A Short Stop in Milan

We hop on a late-morning train to Milan where we'll catch a flight to the US the next day.  We arrive mid-afternoon and take the opportunity to wander in Milan for a few hours.  After checking into our hotel on Corso Venezia, we walk down the street toward the Duomo, past the Giardini Pubblici de Porta Venezia and the Museo Civico and Galleria di Arte Moderna.

Passing by the gardens and museums

Map along the way

The Duomo di Milan (Milan Cathedral) is dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary and is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan.  The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete, with constuction beginning in 1386 and the final details completed in 1965.  It is the largest church in Italy (the larger St. Peter's Basilica is in the State of Vatican City) and is one of the largest in the world.

Duomo di Milan

Alongside the square in front of the Duomo, the covered Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II hosts restaurants, bars, and high end stores.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Proceeding down Via Dante from the square in front of the Duomo, we head toward Castelo Sforzesco, passing shops, restaurants, and a band playing for whoever walks by.

Via Dante, with band

Crossing the street in front of Castelo Sforzesco, we admire the old-style trams scurrying up and down the streets.

Trams

 

Casello Sforzesco is a mdieval fortification built in the 15th century and enlarged in the 16th and 17th centuries to become one of the largest citadels in Europe.  Extensively rebuilt in the late 19th century, it now houses several of Milan's museums and art collections.

Casello Sforzesco

Walking through the casello

Emerging on the other side of the museums, we enter Parco Sempione, which is full of people enjoying the beautiful weather and the expansive, delightful park.  At the far end of the park we see Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) in Porta Sempione, a gate that was part of the original Roman walls of Milan

Arco della Pace

Through the park

Arco della Pace

We head back toward the hotel, passing through a corner of Giardini Pubblici di Porta Venezia and cutting down a side street, where we stop for an aperitivo.

Passing through the gardens

Aperitivo on a side street

After our walk and aperitivo, it's time for dinner and we wander over to Sabatini, a few blocks from our hotel, where we dine well on Catalana di polpo e gamberi (octopus and shrimp tomato salad), risotto alla milanese (with saffron), and spaghetti aglio e olio (garlic and oil).  Simple and incredible!

Salad

Risotto, spaghetti

Back at our hotel, we stop for a while on the roof to watch the sun set over Milan.

Sunset over Milan

What a perfect ending to another great trip to Italy.  We'll be back soon!

Dining and Evenings in Desenzano del Garda

We dine in a main piazza in Desenzano del Garda, heading over to the same restaurant (Trattoria Alessi) several times.  We we have a great time and dine really well and, when the next dinner time rolls  around, we head back.  We repeat some of the dishes that we truly enjoy several times, dining on prosciutto, pike, fritto misto, grilled lake fish,  spaghetti with lake fish ragu, and spaghetti with squid ink, shrimp, and lemon.

Dinners at Alessi

In the piazza outside the restaurant, a musician is playing and children are dancing as we dine.

Entertainment

After dinner, we stroll on the lungolago, admiring the views across the lake.

Along the Lungolago

Along the side of the Lungolago, a small festival has set up food stalls and trucks with dining on tables set on the sidewalk and a small stage providing entertainment.

Small festival

This has been a great end to our fall trip to Italy.  We have one more stop in Milan to catch our flight home and can't wait to return to Cinque Terre and other great locations in Italy!

Sirmione and Grotto di Catullo

We return to Sirmione, taking the ferry across Lake Garda from Desenzano del Garda, and visit the main historical landmark of Sirmione, the Grotte di Catullo (Grottoes of Catullus), the most striking example of a Roman private villa discovered in northern Italy.  The villa was occupied between the end of the 1st century BC and the beginning of the 1st century AD and has been the subject of academic research since the 15th century.  Today, it remains an exceptional find and, along with its archaeological museum, is a must-see for anyone visiting the area.

We take a larger ferry across the lake today and pass through Sirmione's center on our way to the grottoes at the top of the peninsula.

Today's ferry, passing through the piazza in Sirmione

We enter the ruins and start to wander, past the thermal baths and heading over to the restored olive groves overlooking the lake.

Entering the property

Overlooking the lake

Restored olive groves

After the olive groves, we enter the residential area overlooking an internal garden (and the lake).

Residential area

Some of the small residences are filled with recent artwork complementing the ruins.

Art in the ruins

The archaeological complex covers an area of about two hectares (4.9 acres).  The villa was characterized by long porches and terraces open toward the lake, communicating with a large main terrace and a long covered walkway.  A garden filled the central region and a large cistern, almost 43 meters (141 feet) long, collected water for daily use.  Thermal baths and a swimming pool were located at the edge of the property

In the garden

Looking out at the lake

Continuing to wander

The small museum located next to the ruins has exhibits of materials excavated from the structures.

Museum exhibits

One interesting exhibit discusses the formation of Lake Garda over 600,000 years ago through erosion and glacial deposits from four main glaciation periods, forming the largest lake in Italy.

Formation of Lake Garda

We leave the ruins, pass by the beach at the base of the site, and head into town looking for lunch, which we find at a seafood restaurant in town:  prosciutto with melon, grilled lake fish, and fritto misto.

Beach below the ruins

Prosciutto with melon

Grilled lake fish, fritto misto

Leaving Sirmione on the ferry, we look back at the city fondly as we return to Desenzano del Garda.

Leaving Sirmione

This has been a fun stop, especially the Roman ruins.