One day in Milan
When talking about Italy, first of all they remember Rome, Venice and Florence - cities that have preserved a rich cultural heritage and are famous for a huge number of unique monuments of history and art. But one has only to touch on fashion, Milan becomes the favorite.
Not everyone likes Milan - I have not heard many rave reviews about this city. The current Milan is a large metropolis, where modern architecture has pushed aside the ancient history of the city. Today Milan is perceived as the capital of design, business and industry. With rows of shiny expensive shops and grandiose international salons and exhibitions.
But, as Henry Morton wrote, "most of the treasures of Milan are hidden in the depths of the quarters, so that wandering around the city, you accidentally make amazing discoveries. "
The first time I came to this city was a few years ago on the bus tour “Carnival rain from Inkomartur”. Between the Venice Carnival and the Carnival of Flowers in Nice, a visit to Milan was planned with a classic excursion program: the residence of the Dukes of Milan, Sforza Castle, the pedestrian Via Dante, the famous La Scala Theater, the small Piazza della Scala square with a monument to Leonardo da Vinci, the alluring Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with chic showcases of expensive boutiques and - the final chord - the Piazza del Duomo square with the majestic cathedral Duomo di Milano, or the Duomo Santa Maria Nascente (Cathedral of Santa Maria Nascente) - a magnificent creation of Italian architects, captivating from the first minute. And for those who wished, there was a small bonus walk to that part of the city where houses in the Art Nouveau style were preserved.
Delightful facades of the Art Nouveau era… Small cozy courtyards behind the arches of houses, closed with openwork lattices from outsiders… Trees on balconies and roofs… All this was a discovery for me. And, of course, the impressive Duomo di Milano with its luxurious facade.
The only thing that did not work out then was that we could not get on the roof of the main cathedral of Milan, because it was icy because of the snow that had fallen the day before.
Therefore, I had at least one reason to come to the Italian capital of fashion again. : )
Three years later, I again ended up in Milan - relaxing on the lakes of Como and Maggiore, we decided to devote the last day to this wonderful city. Moreover, our route of movement between the lakes ran through Milan twice, and, even if we wanted to, we could not pass by. : )
On the morning train from Stresa, a popular resort town on Lake Maggiore, we arrived at the Milano Centrale station, left our things in the luggage room and immediately went to the main cathedral and the symbol of Milan - Duomo di Milano. Given that the city hosted the EXPO 2015 exhibition, and there was an incredible number of tourists, we decided to start with the most visited attraction of the city. On both sides of the Duomo there were several rows of ticket offices, and still, the streams of people trying to get inside were shocking at first sight. Thirty-five minutes in line at the ticket office, and with a ticket in hand, we immediately head to the line for the roof. Thank God, there were much fewer applicants here. Rise on the elevator, a little more steps... and we find ourselves surrounded by hundreds of magnificent statues of saints, all kinds of chimeras and gargoyles. Openwork marble galleries and arches are like lace wrapped around the cathedral.
And on the highest spire, the golden figure of the Madonna, the patroness of Milan, rises above the city.
From the roof you can enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the square in front of the cathedral - Piazza del Duomo. With the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II in the center, the Royal Palace on the left (now home to the State Museum of Modern Art and the Duomo Cathedral Museum) and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II on the right. Or vice versa, if you stand facing the entrance to the cathedral. : )
Milan. Monument to Vittorio Emanuel II
And around - Milan with its palaces, streets, roofs and domes. They say that in good weather you can see the Alps from here.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Nashente began to be erected under the first Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, in 1386. Previously, a Celtic sanctuary stood on this site, under the Romans - the Temple of Minerva, then the Church of Santa Tecla, and from the 7th century - the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which was demolished to make way for the cathedral.
It reminds me of something. . . : ) Alas, our rulers are not far from the medieval ones, destroying old monuments in order to build new ones. The only sad difference is that a new majestic cathedral was erected in Milan, which over time became a symbol of the city, and for many years has been admiring with its beauty.
And our unfortunate rulers are destroying historical monuments for the sake of building another entertainment or business center, or another residential skyscraper. : (((
The construction of the main temple of Milan lasted almost six centuries. In 1572, a grand opening took place, during which Archbishop Carlo Borromeo consecrated the basilica. But only in the middle of the twentieth century were the last bronze doors installed.
The inside of the cathedral is dark, even gloomy at first glance. Only the sun's rays penetrate the luxurious stained-glass windows (the oldest one dates back to 1473) depicting scenes from the Bible and the lives of the saints.
Milan. Duomo di Milano
Milan. Duomo di Milano
According to an old legend, it was in the Milan Cathedral that the recipe for the famous Milanese risotto was invented. The authorship of the dish is attributed to an apprentice stained glass artist Valerio di Flandra. The guy, nicknamed "saffron" for constantly mixing this ingredient in paints, once added saffron to rice: the dish was a resounding success!
Under the dome of the cathedral, at a height of 45 meters, the main relic of the temple is kept - one of the three nails with which Christ was nailed to the cross. Saint Helena once found these nails and gave them to her son, Emperor Constantine. One nail was thrown into the sea to pacify the storm, the second is kept in the cathedral in Monza, the horseshoe of Constantine's horse was held on the third. During the plague of 1576-1577, Archbishop Carlo Borromeo carried the Holy Nail through the streets of Milan, warding off a terrible disease. And, the legend goes, the plague receded.
Once a year, on September 14, with the help of a mechanism designed by the great Leonardo, the nail is lowered down for worship. All the rest of the time, instead of a nail, they show a red beam on the wall.
Carlo Borromeo, canonized by the Catholic Church, is buried here, in the crypt under the cathedral. There is also a treasure chest nearby. Despite the additional fee for entering the crypt, there is always a queue here.
Another relic of the cathedral is the statue of St. Bartholomew, who was skinned alive by the Romans. This skin is draped over Bartholomew like a cloak. On my first visit, this made a painful impression on me - the sculpture is located next to the side entrance in a fairly bright place, which allows you to see the entire anatomy of the figure. But this time I decided to take a picture. : )
Having examined and photographed the Duomo di Milano from all sides : ),
we look into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II for 2 minutes - to see how regular tourists twist their heels on the image of the Turin bull. : )
Next, our path lies to Piazza dei Mercanti (Piazza dei Mercanti) - Merchants' Square. They say that if you want to swear eternal love to someone, you must come here, to one of the oldest squares in Milan.
