Milano is a grand old dame of a city. Broad cobbles, grand castellos, flamboyant bronze hats, glorious text book artwork, larger than life opera singers, and a very very big dark spidery church.
Started the day lining up to be asked 'would I like to sleep with 4 or 6 people?' I waved my ring and asked to per favore sleep by myself....only €278 for that singular pleasure. However to sleep with 4 (challenging perhaps at my age) was only €104 ...so 4 tis on this occasion.....bici is free in a bag....
The sleepfest starts at 11:39pm and delivers me to the Gare de Lyon at 9.30 on Tuesday 8th. I fear the bici will, despite being compressed into its bag, be sleeping better than I. I'm told bunks are de rigeur akin to a youth hostel on tracks. I will have 15 minutes to bag the trusty trek and board the correct carrozza on the correct binario (usually no 9) would that be one of those little so meaningful asides.? Perhaps.
Tomorrow being monday galleries close. Today was therefore reserved for ancient glorious art. First light-biked it over broad red cobbles to the gallery Brera. The busker outside was making a good fist of great reggae. Inside for free (first sunday of the month) was the great Mantegna christ corpse...meant to be observed on ones knees. Displayed in a suitably austere setting.
Raphaels wedding. 6 men with sprouting (or not as it may be) sticks and 6 women with saint Joseph (when did Mary's guardian gain saintliness?) in the middle.....glorious symmetry. ..followed by J Smart's great hero Pierra della Francesca and the suspended egg symbolising the immaculate conception. Amidst hundreds of equally powerful and demanding wall to ceiling paintings.
Then off through a big park..opposite the castle ...to an immense design gallery. Some very beautiful photography including a photographic Rothko by Silvio Wolf which I very much enjoyed.
A fine display of many many objects in excellent triangular showcases. Followed by Paulo Mendes De Rocha a South american architect who clearly influenced Col Madigan's choice of concrete. Had a great horizontal line through a house. And for once comfortable chairs in which we were invited to rest.
Then off to the huge Duomo which really rivals anything like it. Immense dark stone columns with priest models laying in golden cases.....has anyone noticed that priests often have halos now?
Anyway very very wealthy cathedral. Found it dark and over powering...which I guess is inherent in its design and purpose.
Then magic ICOM card gets me past 300 waiters in the hot sun to see Gustav Klimt and his influencers.. I enjoyed the way he made flowers into women and women into flowers. Lived at home all his life like wonderful Marcel Proust. And saw landscape with a great eye.
Lastly before tired legs home and 16ks round town cobbles ridden....La Scala...now I've to tell you I've explored every meter of La Scala digitally behind Lara Croft's khaki clad butt.....and to gain entry to the real thing was splendiferously confirming. Massive chandeliers and equally so bronze Pucinni's along with painted Maria Callas' s. A resounding cream and red velvet spectacle worthy of my entire journey. There is a gloriousness but also a soft pillowed sensation to sounds in there and I would have loved to attend an opening with Hector B or Sarah B to soak up the bygone vocals and the pauvres in the crushed orchestra pit.
The hotel Flora is friendly and will look after my baggage until 11 pm tomorrow. Hotel du Parc has no room for me so am negotiating to stay across the park. Should work out Ok. Then hopefully not too much to pay to change the flight to be 'ome next week looking after our world while workhorse Sheila enables Australia's contribution to World AIDS day in Melbourne.
Today was a very fine day. Now to fix even half of it in my minds eye will be respectable. Did I mention grand old Cavour bronzed with a disrobing adoring female at the base of his podium?....head bepidgeoned......oh glorious Milano....
No comments:
Post a Comment