In true Milan style, I came to milan thinking I'm going to shop till I drop and it's going to put a hole in my pocket!!!! It did indeed, only thing was I didn't shop! I was robbed of my purse that had all my cards, money and id. Yup! In broad day light at the Piaza Duomo ....
Well I guess I was careless and didn't think it was going to happen to me. Lesson to be learnt.... There's bad people everywhere .... So no it won't deter me from coming back again!
The city is a pretty city indeed... The piazza Duomo was an amazing piece of art. Something that you can look at for hours and hours. In the day time it looked like beautiful white cathedral and at night it looked so magical. I would call it the Taj Mahal of Italy if you know what I mean.
For those who have not read the history of it, it's the 2nd largest cathedral in the world! It was built over a span of almost 6 centuries so it does go way back... The public are allowed to visit with no cost and if you want to take pictures it's only 2 euros.
Duamo is Milan if you ask me... every little corner you take you tend to end up back to the same square.
Other attraction of course was The Last Supper. I was lost for words as its nothing like seeing it yourself. Art is indeed something very beautiful and it needs to be appreciated. Everyone says its a miracle that it survived. Thats so true. Make the the most of it if your planning to go cos you only have 15 minutes and you need to reserve well in advance.
There was then the castle that was called the Sforzesco Castle which was built in 1368 to defend the city.... Actually all the buildings around the city including the shops had a very distinct touch of old and rustic feel that made Milan very pretty.
Everyone shops here but its really expensive.... but i was lucky enough to go to an outlet store ( a bit more affordable if you know what i mean) outside Milan like an hours drive called Serravalle Outlet .... from Gucci to Prada to Dior and Burberry you get it all at outlet pricing. I was lucky to get sweet deals .... made me a happy girl!! Of course this happened a day before my wallet was stolen.
FOOD... hmmmm well what i can i say... it was a very mixed feeling.... some were nice and some were not..... my expectations for Italian food were high.... naturally being in Italy.... u would think its going to be so yummy.... 1st few times i tried some stuff it was bad... from the pasta to the pizza it was all bad.... the worst incident was that in one place in Brera they served us bread while waiting ... and later to my astonishment we watch them removing the left over bread rolls on other tables and putting it back in the big basket and recycling them for the next customer. That was soooooooooo bad! What a put off. I almost didnt want to eat there anymore.
Around the Duamo area there were a few al fresco shops that were nice to sit and do some people watching as we sipped on Prosecco and had some pasta which was not too bad .... otherwise i just stuck to Mc Donalds ;)
But then there was Babs ... my friend who's been living in Milan for 4 years, whom i never met for ages and ages and who saved me from changing my mind about the food in Milan... she took me to this restaurant that was truely italian to its core from the decor to its food Boeucc Antico Ristorante which was around since 1696.... to put it simply, it was an experience! An Italian one at that.
We started with the starters which was a seafood galore my favourite of course ... baby octupus , backed scallops and the REAL octopus which was simmered and lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon zest. It was amazing.....
Then there was the entree ..... how much can you guys eat.... i mean seriously i was already getting full .... but i couldnt resist could i? Lobster Ravioli and Asparagus Risotto..... hmmmmm it was so good i jest kept on eating....yes there was more... the mains were unbelievably delicious.
It was sea bass shallow fried with bread crumbs rolled with prawns in it on a bed of grilled vegetables. Oh my it was so good. The dessert tray looked so inviting but we just couldnt take in anymore food so it ended traditionally with Grappa and Lemon Chello! Its something you shouldnt miss out on when in Milan. It was truely an Italian Experience.
Milan all in all was a bitter sweet escapade for me..... but i just think i havent really seen enough of it yet and maybe just maybe i would go back again, this time extra careful of the people around me.
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