48 hours is too short in Milan

We are spending our second and last night in Milan, Italy. Fourth of July - and not a firework in the sky. That's just fine. We are not missing the parades and the speeches a whit. Instead of Independence Day activities, we have spent a wonderful day in regular tourist routine. Verify train information in the morning, and then make our way toward a couple of objectives in the afternoon. 

After ensuring that our train tickets for tomorrow were all set, we set out for first goal - the Brera Gallery. This gallery is in the Palazzo di Brera, which also houses the Brera Library, an astronomical observatory, the Lombard Institute for Science and Art, and the Academy of Fine Arts. As we entered the courtyard  of the large building that houses these institutions, clusters of young art students sat along the walls, chatting – one assumes – about wildly creative enterprises. We visited the school first on July 3, locating the route to the downtown from our hotel.

The building is constructed on the site of a 14^th century convent, which later was taken over by the Jesuits, who founded a school there. The current building was constructed at the beginning of the 17^th century, designed by Frencesco Maria Richini. Most of the collection is composed of paintings by “Old Masters” that were collected from churches and monasteries closed when Napoleon ruled Milan and the surrounding area. The collection has grown considerably, however, in recent years because of exchanges, donations, and purchases. (Pictured above is the courtyard. Pictured to the right is the basement, where classes are held - and if you listen closely, you can still hear the shuffling of nuns on their way to morning prayer.) 

One does not have to be religious to feel the power of faith conveyed by the hundreds of works in the collection. The lives of saints, the crucifixion of Christ, the Last Supper – all of these themes and more are treated in detail by painters from the 12^th through the 19th centuries. Yes, toward the end one gets a bit inured to the religious drama, but it’s powerful nonetheless.

What better way to follow such an immersion in religiosity than to visit a cathedral?

We threaded our way through the zigzag Milan streets to il Duomo, the city’s fabled cathedral. Begun in 1387, the edifice from the very start was deemed unbuildable – and in fact it was not considered to be complete until the 1960s. Its completion may still be questioned, because large parts of it are covered by scaffolding. Inside, the clang of workmen’s hammers cleaves the silence that one expects in such a sanctuary. The vaulted ceilings and stained glass are amazing, but the cathedral did not feel like a quiet and sacred place when we visited. 

Yes, we did other, less high-minded, activities in Milan. We bought a couple of hats & some gifts. Margaret gave free appraisals to jewelry displayed in Milan's numerous pricey shops. 

Included here also is a picture of Margaret in a nearby plaza, modeling a shirt that bears the likeness of Bulbo, a creation of our friend Seth.