Some island cruising - The Canaries and Sicily, then Milan

[ellen10]

Your Ortigia photos brought back lots of lovely memories of our trip last September. We spent 4 nights there and loved it. Great food and wine too!

And @VPS the cats were everywhere!

 

[RooFlyer]

I most wanted to view The Last Supper, and timed tickets are for it are very hard to get, and sell out almost instantly, so I was watching the booking web site like you might watch for a once-in-a-lifetime First awards seat. As it happens, the booking day came up while I was at sea on a cruise, but after a bit of frustrating re-loading of the site, I got a ticket!

Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano | Welcome to the Official Website

cenacolovinciano.org

I also got a ticket for the Cathedral (Fast track, elevator access to the terraces, crypt, archaeological area, early entry)

Booking Milan Cathedral

Discover the various options available to visit Milan Cathedral. Book your exclusive experience now and immerse yourself in the wonders of the Cathedral.

www.duomomilano.it

and the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana library and art gallery

Pinacoteca | Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana

Pinacoteca | Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana | Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana |

www.ambrosiana.it

First thing was the Milano Duomo. On any list of the great cathedrals of the world, this usually makes the top 5, often the top 3.

Not interest in Gothic cathedrals? Suck it up, Princess, you are in for a treat.

Metro and out of the Duomo station and met with this incredible sight. Construction began in 1386, and the final details were completed in 1965. Its the largest church in Italy (including St Peter's at the Vatican) and one of the largest in the world. it can hold 40,0000 worshipers.



Later, this



Entrance to the elevators to the roof is around the back. I was one of about 20 people waiting for the first batch at 10am; they opened on time and took about 6 people at a time in the lift.

Out of the lift and you see this. Amazing to think that these structures hold the damn thing up. You can see the very top of the cathedral, the Madonnina's (Little Madonna) spire, put there in 1762, topping out at 108.5 m.



And then ... Past readers of my TRs will know how I love a gargoyle and a grotesque.





There are over 3,400 statues on and in the Cathedral, including 135 atop its spires. (135 gargoyles by the way)