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| The Duomo of Milan |
I left Interlaken early and this time had no problem making it to Milan by evening. There was room in the hostel and it was time to relax for a little while. All I did was walk around, usually down by the Doumo and sit in front of one of the neighboring cafes drinking a coffee or eating a gelato while watching the world stroll by, or take some time to walk to the railroad station, where there were always some street performers to watch.
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| Inside The Galleria Vittorio Manuele ii |
The Duomo of Milan is located in Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) the main piazza of Milan. It is one of the worlds largest "Gothic" cathedrals. In fact it is
the world's third largest christian church. On one side of the square you have the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele ii. It is an impressive five story
arcade covered with a glass and iron roof in the shape of a cross now full of high end shops and cafes. The structure is decorated with patriotic mosaics and statues. It is one of the worlds first shopping malls.
The other end of this Gallery opens into another square that contains the famous La Scalla Opera House.
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| La Scalla Opera House |
Also located in the Piazza del Duomo across from the gallery is the Royal Palace of Milan.
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As I was writing earlier, that is what was there in that one location to visit as a tourist. What I enjoyed was watching the street life. I sat off to the side of the square in front of one of the cafes with a good view of the street. What I saw was amazing. During the daytime, (late morning and early afternoon) you would see all the tourist hurrying here and there in their groups following a tour guide so they wouldn't miss anything! During the siesta time (I do not know the Italian word for it) you would see many women standing along the sides of the streets usually near the intersections hopping into cars that would stop by and pick them up. A few minutes later the same woman would be left of at the same intersection and then the woman would get into another car. This was repeated at various intersections up to a certain time and then they all disappeared. The area reverted back to a more traditional neighborhood. This is the time that the young families came walking about, or taking an evening stroll with their children and grandparents before the evening dinner. After that the night slipped into a world for the young dancing from one club to another.
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| McDonald's |
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| Prada |
Another thing of note. When I was there in 1970 there was no McDonald's in Milan. While I was looking for photos for this post I noticed that there was a McDonald's in the Gallery from 1982 until 2012. McDonald's was kicked out of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele ii presumably because it was not upscale enough.
It has since been replaced by an expansion of the Prada Store in 2012. Prada is, for those not in the know, an Italian Luxury fashion house specializing in ready-to-wear leather and fashion accessories, shoes, luggage, perfumes, watches, etc., I believe McDonald's is suing.
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