Monday, December 2, 2013

Italy in Nov 2013 - Milano I

Raindrops, bricks and a distinct touch of old - these caught my attention as the airport bus drove into Milan.  The next day I headed off to Santa Maria della Grazie.
 
Santa Maria della Grazie
 
The church houses L'Ultima Cena, a painting better known as The Last Supper.  You need to buy a ticket in advance.  You can try here.  Beware of fake websites.  All I can do is caution, I wouldn't know how one would identify a fake website.

Alternatively you can waltz in 30 minutes before the gallery opens and pick up one of those cancelled tickets.  This should work well, at least during the low season.  Camera buffs - tough luck here - you cannot photograph the masterpiece that (probably) brings you to Milan.



Santa Maria della Grazie, Milan

The church suffered heavy damage as a result of Allied bombing in 1943.  Extensive restoration work was subsequently carried out.

Santa Maria della Grazie after allied bombing in 1943.  Source http://www.storiadimilano.it/Repertori/bombardamenti.htm


Gelateria MiSciolgo
 

Gelateria MiSciolgo - adverts elsewhere but in Italy one might just commission a painting!

 
This painting was commissioned in 2006.  Gelateria MiSciolgo has however a longer tradition.  This place tops my list of ice cream joints in Milan.  The gelato are smooth, silky and without too much of sugar. The owner speaks a bit of English. Pull out your ipad, request for an internet password, sit back and relax while you tongue your way into the swirls.
 
The gelateria is located off Piazzale Lugano - not a place you would normally visit as a tourist but the experience is far more delightful than the relatively less personal, factory-made tastes you will come across around the Duomo. La Gelateria della Musica, another highly recommended gelato spot; closer to the city center but with a rather cramped sitting area.

S.P.I.B.

Milan is full of tourists.  Milan is also full of people who make brisk business running restaurants but do not take pride in preparing what they serve.  Gelateria MiSciolgo blew me over with their emphasis on making sure the sugar-seeker goes back content.  I took the safe bet and asked the owner to recommend a pizza joint.  That is how I landed up at S.P.I.B.  They offer over 40 types of toppings.  All pizzas are priced between £4-9.  The bread is thin.  It has a distinct handmade flavour.  This is the third best pizza I have ever had in life (my best ever was at Pizza Hut in Rolla, Missouri and the second best at Breit au Soleil, a small village in Southeast France).  If you need taste bud orgasms then come here.  It is about 500m walk from Maciachini train station.

S.P.I.B.: I never met a person with an exclamation in her name.  But here is a pizzeria full of dots (and awesome pizza).


 

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