This summer I had the opportunity to visit my relatives in Milan. Throughout my years in Italy, I have heard much about the “fashion capital of the world” but unfortunately never saw it with my own eyes. Anticipation churned in my stomach as the plane landed in Bergamo, a small city not too far from Milan itself.
The first stop of the day was the San Siro stadium, also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. This may seem like an odd stop on the bucket list, but soccer (or calcio in Italian) is a colossal piece of Italian culture. A soccer club is the heart, pride, and joy of any given community. You cannot go a day without seeing Italian children or adults alike playing soccer in tight alleyways, green fields, or smooth beaches. From smaller regional teams to the first division, the passion for calcio is found in every nook and cranny within the Italian countryside. My family and I are proud supporters of Football Club Internazionale Milano. They are based in, you guessed it, the San Siro in Milan, which gave the trip a whole new layer of eagerness. The feeling when arriving at the stadium was unlike any other I had felt before. Not only was I in front of the pinnacle of sport within Italy, I found myself in front of the home of one of the most historic teams in the world. And that is what Milan is all about – history, passion, and beauty.
Our second stop was the Duomo di Milano. Arguably the figurehead of Milan, the Duomo is the largest church in the entire nation. The cathedral itself can only be described with the word ‘breathtaking’. The detail around its central gothic design is not anything short of astonishing, and one cannot do anything but stare in awe at the intricately designed pillars reaching for the sky. At the very top of the building, towering above all of Milan, is the Madonnina, or “little Madonna''. The word Madonna refers to the Italian phrase for the Virgin Mary, one of the most influential figures in Italian religious culture. The small statue is bronze-casted but covered in a gold coating, giving the cathedral a celestial feel. The construction of the entire cathedral took nearly 600 years to complete, and every single one of them can be felt when observing its overwhelming beauty.
Just a few steps to the left of the Duomo was our third stop in Milan, the Galleria di Vittorio Emanuele II. This is a small fraction of the “height of fashion” that Milan is attributed to not only within the nation, but arguably within all of Europe. Various high-end shops inhabited the corners of this immense strip mall, made to look like a small city within the confines of the structure. Another piece of culture that can be found here is the Legend of the Milan Bull. As we know, Italians love their superstitions, and this story is no different. Near the center of the Galleria, there is a mosaic of a bull. It is said that if you spin your heel three times on a certain part of the bull in between its hind legs, then it will bring you good luck. It has been done so many times by people around the world that a hole has formed in the spot where your heel can fit! Needless to say, we spun a few extra times on the bull, just in case.
Milan was a fantastic experience and I recommend a visit there. It is the perfect blend of tradition and modernity, with buildings that are thousands of years old flanked by new, exciting startups made by local Italian businesses. The culture is very fast paced, but not stressed, so it brings an exhilarating lifestyle to those within its borders. Paired with all of this, the people of Milan are full of passion and pride for their city, so they would have no problem showing you around (which, in turn, is easy since the city is so walkable). Personally, I hope that wasn’t my last time in Milan – I would certainly love to see the stadium again! Arrivederci!
