During my trip to Milan, I lived in a phenomenal hostel with great roommates and a courteous staff. Air conditioning was available for the first time in weeks and I had access to breakfast every single day. The weather has gotten much warmer and being able to sleep in a cold room was a blessing all in itself. The heat was intense, but I made sure to always drink plenty of water before going out.
In Milan, I visited many different museums and practiced my Italian as much as possible. Holding conversations with native Italians was a lot of fun and I picked up on a couple of new vocabulary words. Il Museo Nazionale Scienza e Technologica Leonardo Da Vinci, or The Leonardo Da Vinci Musuem of Science and Technology, held a large hall containing many of Da Vinci’s inventions and gave detailed descriptions of his ideas and contributions to both art and science. However, the museum was not focused solely on Da Vinci. It focused on some of the greatest contributors to modern science in general including Alan Turing and Carl Sagan. Being able to get a deeper understanding of Turing himself made the museum definitely a lot more interesting. I am semi-familiar with his work, mostly focused on the Turing Test, a study that determines a machine’s ability to imitate a human in a conversation. Artificial intelligence is a very interesting topic, and Turing was one of the few people I was introduced to in my Introduction to Philosophy course. Science is pretty cool.
I also spent time visiting Il Duomo in Milan. It was huge; it held many large columns inside the building with many images depicting saints and other important figures in the Roman Catholic faith. There were many soldiers guarding the structure, with automatic rifles and Robin Hood hats. I really wanted one of those hats. Outside the Duomo were a ridiculous number of sellers trying to target tourists, including me, in order to buy their cheaply made products. They were annoying and it wasn’t until my second day that I purposely clenched my fists and held a face of disgust when I walked around the plaza. That kept them at bay, and oh how I enjoyed the peace. These sellers exist in all major cities and as long as you don’t look like a social character, they’ll leave you alone. One did make my day with his positive comments, but I still didn’t give him a cent.
Castello Sforezco was another location that I spent a large amount of my time in. It was huge, with several courtyards and about 2 walls of defense. In the museum within the castle, there is a restoration project being done for one of Da Vinci’s works. Essentially, the piece looks like a garden painted on the walls and with the help of many different specialists, they are slowly recovering the painting. It was damaged because someone decided to cover the piece with rugs and other materials, without realizing that it was a piece of Da Vinci’s work. As you can probably tell, Da Vinci is a very popular figure in this city. So much so that there is a statue of him about a 5 minute walk from Il Duomo.
In order to expand my appreciation for art, I visited the Santa Maria delle Grazie church which hosts the Last Supper by Da Vinci and a painting of the Crucifixion opposite of the Last Supper. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and visitors are not allowed to take photos. Furthermore, there is a 20-minute viewing limit in order to protect the painting. I was fortunate enough to find a group of people who gave me a ticket, because I did not know you had to make reservations two weeks ahead of time. There is no questioning Da Vinci’s talent but seeing one of his most highly recognized pieces of art, in person, is unforgettable. I love the Italian Renaissance, hence my nerdy appreciation for Renaissance men such as Da Vinci.
During one of the nights in my hostel, I was invited by the staff to celebrate Canada Day. It was a fun night where I made many new friends, most of whom came from South Korea. There was food, a brief quiz on Canada, and music all around. Eventually, there were Southern Italians dancing and playing music which was entertaining to watch. Towards the end of the night, I was playing Blackjack, Texas Hold’Em and Big Two. At first I was losing and then I made a complete turn around towards the end of the game. I wish I could’ve stayed in Milan a little longer…one day I shall return.