Piazza Volta

On our way to Como we stopped in Milan to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper which is a mural painting in a church outside the city centre and the impressive Duomo (cathedral). The painting has been so well restored and depicts the expressions and body language at the moment when Christ told his disciples that one of them would betray him. The basilica next door also has some lovely frescos.
It was a very hot day which made our visit to the Duomo challenging but the church was so impressive. It has 52 columns and too many aspects to mention. Shannon was interested that it held the relics of St Charles Borromeo (her local parish in Sydney), who was the Bishop here. We climbed the stairs to the terrace roof which gave lovely aspects but again was very hot so we couldn’t stay long. We definitely earned our gelato before heading off.
We arrived in Como in time for a meal, a cool shower and bed. Early the next morning there was a big thunderstorm which cooled everything down and we had a lovely cloudy day for our walking tour of Como and a ferry ride on the lake. Our guide was so good in her calm yet passionate commentary and insights. She gave. Some good history lessons for Italy in general and seemed less territorial than most other guides. The lake and the quaint villages are so beautiful and wasn’t too crowded either.
It was so nice just walking around and having meals with Theresa and Shannon. This would be our last evening together before we headed to India and the girls continue their Italian tour to Venice, Florence and Tuscany, Umbria and then a few days in Vienna to visit friends of Shannon’s before they start their World Youth Day pilgrimage, starting in Rome, Assisi and then onto Portugal.
We had a typical Italian aperitif and then a lovely dinner in a local piazza. The meal was lovely and ended with another big storm so we had to run back in the rain which was quite a hoot. And so ended our Europe trip in such a special way with our girls (we missed you Robbie !). As always, Italy was so impressive in so many ways. Next time maybe we need to head South! Ciao!Read more