SIGHTSEEING IN MILAN - 12 DECEMBER 2017

8. Santa Maria delle Grazie is a 15th century church built by the Duke of Milan and served as a Dominican convent, the refectory of which contains The Last supper, a Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece completed between 1494 and 1498. Miraculously the painting survived a vicious aerial attack by the Allied forces in 1943, while many others perished. In 1980 the entire complex was accorded a World heritage site status by UNESCO. The church is open for worship and tour, while the refectory is a museum, which requires a prior booking for a fee of Euro14.

9. Sforza Castle is another iconic place of tourist interest in Milan. Remnants of a 14th century fort were used by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, in the 15th century to build his resident castle. It was enlarged over centuries by successive residents of the castle, until it became one of Europe’s largest citadels in the 18th century. Today the castle, or what remains of the original structures houses the city’s many museums and art collections. A short walk through the gardens of the Castle lead to the Sempione Park.

10. The Sempione Park is adjacent to the gardens of the Sforza Castle where the triumphal arch “Arco della Pace” is a riveting masterpiece. The Porta Sempione stands at a place that housed another gate to Milan city. The Arco della Pace dates back to the 19th century and is a celebration of the Napoleonic years.

11. Dedicated to St Mary of the Nativity, the Milan cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan. The first church in the premises date back to the early 4th century. Churches and basilicas were added to propagate the Cathedral. However, a devastating fire in the 11th century left many of the structures damaged and unusable. Reconstruction of the Cathedral lasted the whole of six centuries and it was a Napoleonic order that signaled the finish of the Cathedral reconstruction in 1805. The roads radiating from the present day Duomo and the roads that ring it show the importance of the Duomo in the development of the city. The Milan Cathedral is the largest church in Italy and the third in the whole world.

12. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is Italy’s oldest shopping mall – built between 1865 and 1877 - and is named after the first king of the Kingdom of Italy. Christmas gaiety is exemplified by the massive Xmas tree put up within the Galleria by Swarovski and decked up with crystals of varying sizes and shapes; mouthwatering indeed. Four mosaics on the ground of the central octagonal portray the coat of arms of Turin, Florence, Rome and Milan. It is said that if a person spins on his heel three times on the testicles of the bull from the Turin coat of arms it will bring the person good luck to visit the city once again; I had done that in 2014 and here I am today, once again, inflicting unspeakable pain on the bull!