Milan

We left Cinque Terre Thursday, October 16, and spent one night in the Hotel Poliziano Fiera in Milan. It was nice to be in a big city after the beautiful but rustic Cinque Terre. We were treated to a big American breakfast on Friday morning, complete with bacon, toast and orange juice!

Of course we went to see the Duomo. Construction on Milan's gothic cathedral, the Duomo di Milano, was begun in 1386 and substantially completed in 1805 by Napolean Bonaparte.

This statue of St. Bartholomew was placed in the Duomo in 1562. He is depicted holding his own skin, because it is believed that he was flayed and then crucified upside down.

This is the famous La Scala Opera House in Milan. The Marriage of Figaro was being performed.

Santa Maria delle Grazie was built by the Duke of Milan Francesco Sforza in about 1469. Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is located here, on a wall in the convent. This was one of the most amazing works of art that we saw in Italy. It appears to be a three dimensional extension of the room, rather than a single dimension fresco. When this church was bombed during World War II, the wall with the Last Supper survived.