My weekend and beyond
Oh wow. It's been a long time since I posted, and I have had many adventures since then!
On Saturday I went to Bologna and Mantova. I was actually not so impressed with Bologna, though the Painting gallery was pretty nice (small, but nice). I really loved Mantova though. I was so sooo glad I went. The Ducal Palace was really amazing and the whole town was just really lovely.
On Sunday I went to Milano and it was sooo nice. I really really really liked it a lot. I really want to go back! I met a girl from Russia on the train and we talked for a while (she spoke a little English, and no Italian, so I helped her find where she was going) and that was cool. She was very nice. I don't remember her name though :/ When we got to the Piazza del Duomo, there were all these pidgeons (sooo many, it was really ridiculous) and then these guys came over and without saying anything just took the Russian Girl's hand and put birdseed in it so that a pidgeon would come eat out of her hand!!!!!!!!!!!!! She was really freaked out at first (as well could be imagined), but he kept doing it, and was like "take a picture! take a picture!" so she sortof got to thinking it was funny and gave me her camera so I could take a picture. So I did, and then they tried to get me to do it, but I said absolutely not. I can't imagine many things I'd like to do less than having a dirty pidgeon eat out of my hand. So then she got out a coin to tip them (I wouldn't have--they just came up and started doing it and she even asked them to stop at first) and then he said "Five euros"!!!!!!!!!!! And we were like, uh no. And he was like, "I'm working here, this is my job" and we were like, whatever, so we walked away.
Anyway, then we walked around the piazza a little bit, mostly trying to figure out where things were (she didn't have a map and mine was only mostly helpful). And then she decided to go into the Duomo, and I went off to find my first museum of the day: The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. It probably took me about 20 minutes to find this place, which was really only like 5 minutes away from where I started. That's what I mean by the map being not completely helpful. But when I finally got there, it was totally worth it. It was really nice (and very air-conditioned) and reminded me much more of American museums than the others I've been to so far here. They actually gave out a map at the ticket office and the gaurds didn't just sit there and glare at you when you came into a room, or talk to each other loudly while blocking the doorway, they were mostly courteous and unintrusive to the experience. I really like Milan. Anyway, in the Ambrosiana I saw a lot of really nice paintings, including Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit. And then I went to Castello Sfortzeco to see Michelangelo's Rondanini Pieta which was of course absolutely incredible. And they also have a picture gallery, which I was surprised to find was really nice. They had a couple Riberas and some others that I hadn't heard of but that I really really enjoyed. And then I went to The Brera. I have found my new 2nd favorite museum (2nd to the met of course, but a very close second). It was really spectacular. There were sooo many wonderful paintings (including Caravaggio's Super at Emmaus, Raffaello's Marriage of the Virgin, and a really wonderful Sacrifice of Isaac by Jacob Jordeans).
There were also about a million St. Sebastians. I thought of Wendy the whole time. Seriously Wendy, we need to travel in Italy together. I bought you an other postcard at the Brera :)
Anyway, then I went home. I left out a bunch of stuff because there was just too much, obviously, to tell all of it. And now I am tired. I am taking a few days off from sight-seeing.
PS I think I want to go as Caravaggio's Bacchus for Halloween this year... good idea, bad idea?
On Saturday I went to Bologna and Mantova. I was actually not so impressed with Bologna, though the Painting gallery was pretty nice (small, but nice). I really loved Mantova though. I was so sooo glad I went. The Ducal Palace was really amazing and the whole town was just really lovely.
On Sunday I went to Milano and it was sooo nice. I really really really liked it a lot. I really want to go back! I met a girl from Russia on the train and we talked for a while (she spoke a little English, and no Italian, so I helped her find where she was going) and that was cool. She was very nice. I don't remember her name though :/ When we got to the Piazza del Duomo, there were all these pidgeons (sooo many, it was really ridiculous) and then these guys came over and without saying anything just took the Russian Girl's hand and put birdseed in it so that a pidgeon would come eat out of her hand!!!!!!!!!!!!! She was really freaked out at first (as well could be imagined), but he kept doing it, and was like "take a picture! take a picture!" so she sortof got to thinking it was funny and gave me her camera so I could take a picture. So I did, and then they tried to get me to do it, but I said absolutely not. I can't imagine many things I'd like to do less than having a dirty pidgeon eat out of my hand. So then she got out a coin to tip them (I wouldn't have--they just came up and started doing it and she even asked them to stop at first) and then he said "Five euros"!!!!!!!!!!! And we were like, uh no. And he was like, "I'm working here, this is my job" and we were like, whatever, so we walked away.
Anyway, then we walked around the piazza a little bit, mostly trying to figure out where things were (she didn't have a map and mine was only mostly helpful). And then she decided to go into the Duomo, and I went off to find my first museum of the day: The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. It probably took me about 20 minutes to find this place, which was really only like 5 minutes away from where I started. That's what I mean by the map being not completely helpful. But when I finally got there, it was totally worth it. It was really nice (and very air-conditioned) and reminded me much more of American museums than the others I've been to so far here. They actually gave out a map at the ticket office and the gaurds didn't just sit there and glare at you when you came into a room, or talk to each other loudly while blocking the doorway, they were mostly courteous and unintrusive to the experience. I really like Milan. Anyway, in the Ambrosiana I saw a lot of really nice paintings, including Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit. And then I went to Castello Sfortzeco to see Michelangelo's Rondanini Pieta which was of course absolutely incredible. And they also have a picture gallery, which I was surprised to find was really nice. They had a couple Riberas and some others that I hadn't heard of but that I really really enjoyed. And then I went to The Brera. I have found my new 2nd favorite museum (2nd to the met of course, but a very close second). It was really spectacular. There were sooo many wonderful paintings (including Caravaggio's Super at Emmaus, Raffaello's Marriage of the Virgin, and a really wonderful Sacrifice of Isaac by Jacob Jordeans).
There were also about a million St. Sebastians. I thought of Wendy the whole time. Seriously Wendy, we need to travel in Italy together. I bought you an other postcard at the Brera :)
Anyway, then I went home. I left out a bunch of stuff because there was just too much, obviously, to tell all of it. And now I am tired. I am taking a few days off from sight-seeing.
PS I think I want to go as Caravaggio's Bacchus for Halloween this year... good idea, bad idea?