Italy
Milan

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    • Day 16

      Day 12: Garlasco to Pavia

      Yesterday in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Another great day of walking (26.68 km). The Way was quite diverse. It started with farmland and canal walking and ended with a combination of riverside (Fuime Ticino) and woodland walking. It's Saturday here and so there were quite a few people about along thee riverside, even some fishermen. I should have mentioned that I've spent the last two nights (Nicorvo and Galasco) with a group of four Italian pilgrims who are walking the VF from Santhià to Santa Cristina. They think it will take them about ten years to complete the whole thing! I also met a French pilgrim, Thomas, who is on his way to Rome and who had actually braved Grand-Saint-Bernard Pass (five metres of snow). He said that the way down from the Pass to the Italian side was terrible and not marked. I am so glad that I didn't attempt it. I also met two Belgians on their bikes. They say it will only take them fifteen days to reach Rome! I saw lots of rabbits today, some ducks, and another coypu (but again, it was too quick for a photo). Finally, the Basilica San Michele Maggiore in Pavia has the best stonework I have ever seen.Read more

    • Day 15

      Day 11: Nicorvo to Garlasco

      May 3 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      The forecast promised rain pretty much all day, and it was raining before 6 am. But as I was leaving town with the church tower bell tolling 8 am, the sky was relatively clear, and it only got better as the day progressed - endong in beautiful sunshine. Today's walk (30.26 km) was very similar to yesterday. Though there did seem to be a lot more trees surrounding the fields and waterways. When I entered the church in Mortara, the organist was practising (video attached)! It was lovely. Then I went on to cause a mild sensation in the fruit shop and also the tobacconist when I told them I was Australian. I saw lots of birds, a frog, some rabbits, and two of what I now know to be Coypu (the thing I thought was a Marmot the other day). One was swimming, and the other was sitting on the bank, but they were too quick for me to get a photo. I'm staying again tonight in "proper" Pilgrim accommodation (another donativo). This time, it is run by the local council.Read more

    • Day 2

      Milan

      April 20 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      I've made it safe and sound to Milan. My second flight seemed to pass in no time at all. I caught some wonderful sights of snow-capped mountains on the few occasions that the clouds cleared away. I decided not to sleep on my second flight to make sure that I was tired enough to get a good nights rest tonight. That may have been a mistake as I'm sitting here eating dinner feeling a little shaky. I managed to hop on the wrong train from the airport to the city, and I also managed to lock myself out of my hotel safe (staff had to help me regain access). But I was able to recover both mishaps without too much drama. I heard from the BBC tonight that it has been snowing on the Alps. That may impact my ability to get to Grand Saint Bernard Pass. Also, I've had no luck getting tickets to see the Last Supper. I'm pretty heart broken. As I never give up, I will try again tomorrow in person.Read more

    • Day 3

      Milan

      April 21 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      I exhausted myself today walking all over Milan. Thankfully, I'm travelling most of the day tomorrow on train and bus, so I should be rested to start my pilgrimage the day after. I was lucky enough to get a ticket to see the Last Supper, and it was, as expected, the highlight of the day. The tour guide really did enhance the entire experience. I was mistaken; I thought the French had super cute little cars. Well, the Italian's, if Milan is anything to go by, beat them hands down. I've added just one photo so that you can see what I mean. I really have a lot to say about today, but I'm too tired to make the effort. Rest assured, it was memorable and included a lot of churches. I have to add that the hotel I'm staying at has free beer on tap, Heineken, I'm enjoying one in my room right now.Read more

    • Day 2

      Cimitero Mortara

      April 8 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Am Montag sind wir nach unserem italienischen Frühstück 🥐☕ über Landstraßen durch die Ticino und Po-Ebene Richtung Süden mit Ziel Porto Genova gestartet. Zufällig lag auf unserem Weg bei Mortara ein von außen mit seiner großen Gebäudeanlage neugierig machender Friedhof. Blinker rechts und die Anlage angeschaut. Der Friedhof wurde im 18. Jahrhundert errichtet und zeigt mit seinen Gebäuden und Familiengräbern das zu der Zeit mit der Landwirtschaft sich ein gewisser Reichtum für Einige Familien einstellte. Sehr sehenswert 👍Read more

    • Day 5

      Italy - Vigevano

      June 24, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

      We took a flight from Barcelona to Milan. Collected a rental car at the airport and headed for our destination, a small town in the North of Italy called Vigevano. It was pretty hot and the car aircon was very welcome.

      Spending two months in Spain, we had got used to the language and were able to communicate quite effectively. We felt a little lost as we arrived (although Italian is quite similar to Spanish in many ways). I’m sure it won’t take too long before we feel more comfortable.

      The earliest records of Vigevano date from the 10th century. It is crowned by the Castello Sforzesco, a stronghold rebuilt in the late 1400s. It is famed for its beautiful and large Renaissance "Piazza Ducale" in the centre of the town. We parked our car in the public car park and took a short stroll to our accommodation. We walked past the Cathedral and onto the Piazza. What an incredible sight- lined with restaurants and already for early evening there was a vibe created by the people milling about for Saturday night entertainment. Our accommodation was an apartment right on the piazza - beautifully renovated and steeped in history. We off loaded our bags and hurried back along the Piazza to make it just in time for Mass. On leaving Mass there was a buzz about the piazza and we found a lovely spot for dinner where we had some delicious pasta and local wine. By the time dinner was finished there was even more people about enjoying the summer cooler night time temperature.
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    • Day 2

      Victoria Secret Angel & Versace Adonis

      April 8, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

      (Short information for everybody reading this blog. This is a summary of all my thoughts and experiences, which I usually write down (quite tired) at the end of each day, without paying attention to any grammatical rules nor spelling, so please dont be surprised if suddenly the tense changes or letters are missing:))

      Turns out Italy did not disappoint us. When we woke up at 7:30 the sun was shining and it was warm enough to walk around without an anorak, gloves and scarf. We went to the Officina Zero, which is a 100% glutenfree bakery, to start of our day with some Croissants, coffee and a freshly squeezed orange juice. We headed to the metro station close by and took a train to the Duomo. Finally we realized what the tickets we had bought really were for. They brought us to the terraces on the rooftop of the building. It was absolutely insane, we didnt even realize it was possible to get up there. We were really happy and decided to stay there for a while and enjoy the sun. Later on we visited the inside and the archaeological area of the cathedral. Our visit made us hungry, therefore we walked over to Amorino (still the very best gelato ever) and grabbed an ice cream. First Kai only wanted to get chocolate but then I convinced him to try different flavours since he was at such a good gelateria, and even though he didnt admit it, I‘m quite sure he thanked me later. Although, what he didn’t appreciate for sure was the „short“ stop at Victoria Secret… well I just had to. What is a trip to Milan without some „serious“ shopping? I returned Kai the favour and spent at least an hour in shoe stores with him, because he couldnt decide whether to buy red, yes red, special edition vans or not. He bought them in the end and was happy, so it was worth the wait:).
      We strolled along the street, went to a supermarket, bought some drinks and snacks and sat down in a park next to the Basilica San Lorenzo. However, the park wasnt as nice as we thought, there were some really weird emo- teenies, walking around, smoking and drinking, which lead Kai and I to have an extended conversation about education which almost lasted throughout the rest of the day. Anyways, we walked on and found a very pretty bar outside, so we sat down and ordered two analcoholic cocktails. Felt quite fancy;))
      We stayed there for a while and enjoyed the sunrays tickeling on our faces.
      On our way to the restaurant „Bistró“, I had found on a „glutenfree guide“ website earlier, we walked past a canal with bars, cute little shops and art galleries. We hadnt seen such a charming part of the city before and I was glad we had come cross it.
      After a couple of minutes we found ourselves walking through a less touristic part of the city and saw an old man carrying boxes of wine out of his car. Kai stepped over to him and offered to help. The man was very surprised at first but accepted Kai‘s offer. They went inside the house while I looked after his cute dog. For a moment I was a bit worried because they took a while to get back. But then they came back and the man thanked us a thousant times. We talked for a bit and he offered to invite us to his house for a glass of wine, but when he looked for his keys to open up the gate he realised he had left them inside, so we waited for about 20 minues until he had called all his contacts and had finally found somebody who could open up the gate for him. Before we left he invited us again but we declined, saying we had a reservation, so he gave us one of his wine bottles and wished us all the best.
      Although I must admit the day was over all incredibly aweosme, my highlight was dinner. The Ristorante Bistró is a 100% glutenfree place where they offer all types of Lasagne, fresh homemade pasta, delicious burgers with soft buns and honestly everything somebody could wish for. I felt like I was in heaven. I can’t remember the last time I had such good bread it was just exquisite. I was more than full but I just couldnt say no to dessert, so we ordered a Tiramisú scomposto. Kai doesnt even like coffee, but he knew that for me this Tiramisu was just a „to die for“ so he shared it with me!
      We gave the girl a good tip and „rolled“ (at least I did) to the next metro station and drove home, packed all our stuff and went to bed where I am now currently reflecting on our awesome day and writing this blog!
      Good night to switzerland:)
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    • Day 9

      Jour 9 - Culture & Gastronomie 🇮🇹

      July 30, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      Cette deuxième journée milanaise a débuté par un brunch en centre ville après une bonne nuit de sommeil. 😋

      Nous sommes ensuite allés à pied au musée des sciences et de la technologie Léonard de Vinci où nous avons passé une bonne partie de la journée.
      Nous avons poursuivi cette journée culturelle en allant visiter les boutiques officielles des deux clubs de foot de la ville : le Milan AC et l’Inter de Milan. ⚽️

      Vers 19h nous sommes allés dîner dans la meilleure pizzeria de la ville : nous avons été accueillis avec une coupe de Prosecco et des amuses bouches italiens. Et en effet, il s’agit d’une excellente pizzeria, nous nous sommes régalés 😋
      Sur le chemin du retour nous nous sommes arrêtés chez le glacier du bas de notre immeuble, ses glaces sont délicieuses, il va nous manquer… 🥲

      Demain, nous reprenons la route ! 🚲
      Il nous reste 2 étapes de vélo avant d’arriver à Gênes ✌🏼
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    • Day 10

      Milano die Zweite

      August 18, 2022 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

      Da es heute leider extrem regnet, ist unsere große Stadtrunde leider im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes ins Wasser gefallen.
      Eventuell ist Italien traurig weil wir so kurz da sind oder überhaupt da sind. 🤣
      Nachdem wir uns mit Regenschirmen ☔️ ausgestattet haben, sind wir eine kleine Runde gelaufen.
      Haben uns die "wichtigsten" Punkte angeschaut und natürlich auch eine kleinen Snack zu uns genommen. Ich würde fast behaupten, il migliore panino del mondo. 😉
      Nun sind wir erstmal wieder im Zimmer und schauen was wir noch machen.
      Definitiv machen wir unseren Großeinkauf noch, da dieser wie bei jedem Italienbesuch Pflicht ist.

      Morgen geht es dann auf Heimfahrt.
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    • Day 3

      Hitzewarnung —> Citytrip

      August 21, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

      Nach einem ausgiebigen Frühstück haben wir uns auf den Weg nach Mailand gemacht. Einen passenden Tag gab es nicht, da es jeden Tag super heiß ist.

      Leider war es zu heiß… in Mailand waren wir in der Viktor-Emanuel Passage und haben uns den Dom angeguckt, dann mussten wir in eine klimatisierte Mall flüchten.

      Abends wollten wir noch bouldern und haben an der Kasse gefragt ob die Halle klimatisiert sei. Die Antwort war ja! Leider eine dreiste Lüge und so boulderten wir wütend und schwitzend für 2h.

      Auf den Rückweg stärkten wir uns in einem tollen Steakhouse und
      back in Lovere gab es dann noch suuuuuuper leckeres Eis um den Tag gut ausklingen zu lassen.
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Città metropolitana di Milano, Citta metropolitana di Milano, Mailand, Milan, Milán, Milano, Milão

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