Was that really the third week?!

So much has happened the past week that all of my down time has been at night when I am sleeping, so sorry for such a gap between updates! I figured I'd do a breakdown of the past week and then my weekend trip to Rome.

Monday 7/18

The entire group headed over to Corso Como, another part of Milan that has many places serving aperitivo-so delicious. The place we went to had really great food and really colorful drinks. Most of the group stayed in the area for the rest of the night and hung out and danced- I think I aquired more bug bites, a constant battle here in Milan.

Tuesday 7/19

After our lecture in the morning we headed over past the Duomo to take a tour of one of the most famous theaters in the world, La Scala Opera House. The theater was breathtaking, and we were lucky enough to get a glimpse inside of the immense stage and enormous chandelier. We then were guided through the La Scala museum that had many old instruments, works of art, and artifacts from the theater. There was even a plaster cast of Chopin's hand.

Inside La Scala. Photo from google.

Old poster inside La Scala

Wednesday 7/20

In the afternoon we headed over to Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan's amazing art museum that was partly funded and designed by Napoleon. There is a bronze statue in the courtyard dedicated to him, and the artist was very generous with the height of the statue if I say so myself. Inside we had the chance to see beautiful works of art, one of which is now a favorite of mine. It is called Il Bacio or The Kiss. It captures so many emotions and has very dramatic lighting. We also saw The Marriage of the Virgin by Raphael- a very special experience getting to see a famous artist's painting from only 2 feet away.

Il Bacio by Hayez

Like I said...very generous!

Thursday 7/21

Today we took a day trip to visit Certosa di Pavia. Here we got a tour of one of the amazing churches created by Milan's famous family the Sforza's (owner to the castle I visited earlier in the city). The tour was given by a very zen monk who was nice enough to pose for a picture after the tour. From there we went more into the heart of Pavia to have lunch at a small restaraunt- crepes filled with ricotta and spinach- very delicious! After lunch we were taken on yet another tour around the city and learned the history from when it was used by the Roman's to fight against Hannibal's invasions, to present day. The tour was very good, but my feet were dead tired by the end and I was happy to get back on the bus towards Milan to the most exciting part of the day. When we returned to Milan we went to Santa Maria della Grazie to view Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper. To see this massive painting in person was unreal and I found it very hard to soak the experience in the short 10 minutes we were allowed to view it. To know that Da Vinci once stood there and painted this masterpiece was very cool, but unfortunately since the painting is not a frescoe it is starting to fade and the paint is stripping off. This however does not take away from its beauty. I know that this is an experience that many people will not get to have in their lives and I will never take it for granted.

Statue for Da Vinci in Milan

Bridge in Pavia. The original foundations built by the Romans are still in the water.

Cathedral built by the Sforza's

Post about Rome to come! To be continued!