Milano

Two of my roommates and I went to Milan last weekend and it was pretty amazing. It was strange being back in a "city" but it still had that quintessential Italian beauty, everywhere from the people to the buildings. The architecture was absolutely incredible, especially Milan's Gothic Duomo--apparently one of the largest cathedrals in the world--and which had a sort of pre-Gaudi drip castle appearance.

The interior of the church was equally impressive (unlike the rather austere interior of Florence's Duomo). There was beautiful stained glass, sculptures, huge pillars, and an elaborately decorated floor. Also significant to the entire experience was the fact that it was finally SUNNY. It made the whole day more enjoyable but it was also amazing to be able to see the lighting effects within the cathedral.

One of the most amazing things about the Duomo is that visitors are able and allowed to climb to the top; definitely the best 5 euro we spent all weekend. After countless sets of stairs and minor breathing difficulties we were rewarded with an amazing view of the top of the city and the Alps in the distance (this picture here, however, is facing away from the mountain range).

This is what you see as soon as you emerge from your trek up to the top. It's interesting how the extensive embellishment and decoration makes the structure seem simultaneously haunting and delicate.

Here is a fashionable Milanese dog in Zara. I thought the rhinestones and the pink color set off her coat quite nicely, but unfortunately it didn't seem to be the most comfortable of garments; she wouldn't stop rolling on the floor the whole time we were there. As a side note, I find it funny how here in Italy shopping is almost always a family affair, and everyone from the dog to the baby to the (willing!) husband comes along.

Here is the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the impressive glass-covered shopping arcade that was constructed in the 19th century. The shops and cafes inside are accordingly expensive, but interestingly enough that didn't stop a McDonald's from springing up around the corner.

We had lunch in the Navigli district, one of the older parts of the city and named after the many canals that run through it. On our way back to the center we spotted this large graffiti wall, which although seemed a little out of place, in retrospect seems to fit with Milan's attachment to the Modern.

On the walk back home we spotted these hearts in the sidewalk made out of red bottle caps. What a great idea for making concrete sidewalks more aesthetically pleasing!

carnevale!

This week was Carnivale, and to avoid the insane crowds (and jacked up hostel prices) that we would inevitably encounter in Venice, a few of my roomates and I went to Viareggio, a seaside town in Tuscany about an hour and forty minutes by train outside of Florence. Viareggio is known for having the second biggest Carnivale celebration in Italy after Venice, and supposedly the festival that more of the locals attend. Regardless, we certainly weren't disappointed; the floats were absolutely incredible, especially seeing them in action during the parade. Most were political satires or had some underlying social commentary, but some were a little more random (like this float here dedicated to "Il Re de Pop").

Equally entertaining were the people who were riding on the floats. This fine lady here was having quite a good time dancing upon the Michael Jackson float (they were playing "Beat It" and then played the amazing MJ cover of "Come Together").

Preceding the float were groups of Italian children dressed up as Michael Jackson-boys and girls alike. And they had both the clothes and the moves to match.

This dragon float was preceded by a group of men decked in Chinese costume and carrying one of those snake-like dragon floats on sticks. The dragon's head on the float moved from side to side and spewed smoke-probably one of my favorites overall.

Obama! The sign he's wearing reads "Il Viso-ne Americano," which means essentially the American Mink, probably referring to the mink coat? (but viso also means face, so I guess the face of America as well). We were quite excited to see a bit of the ol' home country represented in this Italian festival.

Carnivale seems essentially like Halloween for those not from the States. Therefore cute kids in costumes were everywhere, usually dressed in cozy animal outfits or historical costumes. This boy here dressed as a dalmatian was probably the cutest of the day; he was so enthralled with the moving floats.

There was an Alice in Wonderland float and the caterpillar was enjoying the attention from dancing on his mushroom perch.

I'm not sure who the characters were on this float but I loved the colors, and as the float moved along her mask moved up and down and her eyes moved from side to side.

The streets were strewn with confetti of all different colors; people were selling bags of it on the street in all different colors and many of the people on the floats were throwing it everywhere. We were frequently pelted by handfuls of the stuff, and one guy on a float got a handful of it in my mouth. Needless to say we're all still picking pieces of paper from our hair and our apartment is covered with memories of the festival.

I loved this Edward Scissorhands float (labeled as "Silvio Mani di Forbice", I'm guessing after Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister). Each blade moved individually and there were words like "school" and "justice" moving around him.

The beach at Viareggio, right alongside the street that the parade was on and with the Alps in the distance. Even though it was still pretty cold, we all loved being at the beach and smelling the ocean. A great carnival day!