Milan: Duomo Rooftop Pictures

The following are some more of my photographs from the rooftop of the gorgeous Duomo di Milano.

Milan: The Duomo

Things are heating up here in Italy all of a sudden. In the past week the temperature has changed from light jacket weather to t-shirt weather and everyone is planning various weekend excursions to nearby cities. As I have mentioned on numerous occasions, Lodi is located just outside of Milan and with the cost of a train ticket being less than five Euros, it is the ideal destination for northern Italian day-trippers.

Amongst all of the highly entertaining things to do in Milan is one landmark that is on every tourist’s must-see list, I am talking about the Duomo di Milano. Completed in 1965, this gothic masterpiece took almost six centuries to build and is the fourth largest cathedral in the world.  Every year, thousands of people flock to its doors to see what all of the fuss is about for themselves. Last summer, I was one such person.

Even though I had heard about the duomo before visiting the iconic Italian building, I must admit that I made my way into Milan on that balmy June afternoon not knowing exactly what to expect. It was my very first time in the city and I had been avoiding it for several weeks because I usually despise tourist traps. Still, many people in Lodi had urged me to visit the duomo in particular and I decided that I had to go considering that I live less than half an hour away.

As I rode the Milan underground, pretending to be a local, all cool and aloof, I wondered what it was about the duomo that made it such a place of interest. I spent several years of my childhood in England, surrounded by the beauty of historical buildings and honestly I couldn’t see how this particular cathedral would be any more spectacular than places like King’s College in Cambridge and Ely Cathedral.

Feeling a little jaded as I exited the train at the appropriately named “Duomo” stop, I made my way through the maze of corridors leading to the exit and followed a sign that pointed up a steep flight of stairs. As I emerged into the daylight that shone on the Piazza di Duomo, I quickly discovered why the area is so popular.

Immediately in front of me, the duomo loomed large and hoards of people meandered around it snapping photographs and simply gawking in amazement. Before I could take the view in completely, I was pestered by a man selling birdfeed who promised that he could get several pigeons to perch on my arms should I so desire. I shook my head and scurried away quickly, obviously he was unaware that I have an irrational fear of being licked by a bird. Irrational because birds are certainly not known for their surprise licking attacks, but hey I am sure that there are a lot weirder phobias out there than mine!

After escaping my near brush with the banes of my existence, I decided to take a closer look at the façade of the building. It is made almost entirely out of white stone and marble and is adorned with literally thousands of intricate carvings. There are statues of interest covering almost every inch of it and it would be impossible to visit the duomo and not spot something new regardless of how many times you visit.

Aside from the impressive exterior, one recommendation that Italian friends had given me was to pay the fee and see the roof of the cathedral. Located along the side of the building, the entrance to the staircase that takes you there is hidden away somewhat, but if you ask any of the police officers or duomo staff, they will happily point you to the right place. There are two options for visiting the roof; walking up a seemingly endless set of stairs or taking an elevator to the top. The elevator option costs almost twice as much as the stairs and so I decided not to be lazy and challenged myself to the climb.

After paying the fee and passing through a metal detector, I began the ascent up a spiral stone staircase that took me in an anti-clockwise direction. After passing around the corner for the fifth time, I began to feel somewhat dizzy and other tourists around me laughed with one another about the feeling. “Are we there yet?!” hollered one boisterous American woman as she weaved her way around a group of fashionable Japanese youths who had stopped for a breather and asked me to take their picture. Although we were all becoming increasingly exhausted, there was a positive atmosphere in the air and we chatted happily with one another throughout our climb.

When I finally reached the top, I was blown away by the sheer beauty of my surroundings. Never in my life have I see something quite like the duomo’s roof. Simply, it was magnificent. It looked like something out of a fantasy novel or one of the “Lord of The Rings” movies. The roof was a treasure trove of white marble statues, each one more stunning than the last. Amongst the statues were white marble staircases that led to various hidden gardens of even more sculptures. I imagined what it would have been like to walk upon the roof as a religious pilgrim several hundreds of years ago. The only word that I could think to describe it was heavenly. In fact, if there is such a thing as heaven, I could picture it looking very much like the roof of the Duomo di Milano.

The various passages and the roof’s twists and turns awakened my curiosity and I longed to explore some of the areas that had been sectioned off from the public because they were deemed too dangerous. Even though I wanted more, I must say that I was extremely impressed with the kind of access that tourists are given. Honestly, for the price of a ticket, you really do get your money’s worth and the views of the city are certainly the best in town.

Once I had spent over an hour on the roof, immersed in architecture and history, I decided to take a tour of the inside of the cathedral to complete my duomo experience. As I waited in the line to enter the building, I was thankful that I had worn a cardigan as visitors with bare shoulders, short shorts and mini skirts were being turned away by security personnel at the door. The signs posted inside the building stated “no photographs” but when I finally was allowed inside, I noticed that many people were simply ignoring that rule.

Compared to the roof, the inside was nothing spectacular and yet in terms of sheer enormity, the building’s interior was impressive. In particular I enjoyed the large stained glass windows that are located in the south of the cathedral and cover almost the entire wall in a kaleidoscope of rich colour. I also enjoyed peering into the crypts below through small windows on the main floor. These somewhat hidden rooms conjured images of secret meetings and intrigues and stirred the creative writer within me.

Overall I have to say that the Duomo di Milano is absolutely one of those places that cannot be missed. I started off the day being jaded and dubious and ended it as a wide-eyed tourist with a huge grin on my face. If you only have one hour, go and see the roof and if you have all day, spend it exploring the duomo and the nearby Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II. You may think that you will be bored of the area after several hours, but trust me you need the whole afternoon to really appreciate this architectural gem.

La Scala: Aida Part Two

As I wrote in my blog post on Wednesday http://lovelifeandferrari.blogspot.com/2012/03/la-scala-aida-part-one.html I had the opportunity to attend my very first opera at the internationally-renowned Theatro alla Scala last Sunday. After electing to spend the night in a moderately-priced but more than adequate hotel and wolfing down a rather unconventional pre-opera meal of a Big Mac and fries, I found myself sitting in one of the best seats in the theatre shortly before the curtain rose. Both in awe and filled with extreme excitement, I prepared myself for what was set to be a magical evening.

Although my seat was just one of six places that were contained within the exquisite room which overlooked the main stage, I was all alone with only several minutes to go before Aida was scheduled to begin. I had just started to wonder if anyone would show up at all when suddenly I heard the door being unlocked by an usher and swung around to be greeted by a middle-aged Japanese businessman. He introduced himself in fluent Italian without a hint of accent and explained that the nature of his job meant that he spent a great deal of time in Milan. Opera, he admitted, had become one of his guilty pleasures over the years. The lights dimmed as he settled into his seat and the final latecomers hurriedly found their places in the dark. The orchestra began to play its opening number, an emotive piece which assured me that I was going to enjoy the performance a great deal before the curtain even rose. When it finally did rise, the set that it revealed was magnificent and the opera’s main protagonists delivered their opening notes to thunderous applause.

For those of you who are not familiar with Aida, it is a Guiseppe Verdi opera that tells the story of an Ethiopian princess, Aida, who is captured and enslaved in Egypt. Although the Egyptians have no idea as to her true identity, she manages to become a servant in the royal household. During this time she falls madly in love with Radames, who is the captain of the king’s guard. Although Radames shares Aida’s feelings of passion, he is also pursued by the king’s persistent daughter, Amneris. The result is the formation of a dramatic love triangle which ultimately leads to the tragic deaths of both Radames and Aida, who fittingly die in one another’s arms in the opera’s final scene.

I had already read a synopsis of the opera before attending the event and was immediately thankful that I had done so because keeping up with the plot would have been virtually impossible if I hadn’t. Although the words to many of the songs were quite repetitive, I still had a difficult time making sense of them and had to glance at the handy personal lyrics screen, which was located directly in front of my seat, from time to time to figure things out.

The first round of solos, which were delivered by Roberto Tagliavini, Luciana D’Intino, Oksana Dyka and Stuart Neill respectively, were all excellently performed judging from the audience’s reaction. I was particularly fond of Stuart Neill’s portrayal of Radames because he was especially emotive and full of energy. The set, props and costumes were also one of the highlights of the opera for me. The Egyptian backdrop gave the designers a license to create the extravagant. Massive statues of Egyptian Gods and pharaohs featured heavily in every scene and the colour palette was filled with sandy yellows and other hues that added texture to the set. There were giant feathers, gold encrusted chariots and fabulous dancers performing on the stage. The costumes were bold and filled with detail. My favourite was without a doubt the look that the king’s personal guards sported. It included gold armour and red garments, bold royal blue body paint and some very fierce-looking spears. When both the vocal and visual elements combined, they created an experience for both my eyes and ears that left me feeling quite satisfied.

When the lights came back on to signal the first intermission, I decided to explore the foyer below and people watch while sipping on a prosecco. Many of the huge crowd in attendance filed their way into the tiny space and chattered amongst one another happily. Much to my surprise, there were all types of people present. There were the tourists wearing floor length gowns, The Milanese, who wore black and little jewellery and even people who were dressed extremely casually. I even saw several men wearing very dark jeans, something that I would have previously imagined to be impossible at La Scala.

Before I had even set out on my journey to Milan, I had taken a chance and emailed well-respected opera blogger, Opera Chic and asked if she would be present at the event. I figured that I had absolutely nothing to lose by asking her to meet up with me during the intermission and everything to gain. After all, who would be a better person to discuss Aida with than an opinionated American who visits La Scala on a regular basis? Unfortunately for me, Opera Chic responded to my inquiry that she would not be attending the evening’s opera, but wished me a pleasant first opera nonetheless.

Weaving my way through the people, I figured that I probably would not find anyone to talk to when I was stopped by a glamorous, blonde woman wearing bright red lipstick and a stunning knee-length Prada dress. I recognised her immediately from the room where my seat was located. She had entered mid-way through the first act and therefore I had paid little notice when she first arrived. She spoke with a thick American accent and we proceeded to have a polite conversation. Before returning to our seats she commented on my outfit, noting that it reminded her of what had just paraded down the Prada runway several weeks before. Later on in the evening I was to discover that she was actually a Prada employee herself and felt instantly like a sophisticated jet-setter as opposed to a starry-eyed girl who pulled a few things together from the back of her closet. Fashion may seem like a trivial thing to some, but for me, I was on cloud nine in that moment!

Once the opera resumed, the final three acts of Aida were just as amazing as the first one. In the most impressive scene of all, a victorious Radames returns to Egypt after fighting the Ethiopians. The scene is known as the “Triumphal March” and as well as being the most powerful vocal number, it was also the most visually spectacular. In addition to a colourful procession, there were beautiful displays of dancing and at one point there were even real horses parading around on the stage.

As the opera neared its climax, the story of Aida and the love of her life, Radames took a tragic turn. In the final acts Radames is discovered disclosing the location of the Egyptian army to Aida’s father, the king of Ethiopia thus betraying his country and sealing his fate. In the final scene of the opera, Ramades is sentenced to be essentially buried alive inside an underground tomb as a result of his treason. Resigned to his fate and with a distraught Amneris weeping above, he enters the tomb to find that Aida has managed to sneak inside. Willingly, she agrees to share Ramades’s fate.

The stage lights dimmed as the two tragic protagonists shared a final embrace. Those in attendance cheered and some even shouted “Bravo! Bravo!” from all around the theatre. I have heard that the crowd at La Scala are often a vocal bunch, even to the point of throwing out boos if they are not fully satisfied. I therefore am fairly sure that I witnessed an outstanding performance of Aida. As the lights turned on and the people who had so eagerly arrived more than four hours earlier began to filter their way out of the building, I took one last look at La Scala. What an enchanting venue and overall what an unforgettable evening. It’s not very often that one talks about achieving perfection, but in this case my La Scala experience came pretty close. My only gripe was that when I finally left, the McDonalds where I had eaten my dinner earlier was already closed. I had yet another craving and it would have been nice to round the evening off with another greasy snack! Oh well, maybe next time.

**On a side note, if you would like to see a few clips from the version of Aida that I just wrote about, go to the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRa1ReiTjtM



La Scala: Aida Part One

As I mentioned in my blog post on Saturday http://lovelifeandferrari.blogspot.com/2012/03/la-scala-surprise.html after discussing my desire to visit the world-famous La Scala opera house with my mother, she surprised me with a ticket to see my very first opera, Aida, on Sunday. Following a great deal of excitement, along with momentary panic over what to wear to the event, I began to plan my trip to the nearby city of Milan where La Scala is located.

I decided to stay in a moderately-priced hotel overnight because the opera was scheduled to finish shortly before midnight and the final train for Lodi leaves Milan around ten minutes after that. There were a lot of hotels located mostly near Milano Centrale train station that were within my price range and after an extensive search I managed to select the one which I believed to be the best value for money. The Hotel Demidoff is a three star hotel which is located literally ten seconds away from the Lima underground station in Milan. http://www.hoteldemidoffmilan.com/ At only 65 Euros a night when booked on the internet, single rooms are a steal considering that most hotels in Milan charge well over 100 Euros for a night’s stay.

On the day of the opera, I made my way into the city at around four in the afternoon. Although Aida did not start until seven thirty in the evening, I decided that I wanted to settle into my hotel first and then head out for a quick meal before it began. Upon my arrival I was pleasantly surprised, not only was the hotel amazingly near to the underground station, but it was both clean and safe. While it is true that my room was a little on the small side and the paper thin walls meant that I could hear everything going on next door, I was extremely satisfied with my selection. After the mandatory exploring of my room and scavenging for free soap and shampoo (admit it, you do it too) I put my pre-selected opera outfit on and paraded around in front of the mirror for several minutes. I felt like a million dollars even though it was just a collection of old bits and pieces from my wardrobe and as I headed to the underground station I felt butterflies of anticipation fluttering around in my stomach.

The Teatro alla Scala is located a few minutes away from the Duomo underground station in Milan. Those of you who have visited the city before will surely be familiar with it as it is home to both the Milano Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The area is a hot spot for tourists and is always busting with activity. When you exit the underground station, you immediately come face to face with the impressive Duomo. Its intricate façade, covered in carefully carved statues, always leaves me in awe no matter how many times I see it. On this occasion, however, I only paused to stare for a brief moment before heading into the Galleria for dinner.

It may seem a bit strange, but after living in Italy for over half a year sometimes the one thing that I find myself craving more than anything is a nice, greasy Big Mac. Luckily for me, amongst the fine restaurants and cafes that are located in the Galleria there is also a McDonalds. As tacky as it may be to wolf down some fast food before attending an opera, I couldn’t help myself and made a beeline for the artery-clogging establishment. To my great amusement once inside I discovered that I wasn’t the only person who planned to devour a hamburger in my best. Men in suits and groups of women wearing elegant dresses and pearl necklaces perched on the uncomfortable chairs in as dignified a manner as possible. I couldn’t help but laugh as I licked a big glob of special sauce off of the tip of my finger. McDonalds, who would have guessed it?

After my rather unconventional pre-opera meal, I ventured through the Galleria towards La Scala, which is located just outside the exit. The building itself does not look overly breathtaking from the outside and one could easily walk right by without ever knowing that it was of particular importance. On this night, however, a crowd of people congregated outside its doors and the few scalpers who were attempting to sell tickets made it obvious that this was the place to be.

When the doors finally opened at around seven o’clock, the audience began to pour into the modest, chandelier-lit foyer and I clutched my ticket firmly. An usher greeted me and pointed me towards the direction of a locked door that was guarded by another attendant. The attendant then unlocked the door and told me to head up the stairs to find my seat. It was all a bit confusing and I began to wonder how on earth I would find the cloak room, let alone my place when there were no real signs pointing me in the right direction. When I saw another attendant, I handed her my ticket and expected to be directed somewhere else. Instead she began to lead me towards yet another locked door and inquired if I wanted to hang my coat up. When I said that I did, she unlocked the room to reveal my own personal walk-in closet. It was all so civilised, with little hooks for my coat and scarf and a stool to sit upon if I needed to change my shoes. I had only been in the building for several moments and already La Scala was making me feel like a queen.

After already being impressed by the convenience of the closet, I continued following the woman towards a short, white door nearby. Once this door was unlocked, I was immediately overwhelmed and I think that I gasped quite loudly. Behind it was a beautiful little room adorned with rich dark red wallpaper that had a direct view of the enormous performance stage. Inside the room were six places to sit; two dark red chairs that were trimmed in gold, two small stools made with the same fabric and two larger stools at the back of the room which matched the rest of the décor. I took a seat in one of the chairs at the front of the room and began to feast my eyes upon the surrounding opera house.

The Teatro alla Scala was huge and there were six floors of rooms exactly like mine which surrounded the stage. People were settling into their seats, chattering amongst one another while excitedly leaning over their balconies and experiencing the atmosphere just like I was. There was a huge chandelier in the middle of the ceiling above that illuminated most of the area below where patrons weaved their way towards the many rows of galleria seats. It was fun to watch their reactions as they entered the theatre for the very first time and I rested my head on the comfortable cushioned velvet ledge in front of me as I took in the beauty. I couldn’t stop smiling and checked my ticket one more time in disbelief. Could my seat really be this fabulous? I felt so incredibly fortunate to be experiencing something that many people all over the world dream about and had to remind myself that this was only just the beginning. There was still an opera to see and it was scheduled to start in less than five minutes.

To be continued…

Be sure to read part two of my La Scala experience on Friday.