Avid readers will have noticed a gap in the narrative. Non avid readers will have noticed nothing, so just skip this paragraph. Oops. Too late. Our trip from the Milan apartment to Anthony and Jayne's place in Dubai was smooth and easy. Giancarlo dropped us to the airport. We had already done on line check in, so the only obstacle was dealing with a single scanner for all the luggage getting to the departure gates. The Emirates lounge was quiet and beautifully s...

Our last day in Italy- but, as Macarthur said, or was it Schwarzenegger? - we'll be back. We started with a wander around the Brera, a more traditional, less corporate arty area not far from the Sforza Castle. It is all very subdued - antique shops, leather shops etc - lacking either the edge of the big fashion houses or the energy we were hoping for - the Newtown meets Brunswick Street thing we see in Australia. Maybe we were just in the wrong streets. Then it...

Last night we made it to the local pizzeria recommended by Giancarlo- OK Pizza did better than live up to its name. Light crispy crust with delicious toppings washed down with prosecco. Just the job, and nary a word of English, German, French to be heard. Viva l'italia! Another day dawned in Milan, and while mozzie extermination had not been complete, we had made a difference! We had a big day of walking planned- with the Duomo, La Scala and the Sforza Cast...

A couple of days with George Clooney- Or it might have been if not for a certain event in Venice;-) Milan to Varenna- a trip to Lake Como. Tiny day packs only, so we were very mobile! Monday got off to a flying start, literally, because some fool- me - set the alarm to 6.30 pm! We woke about an hour late, so just got a taxi from Piazza Tricolore to catch the next train from Stazione Garibaldi to Como at 8.38. When we tried to validate our ticket the machine di...

Day three in Milan! Today was a day of strict religious observance- solemn high mass at the Duomo and a sacrifice of another kind at the San Siro where Inter - one of the top teams in the Series A played Cagliari- bottom at the start of the day with only one point from 4 games. We were delayed in getting out by a full memory card in the camera and the only way of making space seemed to be one photo at a time. This meant we didn't have time for a coffee and La Sc...