So, our week in Italy started this morning. We successfully picked up the rental car and drove the easy 3-hour drive to Milan. Here, we wanted to see a couple of things. We were successful in seeing the city center piazza, where many people were strolling, taking photos, and eating lunch. Our main stop here was the Milan Cathedral, which is supposed to be the third largest Christian church in the world. It was very beautiful, with lots of paintings of cardinals (and several dead ones on display in glass caskets). It also had beautiful stained glass windows.
Our second goal in Milan was to see the original da Vinci "Last Supper" painting. Unfortunately, you have to make reservations to see it several weeks in advance. But fortunately, we are driving back through Milan on the very last day of our trip, so we made reservations to see it then! We were happy to have a reason to come back.
After touring the Cathedral, we drove a bit away from city center to get away from tourists and tourist prices (although I did joke with Clint about stopping by the shops to buy some $3000 shoes, here in the fashion capitol of Italy).
We found an adorable little pizzeria. We split an appetizer order of gnocchi (my favorite Italian food!), then split a humongous calzone filled with 3 cheeses and ham. What a great way to start our Italian week of eating!!
After lunch, we continued the drive to Turin. We wanted to visit the Cathedral here as well, both because it's a beautiful old church (some of its foundation started in the 4th century), and because it's where the famous Shroud of Turin is kept. While the Shroud is covered by a blanket to keep it safe, we were able to see the little chapel where it's kept and the box inside which it rests. Whatever your view on the authenticity of the Shroud, it's a fascinating historical relic, one way or another.
After visiting the Turin Cathedral, we came back to the hotel to shower and rest up a bit before going to dinner. We rode the local tram about two kilometers back to the main city piazza, then found a quiet restaurant. Actually, we chose a restaurant where we were the only people in the entire place. Most people would say that's a sign that the restaurant isn't very good, but the staff were wonderful, the food was great, and it was very romantic to be completely alone. I got risotto as an appetizer, then chicken & potatoes for the main dish. Clint got linguine with seafood as an appetizer, then veal scallopini as the main dish (then half way through the entrees, we switched). Afterward we tried to take the tram back and got a little lost, so we ended up walking about 12 extra blocks. Actually I didn't mind, as we've been sitting and eating for two days straight.
Blogger won't let me put pictures in any kind of chosen order, so the photos you see below are: (1) Me at dinner, toasting the McCorkles -- the people who provided the gift to BVU that made this trip possible, (2) the Milan Cathedral, (3) St. John the Baptist's Cathedral in Turin (home of the Shroud), and (4) the main city piazza in Milan.
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