The pharmacist notices we are tourists and tells us “Milano issa beautifulla! Soa mucha to seya!” and how can we only be staying for 2 days?? This is a surprising declaration, since every travel website we have read says that 2 days in Milan is more than enough, and that theres not much to see… He gives Mo her medicine and circles a million must-visit things on our map. His accent is endearing and just the way he pronounces the intersection of Via Fiori Chiari and Via Fiori Oscuri makes me melt. Ah, this language!
We all exchange email addresses and plan to hang out later today or tomorrow. We head off in search of the clothing store, which we don’t find, tho it allows us to explore our neighborhood, which is cute. We jump on the Metro and head to Il Duomo. Ive read online that it’s the only thing worth seeing in Milan, and that you can walk on the roof amongst the spires, which sounds very cool to me. I haven’t seen any pictures of it, tho, so Im not really expecting much. At this point, I feel like “You’ve seen one church, you’ve seen ‘em all”, and God, do the Europeans love them some churches! So when we take the last step up from the Metro and I turn around slightly and see Il Duomo for the first time, my breath is absolutely taken away. It is a massive, bright white structure, so full of intricate details I am amazed that something like this could ever even be built by mere humans. I take a bunch of pictures. I stare up in awe. I am dumbfounded by how beautiful it is.
We find out it costs 8€ to walk on the roof, so we pass. I am pleasantly surprised to find that touring the inside is free tho, so we head in. No Camera signs are plastered everywhere, so I pack my mammoth of an apparatus in my backpack. The inside of Il Duomo is massive (I hate to use that word repetitively, however, that’s the one that keeps coming to mind). The vaulted ceilings are ridiculously high, the stained glass windows are huge and made up of a hundred separate panes, the belly of the church is gigantic. I notice someone taking pictures and I comment that he’s gonna get in trouble very soon. Then I see more and more people taking pictures. I tentatively take my camera out, sneak some quick photos and deposit it back in my bag asap. We are in the back of the church and theres no official-looking people around, but I wonder if theyre watching me on the security cameras, and are gonna swoop down on me and kick me out any minute now.
We keep walking and end up in the center area of the church. I see cameras clicking left and right. Oh hell no, I want some pictures too. I take my baby back out and snap away. I semi-sneak, semi-don’t-care. When I walk off towards the exit tho, I hide the camera inside my open jacket and hold the flap protectively over it. An old man in a suit walks up to me and starts speaking in Italian. “Oh shit, Im in trouble” I think, a split second before I realize he’s just a tourist, too. I apologize that I don’t understand what he’s saying and he smiles and walks away. I take some more photos. Click, click, click.
“Ziggy, this shot is beautiful, see if you can get one of these if you wanna try to get away with it”
We are in the very front. I look around. Oh, whatever. I lift my camera. Click, click… Click.
Finally Im done, I am all pictured-out. After we light a candle each and say a prayer for loved ones, we leave Il Duomo, all the while amazed by how beautiful it is. Those of you who know me well know that Im not a big fan of organized religion and everything it encompasses. But some holy places just give me a sense of peace, regardless of what religion or denomination they are. Il Duomo has invoked a sense of awe in me, more than anything, and I find that even as Im walking away from it, I keep turning back to admire it.
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