Milano (4/7-8/1979)

Saturday, April 7, 1979
Fantastic! A car finally became available after 13:00 when the kids came home from school. Fortunately I could take Signora B's 127, since the A112 rattles at 80 kmh. I wanted to take the scenic route to Milano, so first I drove to Torino to buy a map, then I could find my way via small towns and not get headed onto the Autostrada. Didn't exactly go the route I wanted, but good enough! Lovely hilly vineyard country. Saw a couple sheep herders. Followed a trolleybus line to Chieri. Saw small villages in the hills and  monastery-looking communities.

Hills near San Pietro

View of the village of San Pietro

View of a hilltop walled-in community

Also saw their walled-in cemeteries, which are mostly tombs and open-air mausoleums. Made a wrong turn in Casale, but soon righted myself. Here I stopped for gas and now know to say "pieno" for "fill it up!" Expensive (~10,000 lire or $12.50 for a small tank-full). The land around Milano is flat. Saw flooded fields (rice paddies) and regularly planted forests. The young trees were too tall and skinny to be an orchard!

Milano was a huge city with obvious suburbs. Went first to the airport which was bigger and more modern, it seemed, than the one where I arrived!

I paid 100 lire to go out on the observation deck.

Just in driving into central Milano, I decided I loved it! Since it was getting dark, stopped to look for a hotel. In the area were only a few, so I went to one that took my credit card! It cost over 40,000 lire ($50), but I figure it was worth it. Had lots of chairs, a double bed and a complete bath. And a little refrigerator with snacks, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (for which you paid extra). Had a phone but no TV.

Hotel info front side
You can tell the hotel is too snazzy for me, with the ad for furs!

Hotel info back side with map

Went out for a night walk and saw beautiful sights. La Galleria Vittorio Emanulele II and il Duomo were lighted up, and I saw elegantly-uniformed doormen at il Teatro alla Scala. The Galleria was a roofed-over street of shops and restaurants with a mosaic-tile floor, high arched ceilings, and a dome at the intersection of two "streets."

La Galleria Vittorio Emanulele II

La Galleria Vittorio Emanulele II (GJT)

La Galleria Vittorio Emanulele II S façade (GJT)

There seemed to be subway entrances, but I decided not to explore them at night.

Milano Centrale Stazione FS at night (GJT)

Stopped at the largest candy store I've ever seen and bought "dairy fudge" which turned out to be caramels. After a good shower, had a good night's sleep.

Palm Sunday, April 8, 1979
I went to the earliest Mass at the closest church. The priest spoke super-fast and Mass was only a half hour long.

Mass liturgy, pages 1 and 4

Mass liturgy, pages 2 and 3

An ornate church, and people said confession or came in to light candles during Mass. They gave out these strange branches (olive branches?) instead of palms. One lady asked for more but apparently there was a shortage. So I gave her most of mine. Later saw typical palms being sold throughout the city. Went to check out of the hotel, and then started my tour of Milano.

Teatro alla Scala

Again walked to the Duomo where something special was going on. There were hundreds of runners (a marathon?), girls in costume, and a parade.

Il Duomo/Cathedral

Il Duomo/Cathedral (GJT)

Piazza del Duomo

Also souvenir vendors, people selling corn for feeding the pigeons, and hundreds of pigeons to feed. One man wanted me to join a couple of Japanese fellows for a picture with the pigeons. Went into the subway where the guard in the booth told me to buy the ticket at the newspaper stand. Again met the Japanese fellows, but we had to communicate in English! Took the subway to the railroad station which was grandissimo!

Milano Centrale Stazione FS/Train station

Took the subway to Castello Sforzesco to explore a little.

Castello Sfozesco

Castello Sfozesco (GJT)

Lots of magnolia trees in blossom.

Piazza Cairoli with a statue (1896) of Giuseppe Garibaldi

Parco Sempione with the Arco della Pace/Arch of Peace

Took the subway (using the same ticket over and over!) to a stop in the middle of nowhere special. Then to an area supposedly full of churches according to the tiny map given by the hotel. Found and photographed many. Saw a Chase-Manhattan Bank; Milano is supposedly the economic center of Italy. The only fellow to bother me was a guy asking for money. Made my way to the Duomo where now there were flower merchants and a fellow sweeping up the mess from the festivities that morning. Found a garden for "kids only." Finally got back to the car and headed for Torino via a slightly different route.

Rice fields (GJT)

Since it was still early and sunny, I drove around Torino to take photographs. Even in walking only short distances, fellows came up to say "ciao!" Milano was a more comfortable city because I was one of many obvious tourists.