We left the coast this morning and headed north. We stopped in Milan for lunch and to visit their beautiful duomo.
The Milan cathedral is known world-wide for its hundreds (thousands?) of sculptures both inside and out.
An elevator took us up to the roof to see the marble pinnacles and flying buttresses.
Each spire is topped with a statue.
The Madonnina is a golden statue of the Virgin Mary atop the tallest spire.
there are some newer buildings downtown that are taller than the Duomo spire, but they all have a replica Madonnina on top!
Inside the church is the statue of Saint Bartolomeo, who was flayed alive, and is depicted holding his own skin.
The building was damaged in WWII, but the clock remained intact and is supported by the statues of Day and Night
We had heard that McDonalds in Italy offered a gluten free hamburger, so as a mid-morning snack, Dave had to try one out.
Lunch was at the food hall of the mall beside the church with a nice view. Upon the recommendation of our host in Genova, Dave tried risotto alla Milanese.
In the central domed area of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II are four city mosaics in the floor.
The she-wolf represents Rome, the lily for Florence, the red cross for Milan.
The dancing bull is the symbol of Turin. Placing a heel on the bull’s testicles and turning clockwise three times is said to bring good fortune. We’re not sure if that is true, but millions of tourists doing this has worn a hole in the mosaic floor!
From Milan, another hour drive has brought us to Lake Como in the Lombardy region. Lake Como (not to be confused with Como Lake in Coquitlam a few minutes from our house!) is shaped like an upside-down Y. It is the third-largest lake in Italy.
We are staying in the town of Bellagio which sits at the tip of the promontory that separates the two southern branches of Lake Como. Bellagio is called the ‘Pearl of Lake Como’ and is said to be the most beautiful town in Europe.
Our agriturismo is perched on a hill above the main town. Bellagio tends to be a very busy tourist area; we expect our house to be quiet.
After checking in, we descended the rather steep hill into town to find dinner.
Leave a Reply