Northern Italy: Day 2
As Djokovic and Tsonga sweat it out in the clay court, I thought I should continue on the wonderful journey which we started yesterday. It is a Sunday again, and we all know how lazy one can be on a Sunday.
The next morning in Milan was relaxing. I took a walk nearby and walked to Porta Venezia (porta is not port, it is gate, so it is perfect find a Porta where there is no sign of water). Porta Venezia is just a road crossing and there is a walking park nearby, nothing very great. The weather was a bit humid, though it was not raining.
Back after my morning walk, it was time to wake up Satish and prepare some breakfast. The chicken nuggets were prepared soon and the eggs too. We left the wine as it is not good to have wine in breakfast.
I had a ticket to see the Last Supper, while Satish did not. Actually the tickets get over soon as it is limited availability and by the time I booked, there was only one place available for today. Hence Satish has no tickets, and I think he is no very sad about it. I walked till Central and then took the MM2 Green line to Cadorna station, from where I walked to the Santa Maria delle Grazie church with the help of Google Maps.
The Last Supper tickets can be booked via Cenacolo Vinciano site which is genuine, other sites selling Last Supper tickets might be third party and charge double. Only 20 person can go inside to see the masterpiece and that too for 15 minutes only. I was booked for the 10:15 slot and I reached within time and collected my audio guide too. The painting is a mural on the church's refectory or the dining hall. Da Vinci used a different technique where it was painted on a dry wall and not on a wet one and hence cannot be called a true fresco. But the method gave the painting less life and it deteriorated soon after Vinci finished it. The World War II caused heavy damage to the church and the roof of the refectory fell down, but the painting was not much damaged, though someone made a door on the wall, where Jesus's feet used to be. Recent restorations have made the painting look more like the original and hence this restriction on visitors because moisture and CO2 is not good for such old paintings.
The painting as such is great to watch, specially with a guide. Vinci made the painting like a fluid by depicting the flow of emotion amongst his disciples when he said "One of you will fail me". The 12 disciples are divided int four groups of three and each group has a point to discuss, just it would happen in any dinner table. By the end of 15 minutes, it was really a great feeling and I was on the verge of crying as I was overwhelmed by the greatness of the at in front of me, and my Da Vinci quest which began in the Rosslyn Chapel 4 years ago ended today (yes I was going backwards).
After taking some photos of the main church (photography is not allowed in the refectory), I went to Duomo where Satish would be waiting. Thankfully he was there at the right time and we headed towards the Monumental Cemetery. We took the metro to Porta Garibaldi and walked a bit till the cemetery (with the help of Google Maps). There were some construction going on near the Cemetery and it was a bit difficult to find the way.
The Cemetery was opened in 1866 and has the last remains of many notable figures of Italy. But the classical tombstones are main attraction here. You will find Italian sculptures as well as Greek Temples and Egyptian Obelisks too. The main entrance is huge as is called the Hall of Fame and has two levels. We had very less time and just a small walk revealed beautiful sculptures as you can see in the pictures.
After that we rushed to our apartment, picked up our luggage and said goodbye to Gianlucca (We also finished the white wine). Our train to Florence was at 14:15, we reached well in time, but could not grab any lunch because of our confusion of what to eat and also because of a huge queue in McD and BurgerKing. My first Eurostar experience was nice, could have been better if the person at the food counter behaved in a better way. The train as such runs very smoothly and you get a far better sleep than in an aeroplane. Again, as the pastel houses changed to vineyards, we had a each coffee at the bar in the train, and took our seats and dozed off in no time.
We reached Florence Santa Maria Novella station at 16:00 hrs, the train ride was smooth and a enjoyable. Advice from me: if in Italy, use the trains, the network is good and the trains are best.
After initial confusion of getting a day pass (they were not available at the machines, they are available in the shops selling tourist maps etc.), we boarded bus 17 to reach Carla's guesthouse (which has been booked through airbnb again). We were given a big room with a bigger bathroom (with bath tub and all). It was like a guest house and we were staying in one room with Carla's family. Carla was very friendly and told us all details about the city and the bus routes. Soon we were out on the streets.
Our first stop was San Marco, which is a main square in Florence. In Florence, the bus does not go to the historic centre, only a mini bus goes. All other public transport go in circles outside the centre. San Marco is a major square where many buses come. We had some takeaway pizza from a nearby shop there, to feed our famished stomachs. Then, we did some shopping and stocked up on our wine before heading to the Duomo.
Santa Maria del Fiore or the Florence Cathedral is the main church of the city. It was completed in 1436 and now is a UN World Heritage site. The main design is again Gothic and the huge dome is like an icon of Florence. This church has also featured in Assassin's Creed. The exterior of the basilica is done with multi-coloured marble, mostly green and pink which gives the facade a unique look.
We did not go inside because it was late already and we walked towards Palazzo Vechhio instead. Palazzo Vechhio is a fort-like town hall, and now is a museum. The main attraction is a replica of David outside the main door (the original David is in Academia Galleri and usually has a long queue and a costly ticket). The Piazza della Signoria on front of the Palazzo is interesting too. It has the Loggia dei Lanzi on one side, then the fountain of Neptune. The Loggia dei Lanzi is like an open gallery of statues. The list includes Benvenuto Cellini's Perseus with the Head of Medusa, a Medici lion, the Rape of the Sabine Woman, and also the Rape of Polyxena. I not sure why so many sculptures depict rapes, but looking at the artist's interpretation, it seems these sculptures depict male chauvinism more than anything else.
After being awed by the sculptures we walked towards Ponte Vechhio. The most interesting thing about this bridge is that it has real shops on top of it. Though everything was closed now, a walk on the bridge was a nice experience. The moonlit night provided nice company, and in no time I was licking on a new double gellato.
Dinner was from McD (finally Satish won). We also finished one bottle of wine with dinner. It was a long day after all.
Right now, my rajma is ready, and I am going to taste it and then I am off to sleep. Until next time ... ha det!
Cash Register:
Eurostar Ticket Milan to Florence: 39 Euros
Coffee and a small Pringles on train: 7:40 Euros
2 bottles of red wine: 7.66 Euros
24 hrs day pass: 5 Euros
McD Dinner for two: 12.30 Euros
The next morning in Milan was relaxing. I took a walk nearby and walked to Porta Venezia (porta is not port, it is gate, so it is perfect find a Porta where there is no sign of water). Porta Venezia is just a road crossing and there is a walking park nearby, nothing very great. The weather was a bit humid, though it was not raining.
Back after my morning walk, it was time to wake up Satish and prepare some breakfast. The chicken nuggets were prepared soon and the eggs too. We left the wine as it is not good to have wine in breakfast.
 |
| Interiors of Santa Maria della Grazie |
The Last Supper tickets can be booked via Cenacolo Vinciano site which is genuine, other sites selling Last Supper tickets might be third party and charge double. Only 20 person can go inside to see the masterpiece and that too for 15 minutes only. I was booked for the 10:15 slot and I reached within time and collected my audio guide too. The painting is a mural on the church's refectory or the dining hall. Da Vinci used a different technique where it was painted on a dry wall and not on a wet one and hence cannot be called a true fresco. But the method gave the painting less life and it deteriorated soon after Vinci finished it. The World War II caused heavy damage to the church and the roof of the refectory fell down, but the painting was not much damaged, though someone made a door on the wall, where Jesus's feet used to be. Recent restorations have made the painting look more like the original and hence this restriction on visitors because moisture and CO2 is not good for such old paintings.
 |
| Santa Maria della Grazie |
After taking some photos of the main church (photography is not allowed in the refectory), I went to Duomo where Satish would be waiting. Thankfully he was there at the right time and we headed towards the Monumental Cemetery. We took the metro to Porta Garibaldi and walked a bit till the cemetery (with the help of Google Maps). There were some construction going on near the Cemetery and it was a bit difficult to find the way.
The Cemetery was opened in 1866 and has the last remains of many notable figures of Italy. But the classical tombstones are main attraction here. You will find Italian sculptures as well as Greek Temples and Egyptian Obelisks too. The main entrance is huge as is called the Hall of Fame and has two levels. We had very less time and just a small walk revealed beautiful sculptures as you can see in the pictures.
After that we rushed to our apartment, picked up our luggage and said goodbye to Gianlucca (We also finished the white wine). Our train to Florence was at 14:15, we reached well in time, but could not grab any lunch because of our confusion of what to eat and also because of a huge queue in McD and BurgerKing. My first Eurostar experience was nice, could have been better if the person at the food counter behaved in a better way. The train as such runs very smoothly and you get a far better sleep than in an aeroplane. Again, as the pastel houses changed to vineyards, we had a each coffee at the bar in the train, and took our seats and dozed off in no time.
We reached Florence Santa Maria Novella station at 16:00 hrs, the train ride was smooth and a enjoyable. Advice from me: if in Italy, use the trains, the network is good and the trains are best.
After initial confusion of getting a day pass (they were not available at the machines, they are available in the shops selling tourist maps etc.), we boarded bus 17 to reach Carla's guesthouse (which has been booked through airbnb again). We were given a big room with a bigger bathroom (with bath tub and all). It was like a guest house and we were staying in one room with Carla's family. Carla was very friendly and told us all details about the city and the bus routes. Soon we were out on the streets.
Our first stop was San Marco, which is a main square in Florence. In Florence, the bus does not go to the historic centre, only a mini bus goes. All other public transport go in circles outside the centre. San Marco is a major square where many buses come. We had some takeaway pizza from a nearby shop there, to feed our famished stomachs. Then, we did some shopping and stocked up on our wine before heading to the Duomo.
 |
| Santa Maria del Fiore |
We did not go inside because it was late already and we walked towards Palazzo Vechhio instead. Palazzo Vechhio is a fort-like town hall, and now is a museum. The main attraction is a replica of David outside the main door (the original David is in Academia Galleri and usually has a long queue and a costly ticket). The Piazza della Signoria on front of the Palazzo is interesting too. It has the Loggia dei Lanzi on one side, then the fountain of Neptune. The Loggia dei Lanzi is like an open gallery of statues. The list includes Benvenuto Cellini's Perseus with the Head of Medusa, a Medici lion, the Rape of the Sabine Woman, and also the Rape of Polyxena. I not sure why so many sculptures depict rapes, but looking at the artist's interpretation, it seems these sculptures depict male chauvinism more than anything else.
 |
| A view from Ponte Vechhio |
Dinner was from McD (finally Satish won). We also finished one bottle of wine with dinner. It was a long day after all.
Right now, my rajma is ready, and I am going to taste it and then I am off to sleep. Until next time ... ha det!
Cash Register:
Eurostar Ticket Milan to Florence: 39 Euros
Coffee and a small Pringles on train: 7:40 Euros
2 bottles of red wine: 7.66 Euros
24 hrs day pass: 5 Euros
McD Dinner for two: 12.30 Euros
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