Milan

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This morning I left France and drove into Italy. I followed the Mediterranean coast until Genoa, then turned north to go to Milan. I arrived with enough time to do a little sightseeing, so I dropped my bags and hopped on the subway. I visited the massive Duomo or cathedral (see photo). Rick says that it is the fourth largest in Europe - remember that I already visited the Seville cathedral on this trip and it is reportedly the third largest. (Rick says that St. Peter in Rome and St. Paul in London are bigger, but Wikipedia has a different list.) The interior of the church is impressive (see photo), but the best thing about a visit here is the chance to walk on the roof. They have elevators that whisk tourists up and down all day and as far as I know it is an experience unique to Milan (see photo). I like being able to see the tops of the spires of the flying buttresses, each with a life-sized statue (see photo). Across the square is the Victor Emmanuel Galleria, a high-priced shopping center that has been thriving for a hundred years (see photo). I ate dinner at a place I picked because of its name: Papá Francesco Ristorante (see photo). It turns out that the name has nothing to do with the current Pope. I learned that "Pope" in Italian is "Papa", but with no accent over the second "a". In fact, the man in the picture giving the thumbs up is the owner of the restaurant, Papá Francesco. He is an exuberant fellow, but our communication was limited because he doesn't speak English and I don't speak Italian. I'll say this for him, though, his restaurant makes a good pizza margarita.

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