By day three in Florence we were done with the crowds. Too many people in a very small area. This is exactly why we try to avoid travelling during high seasons.
But wow, did Florence deliver in terms of art. It is undeniably a place in the world that can’t be ignored and tribute must be paid. It is a place that has had the foresight to gather the world’s most priceless art for the last 600 years. And now is displays it freely for all the world to see. It’s ultimately worth wading through the crowds, but it was nice to leave all those people behind.
So on to our final stop, Milano. In the morning we hopped aboard another high speed train and two hours later we in Milan.
By design we had planned only one night in Milan, and we stayed at the Park Hyatt. This was to be our 11th unique Park Hyatt and we were excited even though it was jist for one short night.
The location was magnificent, about 30 feet from the famous Galleria and just one block from the Duomo.
The Galleria was built between 1865 and 1877 and is light and airy. It is open air with only the glass and iron xxx saving shoppers from the elements. The arcade principally contains luxury retailers selling haute couture, jewelry, books and paintings, as well as restaurants, cafés, bars, and a hotel. You’ll see all the glittery names in retail: Prada (2 stores!), Armani, Gucci, Chanel, Leica, Tiffany, Versace, and on and on.
The Swarovski store erected a beautiful Christmas tree covered in twinkling crystals. The tree sat at the center of the arcade.
On the ground at the center of the arcade are four mosaics that portray the coat of arms of the three capitals of the Kingdom of Italy (Turin, Florence and Rome) plus Milan’s. Tradition says that if a person spins around three times with a heel on the testicles of the bull from Turin coat of arms this will bring good luck. We couldn’t get a picture as there were just too many shoppers covering the floor.
This beautiful roof was damaged during World War II and has been extensively restored and repaired since then.
We only really had the afternoon in Milano, so our other major stop was the world famous Duomo Milano. That will be the subject of the next post.
