Sights of Milan - 16 May 2011

Gothic Duomo

Afteer 14 hours flight singapore-Amsterdam-Milan, we finally arrived in Milan on 16, May 2011. After our chinese lunch, we were all set for our Milan city tour. The first stop was to see the gothic Duomo.

Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano) is the cathedral church of Milan in Lombardy, northern Italy.  Dedicated to Saint Mary Nascent, it is the seat of the Archibishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi.  

The Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. It is the fourth largest cathedral in the world and by far the largest in Italy.


The pictures on the door

Pat with the Duomo in Milan

Pat and Jenny in Duomo Square ( our first time travelling together - both of us love taking photos)

The city of fashion in Milan.Fashion Quadrangle- a set of blocks roughly between Duomo Square (Piazza Duomo), Cavour Square (Piazza Cavour) and San Babila Square (Piazza San Babila). Here in Montenapoleone Street, Della Spiga Street, Vittorio Emanuele Street and Manzoni Street, it contains the most prestigious boutiques and showrooms in the world. Everything reeks of ostentation and the splendor of a chic, fashionable lifestyle

Our Milan guide in the background - Pat with the whispher set to hear the guide commentary

Taking a break before we head inside the Duomo

Think of Milan as a series of concentric circles radiating from the Piazza del Duomo at the center. Within the inner circle, once enclosed by the city walls, are many of the churches, museums, and shops that will consume your visiting hours. For a general overview of the lay of the land, obtain one of the serviceable maps, with indices, that the tourist offices provide for free.

Inside Duomo - lovely stained glasses

Pat enjoying herself and soaking in the gothic atmosphere

the 19th Century Victor Emmanuelle II Galleria
where all the shopping brands are located

Victor Emmanuelle II Galleria

Heading north from the Piazza del Duomo, walk through the glass-enclosed shopping center (the world's first), the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Emerging from the northern end of the Galleria, you'll be just steps away from Piazza della Scala and Milan's famous opera house. A 5-minute walk northeast along Via Manzoni takes you to Via Montenapoleone and the city's high-fashion shopping district, the epicenter of Italian design. A walk of about 10 minutes north of Piazza della Scala along Via Brera brings you into the atmospheric Brera neighborhood -- once home to the city's brothels, which has gentrified over the last 3 or 4 decades -- where cobblestone streets and old palazzi surround the city's major art collection, the Pinacoteca di Brera.

La Scala Opera House

Jenny and Pat at the roof top of the Duomo. We each paid 5 Euro climbing up the 150 steps. What a fantastic view. You should see us asking every person coming down the steps whether we are at the top of Duomo yet.

Picture Postcard

The view from the top - magnificant

Blue skies - Pat checking out the sights

Pat & Jenny - yes we made it for the breath-taking view of Duomo

Zooming in for this shot

We stayed up at the Dumo for around 30min before we departed the place

We were back at Victor Emmanuelle II Galleria waiting for the guide to bring us for dinner.