Today was a very interesting day of doing very different things.
We started the day with a tour of the Sforza Castle. We learned that this castle was built in the 1400s, by a Duke of Milan, like a Roman fortress, with moats, drawbridges and towers. Modifications were done several times over the years including, in the 1600s when it was considered as a citadel (government was no longer centred there) and the Spanish further fortified it adding 12 bastions.
When Napoleon took over control of the castle in the 1800s he removed the bastions, making way for public space.
The castle was severely damaged during WWII and has been reconstructed and now houses several museums as well as public garden and park spaces.
Next we had the privilege to go into the monastery of Santa Maria Della Grazie and see the original of the “Last Supper” painting by Leonardo di Vinci. It’s so big it covers the entire back wall of a room that was a dining room, and it took him 4 years to paint it (1495-1498). It’s quite faded from the original bight colours, and experts believe that’s because Leonardo chose to use more natural type material inside of the oil paint he has used before. He wanted more intensity of light and shade, so he experimented with other painting methods.
On our way back to our hotel we road on a bus through the city of Milan and a lady pointed out all sorts of special buildings and landmarks. Did you know Milan was once enclosed but city walls used to keep out marauders, and merchants would need to go through special city gates to bring their wares to market. Most the wall is gone now and the city gates that remain are coffee shops and stores – things sure have changed.
In the afternoon we headed an out and hour and a half away from Milan to Lake Como for a boat ride to see the scenery and the lovely villas on the shore. The lake the 3rd biggest in Italy, and really deep (400 meters). If you look on a map the lake looks like an upside down ‘Y’. All around the lake there are fancy homes that rich and famous people own. We heard that George Clooney even has a home there.
We got to get off the boat and walk around in a small town called Bellagio. It has hotels, cafes and restaurants, and lots of little (but expensive) shops, a promenade along the water and places people can rent boats. It would be a fun place for a summer vacation. We heard a rumour that Taylor Swift was there last summer.
Well Behaved Kids Travel 