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)

 

[JessicaTam]

On a sunny day there are usually quite a few people snoozing on the roof. I may have also indulged in the past. Oh, If you are going to do that, make sure you do it before going inside. Because that is when you realise how little is holding up the roof.

 

[RooFlyer]

Continuing along the roof.





And then ... down ... down ...



You come out in the cathedral interior and I had a random memory - of an Australian sports commentator, I think broadcasting the Moscow Olympic opening ceremony and his words were "Oh, ... my ... gawd ".

Oscar Wilde, on the other hand, visited in June 1875. In a letter to his mother, he wrote: "The Cathedral is an awful failure. Outside the design is monstrous and inartistic. The over-elaborated details stuck high up where no one can see them; everything is vile in it; it is, however, imposing and gigantic as a failure, through its great size and elaborate execution." No pleasing some people.





The nave columns are 24m high and the nave itself is 45m high, the highest Gothic vaults of any completed church.









Those vaults on the ceiling



The chancel and altar

 

[Pushka]

Princess? Gothic cathedrals? Maybe some just don't like Gaudis inspiration?

Had some good news last night about our trip to Malta and Sliema. The UK people were stressing and thinking of cancelling a few weeks ago as they are flying from Birmingham on Easy Jet and that damn fuel crisis and which would have shut our trip there down. But it was all good news so will be there in just over a month.

 

[RooFlyer]

I happened to notice within the church, a guy manning a door which led down some stairs to the 'archaeological area'. I'd forgotten about this and asked if my ticket got me entrance. Yes!

Down there is a big area now under the Piazza del Duomo which contains the remains of a 4th century 'episcopal complex'. Some narrowly avoided destruction during the construction of the MM1 metro line Duomo station in the 1960s but a lot was lost.

In this diagram, the modern cathedral is on the right, and within it, the footprint of the former Cathedral Santa Maria Maggiore (built 313AD), or 'old basilica', demolished to make way for the new cathedral from 1386. The Basilica of Santa Tecla, built in 350AD is to the left and between them, the octagonal Baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti (~380AD). At this time Milan was the capital of the Western Roman Empire (Constantinople being the Byzantine capital).





A lot of tombs and sarcophagi remain, from the 8th -11th century





The font of the octagonal baptistry - it had flowing water.





Next stop was to visit the crypt, but unfortunately there was construction going on, and it wasn't open.



Back outside, and a last walk-around



Statue of Victor Emmanuel II, first king of united Italy from 1861.

 

[RooFlyer]

Outside, of course there is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (so the first King of United Italy gats a second look-in). Again, wow. Built between 1865-1877.















Looking up from the point above.

 

[RooFlyer]

Through the Galleria to see La Scala opera house. A bit disappointing. Passed Leonardo on the way - would have a lot more to do with him later today.





Still had time to kill before my entry time to Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, so I walked towards the Roman amphitheatre via Colonne di San Lorenzo.



Wish I could remember what this was! Any ideas?





Colonne di San Lorenzo, consisting of sixteen tall Corinthian columns arranged in a row, facing an open square. In the 4th century, the columns were relocated to this site, salvaged from somewhere else.







Just beyond, the Porta Ticinese Medievale, one of the three surviving 12th century gates of the old Milan city wall.



And then to the Roman theatre - shut. Turn around.

Past Cripta di San Sepolcro, which, I didn't recognise at the time is part of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and would have been a super place to visit - a 1030 church, visited by da Vinci, who drew a map showing it; it stands on the site of the old Roman Forum. The church is now a 'crypt' beneath street level. Next time.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Through the Galleria to see La Scala opera house. A bit disappointing. Passed Leonardo on the way - would have a lot more to do with him later today.

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Still had time to kill before my entry time to Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, so I walked towards the Roman amphitheatre via Colonne di San Lorenzo.

View attachment 506884

Wish I could remember what this was! Any ideas?

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View attachment 506885

Colonne di San Lorenzo, consisting of sixteen tall Corinthian columns arranged in a row, facing an open square. In the 4th century, the columns were relocated to this site, salvaged from somewhere else.

View attachment 506887

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Just beyond, the Porta Ticinese Medievale, one of the three surviving 12th century gates of the old Milan city wall.

View attachment 506890

And then to the Roman theatre - shut. Turn around.

Past Cripta di San Sepolcro, which, I didn't recognise at the time is part of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and would have been a super place to visit - a 1030 church, visited by da Vinci, who drew a map showing it; it stands on the site of the old Roman Forum. The church is now a 'crypt' beneath street level. Next time.
View attachment 506891

Like many Italian buildings, the glory of La Scala is on the inside. Generally one does a tour of the theatre with commentary, or better still, go to a performance.