A Skinless Saint and the Fickle Finger of Fate

Milan’s big train station is ugly on the outside and confusing on the inside. But my hotel was close to it and it was handy coming and going.

Milan is also a big city and I had to take the metro into the centre of town to see the Cathedral (yes another church!). It is the fourth largest church in Europe and stayed true to its Gothic beginnings while most, like St. Peters, became Renaissance structures.The entrance is free but then there is a charge of 2 euros if you want to take photos. This is the first time I’ve seen a place charging to take photos. The interior was quite dark and I, now jaded and overloaded by too many marvellous sights, was not impressed enough to pay 2 euros.

However, there was one thing in the church I might have taken a photo of and that was the statue of St. Bartolomeo. The story goes that he was skinned alive by the Romans and became a martyr. So the statue, done by one of Leonardo’s students, was St. Bartolomeo wearing his skin like a cloak and his body was skinless, and anatomically correct, if you can imagine that. And you will have to imagine that because I was too cheap to pay the 2 euros!

Speaking of saints I am so glad I didn’t schedule my time in Rome for this weekend. It was busy enough while I was there, but sounds like it was crazy for saint-making Sunday.

I had planned to take a hop on/hop off bus tour of the town but instead just spent the day walking around the centre. I saw La Scala Opera House, some fascist buildings from the Mussolini era, and the Galeria Vittorio Emanuele built to celebrate Italy’s unification in the 1870s.

While sitting in the shade in Piazza della Scala, listening to music coming from La Scala across the street, I saw on my map of Milan a “Roman Theatre Museum” and immediately went in search of it. Turned out to be the spot where a Roman theatre once was and there is no museum. Now it is the Piazza degli Affari, where the Italian Stock Exchange (as built by Mussolini) is. Right in front of it is a 2009 marble statue of a large finger. Rick says that it is the 1% flipping the bird at the 99%. He might be right given the side of the finger facing out. It was supposed to be temporary but they liked it so much it’s staying.

Around 4 pm I starting thinking it might be nice to have a gelato. I’m not a huge gelato fan but when everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is walking down the street eating them well you just get it into your head you might want one too. Problem is when you find a gelateria there are lineups out the door. Adele (sister) the only Grom I’ve seen was in Milan and I was going to try it but the lines were too long. I gave up and chose to go get a drink instead. An Aperol Spritz with a big bowl of chips, olives, crackers and some meat in oil on the side at the top floor of Rinascente department store. I think I made the right choice.

I also thought I would picnic in my hotel room for dinner and went in search of an alleged supermarket which I never found. Instead I passed by a very posh deli called Peck and was enticed in there. I chose saffron rice with seafood, which when weighed cost 10 euros (good thing I saved those 2 euros in the cathedral!), and an orange. There were at least three attendants alone in the minuscule produce section. They had a Byzantine paying ritual as well. You select what you want, they weigh it and then give you a little receipt and a card, then you go to the cashier, pay and get another receipt, then take that back to each section to pick up your goods. At least it gives them time to gift-wrap your food.

A short but short visit to Milan where it was hot and sunny. Less than an hour by train to Varenna on Lake Como and there are snow-capped Alps in the distance. Cold temperatures. And rain. And more rain.

Now here it is, your moment of mosaic (yes still from Ravenna, not to be confused with Varenna not to be confused with Verona).