2024 event shown)

Okay, so I guess we’re not going to have a chance to explore the Piazza. Entry into the Duomo is free, but one needs to purchase online tickets to access the terraces and rooftop. We had those tickets, but our entrance was in the back. After fighting the crowds for a while, we finally arrived at the back of the church and located our entrance. Thankfully, Amy was dressed properly, so we didn’t have to find a scarf in this mess.

We have found extra benefits by purchasing online tickets at various European churches.  These premium tickets allow visitors to access areas of the church that are not available to the general public.  This normally includes terraces, rooftops, and other special exhibits.  Since a majority of tourists are not as anal about detailed planning as this author, the premium access areas are more manageable in terms of quantity of persons.  However, this wasn’t the case today at the Milan Duomo. While at the top with beautiful views of Milan, people were queued up the entire way. This Duomo is amazing, even with the masses. Construction started in the 14th century, and it wasn’t completely finished until 1965. The massive church is held together by 40 immense pillars, and the entire floor is made of marble. The high altar is from 313AD. There are 3400 statues, 135 gargoyles, 700 figures, and 135 ornate, Gothic spires.

Amy captures the Duomo and a bird in this photo!

Milan from the Duomo rooftop

Duomo Interior with High Altar

Well, it was super crowded, but at least the Duomo was very impressive. Let’s get away from the mob in Piazza Duomo. Right across the street is the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. It is Italy’s oldest shopping mall. The galleria was completed in 1877. The central space is topped with a glass dome. There is also a mosaic which depicts the coat of arms of Turin. Tradition involves spinning on the bull’s testicles with your heel for good luck. Sounds like fun. The mall’s business’ are pretty high-end, so we’ll just browse. Yea, right. We first ran into police barricades needing to maneuver around those. Then we hit the Galleria entrance.

This is what the Galleria may look like on many days.

This is what it looked like when we entered the mall. It was literally wall-to-wall people. All one could do was shuffle along. There was no browsing. There was no spinning on the bull’s testicles. I couldn’t even see the mosaic with all of the people. This was not fun or relaxing. We couldn’t get out fast enough.

It didn’t help that this was probably our warmest day so far in Italy. Once we got out, we headed for Via Torino, a popular shopping street nearby. The streets were also jammed, but it was nice to be able to have some space again. Amy even purchased a couple of nice summer blouses at the department store, OVS. AI tells us that OVS compares to H&M or Old Navy. OVS offers clothing for the entire family at accessible prices. That sounds like our type of shopping.

We walked thru the very busy Piazza della Scala and went to find lunch somewhere away from all of the tourists and Italians gathering for the concert. The highlight in Milan might have been our lunch. The pizza was very tasty, and the restaurant wasn’t packed.  Nearby our restaurant was Castello Sforzesco.  The Dukes of Milan built this medieval fortification in the 15th century. By the 17th century, it became one of the largest citadels in Europe. The complex was heavily bombed in WW2. There is a museum with art collections and historical exhibitions, but their staff stated these can only be viewed with a paid staff member during timed tours. It was pretty bizarre, so we just walked around the spacious grounds. Adjacent to Castello is Milan’s largest park, Parco Sempione. This park is huge, has nice landscaping and the locals were engaged in all types of entertainment.  By now, we had decided that we had enough of the Milan masses. We started walking back toward the trains station via the trendy Brera neighborhood. Reviewers talk about the quaint neighborhood with cobblestone streets, but we just found it to be a regular neighborhood with lots of traffic.

After some time, we finally found ourselves back at the train station. I exchanged our scheduled train tickets for an earlier one back to Verona. Upon our arrival back in Verona, we agreed that Milan didn’t work out like we had planned. It wasn’t terrible, but we still call this day, our low point of the trip.

The last day in May would be our last day in Verona. After Milan, Verona seemed so quiet, so peaceful. Where else to start on a peaceful Saturday morning than at the Basilica of Saint Anastasia. This 13th century gothic church might be my favorite in Italy because for the first time, the interior wasn’t over the top. It was still adorned more than any American church, but one could enjoy the beauty, rather than be overpowered by an endless number of lavish and valuable treasures..

St Anastasia Interior

One of two hunchbacks holding up holy water basins aka stoups in Saint Anastasia church.

We watched the fast-moving water in the Adige river while crossing the Roman arched Ponte Pietra. This bridge was originally constructed in 100BC.

River Adige

I believe every European trip has included at least one funicular ride up a hill or mountain. So far in Italy, we have not seen an opportunity to use one. That changed in Verona and it wouldn’t be our last one on this trip. We took a funicular up the steep San Pietro hill where we enjoyed some beautiful panoramic views of Verona and the ruins of the 1st century BC Roman theatre.

View of San Pietro Hill and Castle

Amy on San Pietro Hill

View of Verona from San Pietro Hill

Our last stop was to Giardino Giusti which originally had been a 16th century castle complex. These beautiful grounds are one of the finest examples of an Italian garden. Some regard the gardens as one of the most beautiful Renaissance Gardens in Europe. After Milan, it was a nice change, and we took advantage of the great weather to sit back and enjoy tranquility.

Perfectly manicured Giardino Giusti. These gardens were hit hard by a severe storm in 2020. A significant portion of the gardens were destroyed including a 600 year-old Goethe cypress tree.

Verona views from Giardino Giusti

Verona was a favorite. The local populace was great, the city had a rich history and culture, and it was a nice change from the hustle & bustle. Our lodging room was pretty small, but that would be changing at our next destination.  A VRBO lodging was waiting for us in Lazise on Lake Garda.   We didn’t know it, but the relaxing part of our vacation was going to only get better.