Day 9 - 05.20.11: Milan, Italy
Today was our one day to visit Italy. We took the train from Bellinzona to Milan. Our first stop of the day was Il Duomo, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. The day was so hot, but I had to dress nicely to get into the Duomo. I thought the cathedral was beautiful. It was so big, but it looked very delicate. We walked around the church for a little while and I ended up eavesdropping on a French tour, trying to understand the history of the church. Then everyone met outside to get tickets to walk on the roof of the church. We walked up the stairs to the top, which seemed to go on forever. The view from the top was beautiful. We could see all the detail of the top of the church, and it was even more impressive up close than from ground level. It is really an architectural marvel. I am amazed at how these buildings could have been built without today's technology. We rested for a while in the shade on the roof, and then a group of us decided it was time to walk around Milan and look for souvenirs. I finally got to have some real Italian gelato. I shared a strawberry gelato with Megan. I also tried Natalia’s pistachio gelato. It was surprisingly tasty.
Il Duomo
On the roof of Il Duomo
Flying Buttresses of Il Duomo
After walking around a little more, we met the group back in front of Il Duomo and headed for the metro to go see the Last Supper. Sadly, we couldn’t take pictures. The painting was actually a lot larger than I originally thought it was, which made it even more spectacular. It takes up a whole wall of the church with life-size depictions of the people. Even in its state of decay, it was still very impressive. I couldn't believe I was actually standing in front of a painting by the great Leonardo da Vinci. I am definitely in awe of this man, who was a great artist, mathematician, scientist, and engineer.
After the Last Supper, we continued with our free day in Milan for another 30 some minutes and then headed back to Riva. Dinner, again, was delicious, and afterward, a group of us went down to the lake. We decided to go bike riding. Unfortunately we lost half the group because there weren’t enough bikes, but it was still a gorgeous night. Katie, Megan, Natalia and I shared two bikes. I definitely almost killed myself biking on the main road! We ended up at a playground people had found earlier on the trip, and I once again headed for the swings! We ended up talking with two women who were walking their dogs along the lake. As it got later, we decided to head back to the villa, and pack for our trip tomorrow.
