As a "non morning person" I realize that jet lag loves to track down the night owls. The alarm (barking dogs AGAIN?) seemed to sound just as I had finally fallen into a sound sleep but today there was not rolling around as it is our day to explore Milan. We found our hotel breakfast buffet was similar to what we had experienced in the south and I had my fresh yogurt with honey and Grant found his hard boiled eggs, tomatoes and ham. Fuelled for the day we walked towards the Duomo to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (named after the first King of the Kingdom of Italy) where we were to meet our guide for the day. The Galleria was build in 1861 and is one of the world's oldest shopping malls and if you are into the most expensive and fashionable brand names then this would be your shopping paradise. There are two glass vaulted arcades and a cast iron roof that connects the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral) and the Piazza del Scala (Opera House) Here you will find Prada and Versace and more. The store fronts are a curiously to think who might actually wear these combinations of fashion but it is so fun to window shop. At 9:30 we met Francesca at the Campania Cafe (famous for the Italian drink Campari and has been in the same location since 1867). Many of the stores here are the original home base and have been here for over a century. An interesting story is that in 2012 the McDonalds which once held a prominent piece of real estate here was prevented from renewing their lease after being there for 20 years. It was the only tenant in history to be refused a renewal and sued the city of Milan for 24 Million Euro in damages alleging that they would lose 6 Million per year in sales. During the last few hours of operation McDonalds handed out free food and drink to over 5,000 customers. Today the second Prada store has taken up residence and the restaurant and bakery upstairs has become a gathering place for those in "the know".

Off on our tour and our first stop was the Milan Duomo. I confess that when I first saw the Duomo I thought that it was just a very large cathedral and not the official Duomo as the others we have seen have had a domed roof. This is the largest church in Italy (even larger then St. Peter's in Vatican City) and is the third largest in the world. Covering a surface of 109,641 square feet and an entire city block this was obviously a very important landmark in the square. Started in 1386, it took six centuries and thousands of workers, a new canal system and over six centuries to complete. An interesting read on it's history if you are so inclined but there is too much to add here. They say there are more statues on this gothic-style cathedral than any other building in the world. There are 3,400 statues, 135 gargoyles, 700 figures and the Madonnina, the gold-coloured statue of Mary that stands on the cathedral's highest spire. This statue has been the highest point in the city for many years until the first sky scraper built that was taller, however in respect for the Madonnina, a replica was built and placed on the top of the new building so she would continue to watch over the city.

The inside the Duomo was breathtaking. Honestly. There are some photos to give you an idea but as everyone knows photographs cannot do these places justice.

There were so many things that we learned but here are some highlights and things to look for in the photos if you are interested:

-Above the apse (the arched part above the altar) there is a spot marked with a red lightbulb. This marks the spot where one of the nails of Jesus' crucifixion was allegedly placed. Every year on the Saturday closest to September 14th, (last week) the archbishop of Milan ascends to the apex in a wooden basket decorated with angels to retrieve the nail. The basket itself was constructed in 1577, though it was significantly reconstructed in 1701 when the angels were added. The nail is exhibited at the altar until the Monday after vespers before it's lifted back up again for another year.

-Near the main entrance you'll see a sundial on the floor. A ray of sunlight from a hole on the opposite wall strikes the clock, shining on the bronze tongue on June 21, the summer solstice, and the meridian on the winter solstice, December 21. Though ancient (it was placed in Milan Duomo in 1768 by astronomers from the Academia di Brera) the sundial is surprisingly precise - guiding those who did not have access to time for centuries to know the time of day and is even used to regulate clocks throughout the city today.

-The entire Duomo is made of pink marble that was imported through a canal system by boat and by hand.

-The statue of Saint Bartholomew Flayed (1562), who was said to have been skinned alive and is shown in a skeletal state with his flayed skin thrown over his shoulders like a stole.

-The to scale replica of the golden Madonna that is on the roof of the cathedral. It is somewhat surprising how big she actually is; from the ground she looks very small.

-Also, forgive me if you disagree but the creepy human remains of Archbishop Alberto da Intimianos's sarcophagus in the glass box that they take the death mask off every once in a while to check on his state of decomposing. I will report that his clothes and especially his shiny shoes are doing very well. I do not really want to know more.

-The stain glass windows can only be seen from inside are outstanding pieces of art and history. The stories from the Bible told through these mostly original pieces are still standing even after the bombings of the war.

-It is a miracle but the church was barely marred throughout the war conflicts. There is a photograph I am including of one of two damages from the bombings to the Duomo. Both at the front doors: An angel loses her hand and the other is a chunk of marble near the front door was hit by a bomb and the hole is still there as a memory of what took place. A miracle that this is all the damage there was.

Next, we walked back to the Galleria and found a local gem called Pasticceria Marchesi which is the coffee shop on the top floor of Prada (formerly McDonalds RIP). Here we found men in formal attire serving us coffee and pastries. If you stand at the bar you are in for a true Milan bargain and you might blend in with the locals. For 2 coffees, water and 3 pastries we spent only 7.00 Euro and considering where we were, this too seemed to be a miracle! Also, YUM! (Also, if you want to make sure you are not spotted as a tourist make sure you know that when you order a coffee it is an Expresso. If you order Expresso, you are a tourist! If you order Cappuccino after breakfast, you are also a tourist!)

The Opera House was next. The Scala was built in 1778 and has housed some of the most famous operas in the world and continues to do so today. Many composers wrote and conducted works including such greats as Rossini, Puccini, Verdi and Toscanini. The exterior is very plain and unassuming but once you get inside you can only imagine the grandeur of it's patrons in it's early history. Lovely plush private boxes for the wealthier season ticket owners and the standing room for the commoners to come to enjoy the music. While we were visiting we could not take interior photographs as they were rehearing for their production of Hansel and Gretel that was performing that evening. Historically The Scala audiences can be either ecstatic or merciless towards singers' perceived successes or failures. For their failures, artists receive a "baptism by fire" from these aficionados, and fiascos are long remembered. Even Pavarotti has been booed off this stage! There is museum attached with costumes, props, instruments etc. A highlight for me was seeing (and touching the keys but don't tell!) Giuseppe Verdi's piano!

Next stop the Palazzo Brera that has a long history (1150) but became an Art Gallery in 1806 in Napoleonic times. You could spend a full day here and still not see all the pieces that they have on display. Today this is still a place where art students come to study and to learn in the footsteps of some of the greatest Italian artists throughout time. You can't go very far in Italy without hearing the name Michelangelo, Rafael, or Leonardo DaVinci. Here at Palazzo Brerra you will still find students walking in their footsteps as they had all been here, literally. The paintings were fascinating and some very famous pieces are housed in this gallery. I have posted a few but again, photographs certainly cannot do justice. Franscesa was very passionate about her love of art and the explanations could often bring the paintings to life for us. However true confessions, the jet lag on top of being exhausted before I got here, I at times thought I could have fallen asleep standing up. A party trick that Grant has become known for but one I never thoughts I would learn… was an Almost!!

Having enjoyed our time in the art museum for a few minutes too long, we were now late and had to jump in a taxi for our next destination. We arrived at Santa Maria Delle Grazie where we learned that what we were about to see was not a painting hanging on the wall, nor was it a fresco but what is likely the most famous master piece of Leonardo da Vinci and perhaps the most familiar painting in the world, a mural of The Last Supper.

In 1495 century the Duke of Milan commissioned the already famous artist Leonardo da Vinci. The wall chosen was the end wall of the dining hall of the church where the Duke had hoped to create his family mausoleum with the painting as the centrepiece. This mural is much bigger then I had imagined and apparently anyone who has read the DaVinci Code has the same reaction. The dimensions are 181 inches by 346 inches (15x29 feet), essentially the whole wall. The picture depicts the reaction of the disciples when they learn that one of them will betray Jesus. From the notebooks of Leonardo we know which apostles are seated in which order at the table and each has been given an interpretation of their reaction to the news.

This took over three years to complete with the final mural being displayed in 1498. It is painted on a regular stone wall. This was not a fresco as the da Vinci was experimenting with new techniques and when restoration work took place assuming it was painted directly on plaster, it caused damage and quickly began to deteriorate a few years after it was painted. On the opposite wall is a traditional fresco "The Crucifixion," by one of the most significant works by Milanese painter Donato da Montorfano. Ironically if you look carefully at the photographs of this piece you will see two small blurry patches in the 2 bottom corners where Leonardo added the Duke and his wife into the scene using the different technique and over time they have disappeared.

The tickets to see the Last Supper are difficult to acquire but we were lucky enough to get them in advance. The tour begins with historical photographs, one that includes the photos after WWII in August of 1943 and Anglo American aerial bombardment hit the church. In the photographs you can see that most was destroyed but some walls survived including The Last Supper that had been sandbagged.

In small groups (maybe 25) and you enter a series of chambers that contain you as you move though the process. Finally you open up into the room with the paintings. Once the crowed cleared away Francesca talked us through the history and her own personal interpretation of the details and the art history of this work.

One detail I did not know about before this trip was that it is speculated that Jesus is predicting that his betrayer will take the bread at the same time he does. Jesus points with his left hand to a piece of bread and distracted by the conversation between John and Peter, Judas reaches for a different piece of bread not noticing Jesus is also stretching out his right hand towards it. There are many theories about this painting and it is very detailed so if hey allowed you to, you could sit for a long time and study.

When we were in Florence, just months before photography was allowed of David, today we learned that only 4 months ago they have are now allowing the photographing of The Last Supper. Happily, ours are attached.

Across the street at Cafe Grazi we enjoyed a bite to eat with Franscesa and learned about her family and her life in Milan and some funny stories of the tourists that she has encountered over the years. A great pick me up and a bottle of lovely wine and we were off again!

Just beside the Santa Maria delle Grazie you will find another church that is unique in it's detail as the priests were on one side and the Nun's were on the other divided by a wall where things were passed through tiny doorways, or as Franscesa said, "so they say". The artwork in this church was very detailed and covered much of the church but this paled in comparison to the last stop on our trip which was a tiny spot that a tourist would likely not find on their own. The "little church" Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore was quite small but had frescos from floor to ceiling and is one of Milan's hidden gems. The church was floor to ceiling artwork and this was the first time that I have seen Noah's Ark represented in any frescos of any church. I was surprised to find 3 walls dedicated to the story and could imagine that this is the one that the children would all love to look at. It was a very unique building and a great place to end our tour. We walked back to the Sforza Castle together (Home of the Duke of Milan) and from here we took our leave from our guide and headed back to the Galleria to snoop around and re-visit the phone store as texting and cell coverage was not working (only to find that of course what they promised us yesterday was not at all possible… "feel free to text and call everyone in Italy on your plan sir! North America is blocked because it is too expensive!" Insert major grumbling from us here!!!) We stuck our noses in stores like the multi levelled Tiffany's but we didn't last much longer before we headed back. We got a phone call from the rental car agency (our only friend we can call in Italy!) who was going to bring our car to us so he did not have to come in on Sunday morning to meet us. So, long story short, wrong day and wrong car and an overnight parking fee for us later, (it did save us the fare to the rental car place and left us in charge of our own departure on Sunday) it turned out to be just fine.

Dinner this evening was on the recommendation of Franscesa as we had indicated we wanted to try Milano Risotto and the Cotoletta alla Milanese,. We found our way to a lovely outdoor garden restaurant and with their outdoor heaters the weather was just warm enough to make this an enjoyable venue. Always trying to jump into something new we tried the Pumpkin Flowers with a Tomato Compote as an appetizer and as it turned out was the highlight of the meal. Our waiter got more and more rude as the night went on and we were not sure why as everyone else had seemed very pleasant to us. Between his attitude and the meal, we were happy to move on. We did try the Milano standards and we found that the Risotto which is famous for having Saffron as the highlight, honestly tasted like Kraft Dinner to me. The Cotoletta alla Milanese,was basically Schnitzel. Not my favourite meal. Disappointed we moved on.

We decided to walk back through the Duomo Square to see it lit up a night. Fortunately we didn't quite get there as we were window shopping again at the Galleria when the torrential storm descended upon us. The good news is that we got to see the Duomo at night in heavy rain because the Gargoyles were spouts for the water and acted like mini waterfalls from their mouths. The unfortunate part was that we had left the umbrellas behind. We found that the large shopping mall, La Rinascentre was still open so we snooped around inside and I bought a hair dryer with a European plug so on future trips I could stop blowing up my electronics. (My own curling brush was fried by the different voltage here so bad hair days here we come!!) At this point we were so tired that we opted to brave the rain and head back to the hotel. Stopped to warm up with a nightcap and then collapsed after a long day of touring. (We cannot complain about our feet as Hayley has this category covered with the Disney policy of "if you are in uniform you do not sit down unless Disney gives you a seat that is specifically designed of you to sit down on!" We are excited and ready to move on from this city and see what the wine country of Verduno has to offer tomorrow!