In Search Of The Last Supper
I’ve seen Leonardo’s Last Supper in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in Milan twice, but felt that as it was a wet afternoon, that I might be greedy and have another look.
However, it was all fully booked, so I just looked at the outside of the church and then got a tram to the Duomo.
Incidentally, the first time I saw the mural, was when Ipswich played Inter Milan in the UEFA Cup in 2001. One of the staff was surprised at how many visitors they had that day all dressed in blue.
Although Ipswich lost as expected, we all had a great day in Milan.
But normally now, twelve years later, you have to pre-book the visit. I suppose now with most visitors having the Internet on their phone, this is not that easy.
A Snack, Italian Style
When I arrived in Milan, I was hungry and so I went into a cafe under one of those big plastic covers, you see all over Italy, to see what I can get.
A Snack, Italian Style
The picture doesn’t show the large glass of excellent Pinot Grigio.
Is Milan Station Doing A Kings Cross?
Milan Centrale station is a very grand affair.
But it would appear that the square in front is getting a makeover similar to that at Kings Cross in London.
On the other hand a lot of squares in Italy use different coloured marble and other stone for effect. So perhaps it’s Kings cross that is the copy.
Welcome To Milan
The tourist office in the station was shut.
In the end, I took the Underground to the Duomo and then found that my hotel was by the station, so I had to come back.
I know there was a lot of building work going on, but surely some maps and posters around the station would have helped. Surely, Milan only has to look two stations down the line to Genoa.
I did fill in the survey, but there was no place for comments.
Would I Go Back To Turin?
As I said Turin was very disappointing and only if an event like a football match was taking place, in which I was interested, would I go.
I nearly ended up in Turin several years ago. In this post about Venice, I start with.
I’ve been to Venice many times, including once at New Year and another time to give a software demonstration at Verona. The latter ended in my giving someone a tour of Venice in the dark. As he had left before first light in the morning, I suspect he’s one of the few people to have seen the city, but not in the light.
But that is only part of the story of the software demonstration.
I had done the presentation in Cambridge and one of the attendees there had worked for the Department of the Environment. He asked if I would like to do the presentation to some Italian civil servants in Turin on the day after the August Bank Holiday. At the last minute it was switched to Verona, so I never got to Turin!
After the Verona meeting the Department of the Environment man, was driving to Rome to see other Italian officials and then meet his wife for a holiday. Hence the reason we ended up in Venice, as after all is there a better place to stay in that part of Italy.
One other memory of that trip was being given a large handful of lira or was it euros for expenses.
So I made a good profit on the trip.
From Turin To Milan
I was glad to leave Turin for Milan.
I was comfortably in First Class, virtually by myself for €34.50.
There is a high speed route, but my train took the traditional one.
One point to note about Italian trains is that most of their stations are termini, where you often have a long walk down the length of the train to get to your carriage. You realise how good the loading is at Kings Cross and the three major Eurostar termini, where you can use a bridge to get to the middle of the train.
An Italian told me a few years ago, that depending on the journey, he sometimes travels First Class and sometimes travels Second, just to avoid walking the full length of the train twice, as some journeys have intermediate stops, where the train actually reverses.
I Nearly Missed My Train
on this trip, I have been making extensive use of Left Luggage offices. They have generally been fairly good, although more expensive than the self-service German lockers.
But I was greeted by this sign, when I return to Turin Porta Nuova station.
I Nearly Missed My Train
It could have meant a whole new meaning to left luggage.
When the guy returned, he was puffing away on the remains of a ciggie!
So I had found him out!
In the end, I caught the train with a few minutes to spare.
A Rather Sorry Park
Outside of the main Turin Porta Nuova station, I found this small park.
It would have been a nice place to wait in the sun. But it was fully locked.
The Iconic FIAT Factory At Lingotto
The FIAT factory at Lingotto is best remembered in the UK for its appearance in the Italian Job. I just had to visit.
I couldn’t find out how to get on the roof to see where the Minis had outrun the Italian police, so I explored the rather boring shopping centre and then returned to the centre of Turin to catch my train to Milan.
The Turin Metro
The Turin Metro is not a big system, although it is being expanded.
Unlike the system in Genoa, it doesn’t serve the main part of the city centre, although it does link up the main train stations.
Like London’s DLR it is driver-less and surely in a few years time, all metros will be this way.
The Anonymous Widower 