Ciao, Italy. Part 4: Milan
Milan was our next destination. As before, thanks to the navigator, who led us straight to the Duomo, where we left the car in the underground parking.
Milan Cathedral, the Duomo is fabulously beautiful, made of white marble in the late Gothic style. The cathedral is located on the central square and is worthy of inspection both from the outside, and from the inside, and from above. You can get inside during the daytime to admire the sunlight penetrating the cathedral through the stained glass windows. You can buy a ticket for a concert - quite often concerts of classical sacred music are held in the cathedral in the evenings. Pay special attention to the roof of the cathedral (tickets for the roof are sold at the information center at the back of the cathedral): the quaint marble sculptures are worth seeing up close, and the panoramic platform is amazing.
Next to the cathedral is the Gallery of Victor Emmanuel II. The building is an arcade with shops and cafes right next to the cathedral square. The next "must see" of the city is the painting by Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper", painted on the wall of the refectory church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Advance booking on the website or by phone is mandatory (for example, we were not lucky - there were no tickets for two weeks before the trip).
Passing the monument to Dante, we went to the Sforza Castle, the former residence of the Milanese dukes of the Sforza dynasty, and now a collection of museums and exhibitions. It is believed that the architecture is close to the Moscow Kremlin, but personally I didn’t think so. Near the castle there is an excellent landscape park Sempione with a cascade of lakes, in which huge carps and various ducks live, a triumphal arch and other interesting structures, which no longer had the strength to see : )
After small, cozy Venice, Verona and Sirmione, Milan seemed like a huge metropolitan city, living a hectic business life. But nevertheless, even here we managed to find ancient corners full of quiet harmony. . .
To be continued
