Last night I found out that as good of an idea it may be in theory to try and stave off jet lag by chugging two 5-Hour Energy shots that you smuggled out of the country, it may also make you stay up until 4:30 and affect your plans to get up and at 'em by 6:30. I know you all may have considered this, but I did the "testing" stage of the hypothesis for you - you are welcome. Want to help ME out? Pass along tips in the comments for getting over jet lag that don't involve caffeine. My poor brain can't handle any more. Thanks in advance! This morning was cold. When I think of Italy, I think back to a piano music sheet book that I have: "Songs from Sunny Italy." They are all chipper and sound quite bright. They make you think of warm sunny days eating Caprese salad on the terrace with some Adonis-like hunk bringing you grapes and saying "bellisima" and "bella" to everything you say. Today, was "go back to your hotel and watch Netflix" cold, but ain't nobody got time for that on vacation! There are things to do, see and eat - and this is my last day in Milan!
I had decided to go to the Duomo and the Chiese di St Bernadino alle Ossa as soon as I got up to avoid lines. Yesterday, I had seen the lines for the Duomo reach halfway across the two football field-length Piazza de Scalla. This meant a half-hour walk from my hotel. When in Europe, I typically walk everywhere. It's good for you, right? And my favorite price: free.Why spend money that could go towards chocolate on convenience and comfort? Sometimes I will take public transit, but I will never take a taxi or Uber. That changed today...
Walking to the Duomo, I didn't wear my coat. The temperatures hadn't quite dropped yet, and it was still warmer than back home in Utah. This made me stick out like a sore thumb. I only saw one other person all day today who wasn't wearing a coat - and that was a blue collar worker who stepped outside for about half a second. Everyone kind of gave me a weird look. I must have looked crazy to them. Like those weirdos who wear shorts and flip-flops all winter. An older man named Fabio started talking to me and said I must come from somewhere very cold - where was my coat? I answered that he was indeed correct - I came from the mountains of Utah in the USA that had hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics. This older gentleman was out walking his little dachshund, Coco, who was also wearing a coat. We chatted about for about a half mile until I had to split off from his path to continue on to the Duomo. He made sure I knew my way, even if I was too silly to toss on a coat.
I just loved that his name was Fabio - isn't that reserved for models with long hair in "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!" commercials?
The line for the Duomo was already halfway across the piazza. I decided to try the other church and a panzerotti (recommended to me by two people after yesterday's post) first, then check back on the line. The panzerotti Luini was fantastic. Thanks Selene and Colin for the recommendation! I hit it right while it was just opening - no lines there! I got some type of pastry ball filled with Nutella and sprinkled with powdered sugar. A luini dolce (marzipan filled pastry) followed that up. Holy mackerel, that was delish!
The Chiese di St Bernadino alle Ossa was amazing. Hundreds of years ago, the land that it now stands on was a cemetery. The people wanted to build a church on it. What does one do with the bones when you get rid of a cemetery for a church? Well, these were the bones of their family members - grandparents, children, moms and dads. They used their bones to create beautiful patterns and designs in the chapel. Kind of like a little familial link to the afterlife. Their perception of death wasn't as morbid and negative as it is nowadays - your life was expected to be much shorter and death was all around. It was a peaceful way for them to build a house of worship and honor their dead. I, of course, and the other tourists there were present out of morbid curiosity and a sick sense of seeing something relatively taboo thanks to our post-Victorian views on death and corpses. It was great, though I wished my sister and morbid-freak-in-arms had been there with me. Maybe we'll come back someday. I highly recommend checking it out. There are only a few other churches like this in the world. The ceiling is probably the most beautiful that I have seen thus far. Definitely look up once you go!
Back towards the Duomo I went - still had a huge line. So, why not pick up 30 Euro in chocolate at the shop right behind it?! So much chocolate, so little space in my carry-on. The good thing is you can always eat any excess. Carrying it back to the hotel, I got the call from my friend/photographer that I am here to assist and translate for once we get to Germany, Josh Rossi, to meet up for lunch. He had lived in Florence, knows Italian, and had picked up all the ingredients for delicious prosciutto and mozzarella sandwiches. We found a warm cafe to hide from the cold in, I successfully managed to order the most delicious Lindt hot chocolate in Italian (by pointing to my question in Google Translate), and made plans for the day. Oh how I have missed fresh mozzarella. C'mon America - we have bacon in our milkshakes and toasters that can burn your selfies into your bread, but I can't find a decent mozzarella?! Priorities man!
Josh and I are here to shoot some background images for a photo composite project he's working on. For that, we needed an epic staircase.
We took an Uber the long way to the Piazza di Scalla. In the car, I managed to understand their conversation regarding housing prices in Milan. It's crazy how quickly one can start to pick up a language - understanding always comes first I find. It makes you feel a little more involved than just sitting there listening to gibberish - even if it's just picking up one word every minute or two. I try to read everything I can (even in the Italian subtitles on the in-flight safety video) to try and pick out words and context. Write them down when you learn those, practice what you've got so far, and don't be too hard on yourself - a good dose of humor is vital in learning another language and culture.
Most people appreciate you trying to learn more about their country/language. An extension to Dale Carnegie's idea that everyone's favorite topic is themselves, most are flattered and appreciative that you're making the effort.
The location we found for the staircase was perfect. It had beautiful candelabras on the railing, a large Romanesque painted dome above and gorgeous light coming in from high windows. It looks soooo dreamy and moody. We got to work and shot several angles for him to work with, as well as some behind the scenes footage. Josh offers backgrounds to his Full Time Photography school subscribers and we continued to shoot more for him to add to that library (read: wandered around taking pics of perfect Italian streets and sights).
We checked the Duomo again - still crazy. I had walked past a few cool places during my walking tour that I wanted to return to and better explore (that free walking tour really paid off!). At the University, we were able to enter the courtyard and explore the crypt. Any time that I am able to go into a crypt, I jump on it. This one had awesome columns and was even lit moody. Think: Jude Law's Enemy at the Gates.
I was head over heels, because I am a verifiable dork and it really showed today. I regurgitated much of what I'd heard on my tour and felt quite the tour guide/nerd in a very proud way. Pointing out which road would lead you all the way to Rome if you were to follow it, explaining which parts of churches were original Roman brick and which were reconstructed post-WWII bombings, as well as giving the history of the Visconti family, I would like to say that it was a very informative wander about the city for my audience of one that was stuck listening to me. It's fun, for me, to feel connected to the city - to understand it's history and how it developed into its current state. It helps me to understand how the culture works, and why. Same goes with people.
Traveling with someone can be great to keep you from taking your cold, jet-lagged self back to the hotel to sleep. Especially if she happens to be rather obsessed with exploring new places and seeing EVERYTHING. We wandered across town through picturesque stradinas (little streets) and happened upon cool street art and gorgeous feats of architecture. Our wanderings led to the Castello Sforzesco which is HUUUUGE! I don't think I've ever been in a larger building. The style reminded me of the castle/fortress in Nuernberg, on crack. Signs for works by Michelangelo and da Vinci hung in the entrance and I was giddy as a school girl... until I saw that they had already closed. Pro tip: Most things close around five in Milan so plan on going before then!
Wandering the castle, one can see an interesting blend of romanesque, gothic and kid-with-a-set-of-giant-Legos style. Huge round stones that I can only imagine were launched from catapults a la Lord of the Rings were stacked neatly in the emptied (except for a few lost cats) moat, ready for their next use.
Italy is best seen by night. I would suggest a warm night, but definitely do some exploring by light whenever you are there. They know how to light things to just look magical. The lights turned on at the Castello as we were headed out and it looked like Camelot from First Knight.
On the warm Uber drive home, during which I got to rest my tired, lazy American feet, the lights from the store fronts glowed and twinkled. Milan is known for fashion. Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Armani, brands that I didn't even know are high-end designer like McDonald's have multiple locations and spend tons on looking "just so." Driving past these perfectly styled and merchandised storefronts, listening to the Uber driver and Josh speak in Italian about fashion photography in Milan (seems like everybody knows someone who does it), I thought how amazing it is to live in such a place. It is certainly the most well-dressed city I've ever been in, with a possible exception for Salzburg because I love the traditional trachtenmode. You see women in mink coats and men in well-fitting, stylish clothes. Half the people walking around look like they stepped out of the cover shoot for the next run of whatever designer's shoot. I assume the other half walking around, like me, are tourists. 5th Avenue has nothing on Milan.
A warm dinner, with the requirement that it be no further than right across the street, was perfect. I tried osso bucco for the first time and had an authentic bruschetta. The restaurant, Sabatini, had Vespas and other classic motorcycles throughout the dining area. The best though, was my second cup of hot chocolate for the day. I was now a pro at ordering hot chocolate in Italian, having googled it earlier for lunch. Italian hot chocolate, or ciocolata calda con pana, is THICK. Like, hot, starting to cool, homemade chocolate pudding with whip cream on top thick. I don't think I can ever go back. I actually have several pages of recipes for it up right now in my browser, distracting me whilst I write this. Here's the one that I'm going to try as soon as I get home and don't have access to this deliciousness.
Another quick food item that was consumed today were roasted chestnuts from a street vendor. I'd seen them every day in Germany/Austria and had never tried them. I was missing out! They have a wonderful rich, buttery taste - when warm they just hit the spot on a cold day like today.
So, today we got some work done. I tried new things and met a friendly Italian gentleman who wanted to practice his English while walking his dog. Castles, churches and crypts were explored. Much food was ravenously consumed. Jet lag did not win. Ciocolata calda was discovered and there was much rejoicing. It was a fantastic day to be here in Milan. Tomorrow takes us through the Alps, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, a bit of Austria and to our next shooting location near Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. I am excited to be back in Germany, especially among my lovely Bavarians and then on to Salzburg. Stay tuned for the fun and if you have any suggestions, comment!
