Spinning on Bull's Balls

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It's a Milanese tradition to spin on the bull's balls in the Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II, near the famous Duomo! If you spin backwards on the bull's balls three times you will have good luck. Well hello!! Say no more I'm up for that!!

We are in Milano for two nights so we were very busy. Firstly, my work colleague Patsy was missing me so much she flew all the way here just to see me!! How do I feel? Well you can imagine, I'm touched and honoured really, it's a very grand gesture for sure! Thank you Patsy😊. Ok the truth is a little different, Patsy's daughter Karlee has been in Milano attending university for the past month, doing fashion marketing, but what a coincidence that we both arrived in this city on the same day!! it was a given that we'd catch up!

Milano is the home of Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper painting, it is believed Da Vinci began work on this painting around 1495, and there was no way we were coming to Milano and not seeing this! The best way to see the Last Supper is to book a tour, which we did. Patsy, Karlee, Jen, Michael and I did a three hour walking tour which ended at the Santa Maria Delle Grazia convent where the painting covers the end wall of what was once a dining hall in a monastery. The building is so nondescript you would probably walk right by it. To see the painting each tour group is allotted 15 minutes with a guide, no photos allowed. What was once the refectory is now a sealed, climate controlled room to stop the famous painting deteriorating further. I would recommend doing a tour as you find out so much more information, like why a door is now in the painting, when it wasn't there originally. I consider myself very fortunate to have seen this painting. For a few hours I felt a lot smarter and more cultured!

Another famous landmark we visited during our walking tour is the duomo or the Milan Cathedral, the fifth largest cathedral in the world which took almost 6 centuries to complete. In 1805 Napolean Bonaparte was crowned king of Italy at the duomo.

That night we all went to a cute little Osteria for a delicious Italian meal. Around midnight we said farewell to Patsy and Karlee as we leave Milano on our journey towards France and they stay for a little longer and then go off to hike cinque terra!

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Photos

Each stained glass tells a story
In the Duomo

Comments

[Margy]

Patsy
That was a really lovely gesture of Patsy's..........lol!!!!