Day 7a: Milan to Lake Maggiore

The BEST pizza flavored snack EVER!

On our way to Milan (Milano) we made a pitstop, and I picked up some of these crispy, pizza-flavored bread squares.  They were the best snack item I have had in a long time.  Why did I choose them?  Well, I figured if the Italians couldn't get pizza flavored snacks down, nobody could.  They tasted of tomato, cheese, and basil, yet contained no cheese/milk products!  Yes, they were...are...vegan.  Anyway, if you ever see them, give them a try.

An old shopping center across from La Scala.

The first Prada Store.

We continued on to an old shopping center (Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan), which houses the first Prada store ever established (1913).  Our local guide was so fun!  She had a story about the families who controlled the area, and even got our group involved.  After the shopping center we had some free time.  We went into Duomo di Milano, then had lunch before heading to La Scala.  The weather was cool and overcast.  As we exited the galleria it began to rain...and then it began to pour...oh, and did I mention the wind?!  It broke a couple of umbrellas, but it was still amazing.

The inside of the duomo.

Sumo di Milano.

The duomo is huge.  It cost 2 euro, and took about an hour to really get through it.  We stopped to take photos and look around because there was so much to see.  Stained glass lined the walls, and there were crypts below with coffins and bodies of clergy long since passed.  We finished at the duomo and went to grab some food at the galleria.  I got a ravioli dish and split a meat sampler.  The pesto ravioli was, by far, the worst thing I ate during free time.  Little did I know they had a salad section behind another wall, with more than just arugula and tomatoes!  Well, there's always next time.

Cant' even see the pasta...

Meat!

We had to quickly finish lunch in order to make it back to the meeting spot on time.  Our local guide took us on a tour of Teatro all Scala.  It was amazing!  The acoustics in the building are something else.  Several costumes were on display, and there were rooms with tobacco boxes, busts, and paintings from those who had performed there, or were prominent figureheads.  I always want to know what it was like when these places were first built...what the language, dress, and atmosphere were like.  Oh, to be able to travel back in time!

So excited to see inside La Scala!

After our tour of La Scala, we made another stop at a castle.  I can't remember the name, but it was extraordinary.  It is so hard to comprehend that so many structures are hundreds to thousands of years old.  They have withstood so much.  This castle had a huge courtyard area with beautiful flowers.  There were cats roaming around, and so much to see.  If those walls could talk... The inside of the castle resembles a museum.  Artifacts, artwork, a chapel, and so much more filled the castle.  I wonder what was in the castle prior.

An outside look.

Another section of the castle.

Beautiful flowers were everywhere.

I LOVE cats!!!