Milano

A Grand Welcome

While not quite as awe inspiring as that first view of the Grand Canal in Venice, arriving at the Milano Centrale train station was another “Oh Wow” moment. The Art Nouveau architecture with grand arches, soaring ceilings, abundant natural light, and intricate decorative mosaic floors made for a nice welcome to Milano. Our time in Milano was actually split in two, sandwiched around a few days in the Piemonte region which will be the subject of another post all its own. So, this post is sort of a mash-up of two quick visits.

International Glamour

Milano is the economic engine of Italy as any Milanese will be happy to remind you. It is justifiably famous as a hub of fashion and design for all of Europe, and has been the financial capital of Italy since the country was unified in 1861. It truly lives up to this reputation, however, like many large, modern cities, it takes a bit of probing, patience, and local knowledge to uncover its character. To celebrate our arrival, we enjoyed a dim sum feast, our first non-Italian meal in over two weeks!

The Historic Center

Despite its modernity, we wanted to glimpse a bit of the old city, so we began with a walking tour of the historic center. Milano is literally centered around the Duomo Milano (cathedral) with its grand plaza. This type of city plan is not unusual, of course, but it’s wonderful to see that central focus survive centuries of development and sprawl. Near the cathedral is a massive 15th century palace – Castello Sforzesco – and the famous La Scala Opera House. Our appetites were certainly whetted for a return visit to explore these historic edifices at more leisure. The palace alone contains six different museums! And, sitting right next to the duomo we found the entrance to one of the most exclusive fashion malls in the world, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

A Masterpiece

Milano is also home to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper”, so we could not pass up the chance to pay homage. There is probably no other painting more familiar from childhood than this image of Jesus and his disciples at the moment he announces his betrayal. Leonardo’s mastery of perspective, and his nuanced portrayal of human emotion is so powerful that is has been credited with kicking off the high renaissance period and was as famous in his own time as it is now. It was commissioned by Ludovico Sforza, the duke living in the palace mentioned earlier, as a gift to the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie to decorate the dining room. Leonardo’s notion was that the monks would feel like they were all sitting down to dinner  together with Jesus and the twelve. This seems like an awful lot of pressure to put on the cook! It was fascinating to see and understand the painting in the space it was created for and imagine the room set for a meal. The atmosphere in the room was reverent and the image is still captivating despite the familiarity.

Botteghe Artigiane (Artisan Workshops)

Our second day began with a tour organized by the National Geographic Society focused on artisan workshops in a neighborhood called Isola (island) due to its historically isolated location, literally on the other side of the tracks. We were privileged to visit the shop of a tailor from Senegal who survived polio before finding his way to Milano. Cheikh is combining his colorful African heritage with modern Milano fashions to create unique clothing and accessories with his passionate advocate and business partner, Valeria. At another workshop we were treated to a demonstration of traditional bookbinding methods, while a third craftsman gave us a lesson on the art of furniture restoration and repair. Here only the tools, materials, and methods from centuries of woodworking are used to remain true to the origins of each piece of furniture. Finally, before heading to lunch we visited a jewelry atelier where the owner is working to provide a second chance to emotionally challenged and handicapped individuals. “After all,” he explained, “artists are all a little bit crazy.”

Urban Design

When we returned to Milano from a four day sojourn in the vineyards and hill-towns of La Langhe, we focused on the modern elements of Milano. That same Isola neighborhood is undergoing a renaissance of contemporary planning and development. Stunning modern building design is combined with thoughtful open parks and playgrounds to create an urban oasis integrating residential, office, and education buildings in a harmonious tableau. We spent a delightful evening on a terrace in the heart of a this new neighborhood enjoying the sights and sounds of families out strolling, knocking a football about, and testing all of the playground accoutrements. This was Milano showing the way to the future. And, of course, the design and construction all around us is a particular passion of mine.

Construction Excellence

I was particularly impressed by several of the projects currently underway. High-rise buildings with elaborate integration into an existing underground subway system are complex builds.  These project sites were highly organized and unusually clean. State of the art safety measures were evident throughout and it was clear to an experienced eye that the sequence of installation was on a tightly orchestrated schedule. In short, the whole picture was an order of magnitude better than I have come to expect on a job site back home. Milano construction is first rate, and as for the architectural designs, there is an emphasis on clean lines, and graceful massing. The newest buildings have what I would describe as an approachable nature, not exotic just for the sake of novelty, but with attractive detailing and artistic grace. If this is the future of the built environment, perhaps I should be a little less pessimistic. 

Postcard Perfect

In a final hoorah before leaving Italy for this year, we jumped on a train to Lake Como for a day trip excursion around the playground of the rich and famous. Arriving in the glamorous town of Como, we jumped on the “water taxi” for a two hour jaunt that skipped along from town to town until we reached Bellagio. We disembarked there to explore and have lunch on a terrace overlooking one of the most picturesque places we have ever been. The shore of Lake Como has been a luxury retreat and repository of wealth for two thousand years. Palaces and luxurious villas line the miles of shoreline and climb the steep hillsides that frame the pristine water in a seeming endless display of wealth. Yes, the rich inhabit a very different world from the rest of us. A little wearied by the unending opulence, we boarded the train for Milano to prepare for our arrivderci. Buona fortuna, Italia!

Next stop: Lyon, France.