The Utter Amazingness of Italy!

So...after a few relaxing hours at the beach of Desenzano, I travelled to the Milan airport to meet Ashley. Her plane was about 15 minutes late, but besides that everything went smoothly and she arrived safely. It was great to see her and we spent several hours catching up.

The next morning we woke up and headed to the Duomo Cathedral. This is Milan's most famous church and is actually the oldest Gothic Cathedral in Italy. It was not incredibly large, but there were over one hundred spires and towers rising from the roof, so that was pretty neat. After a pausing to grab some Margherita pizza at a small street side bakery, we continued down the some of the main shopping avenues to the Castello Sforzesco. This was a fairly large castle in the center of town, and like many European castles, there was a park/garden complex bordering it. Milan's reputation as a fashion megacenter is well-deserved. Everywhere, and I do mean everywhere, there were tons of shoe stores, boutiques, urban wear, and on and on. While I am not convinced that there is much to see in the way of famous landmarks, Milan certainly delivered in the people watching department. There was a kitchen in the hostel, so we for dinner we cooked a huge pot of spaghetti bolognese, and I may or may have eaten three and Half plates.

Next morning we took an early train to Florence and checked into the B & B Maison Hostel by noon. We walked past a massive outdoor leather market and had some pasta and a panini at a nearby restaurant, before heading to the Duomo Cathedral. Yes, you might say, but didn't Milan have one of those too? Well, apparently a town's Duomo is simply the name for a big church that is famous and, like the name suggests, has a dome on top. Unlike Milan however, The Duomo in Florence was completely Italian-styled and strikingly beautiful. There was a bellower rising above the rest of the church on the right side, and the cathedral itself was covered with the usual gargoyles and elaborate windows. The part that really stood out, though, were the painted geometric designs on the outside. This church and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona have been my favorites.

Next, we walked South to the river and crossed at the Ponte Vecchio, Florence's most famous bridge. I truly think this is my favorite single part about the town. There are shops and homes built into the sides of the bridge, and a row of glittering gold and jewelry stores make the bridge simultaneously crowded and mesmerizing. We finished the day with a quick detour to a gelato shop( excellent), a walk to one of two main botanical gardens (with a great picturesque view of the entire city), a browse through another leather market, and a marvelous dinner of torteglioni and creamed penne at a restaurant in the Old Central Square. It may have been my favorite day thus far.