Submitted by Krista VanArtsdalen on the 2013 winter session program in Milan, Italy sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies…
This is my first time in Europe and I am very excited to be in Milan!
However, I can’t say that the journey to get to Milan was enjoyable. We had a 7 hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and a 6 hour layover once there. I was uncomfortable for the entire flight and found it impossible to sleep, like I had planned. From Frankfurt, we took a short flight to Milan and saw an amazing view of the Alps.
Once in Milan, we took a bus to the hotel which is our home for the next month. The room I share with Jen is a decent size, however there is little space for the large amount of clothes we brought. There are two twin beds in the room which are so close together we thought it was one bed at first! To turn on the lights we have to leave our room key in a slot by the door, which none of us could figure out at first.
After getting settled, a group of us went to dinner at a nearby restaurant. The food was delicious; we were served bruschetta and I ordered the local pasta for dinner. It was a great experience and I had a lot of fun! Friday morning we went to breakfast in the hotel and had our first class. After class, Jen and I explored the area a little and then a group of us went to dinner.
On Saturday, we went to the central station and got our metro passes. We then went to the Duomo to meet our tour guide Eleonora for a 3 hour walking tour of Milan. The Duomo was amazing! The building is massive and beautiful, with precise detail in the design.
After touring the area around the Duomo, we went to see a castle. Some of the castle ceilings were painted by Leonardo da Vinci! We saw Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pietà at the castle as well. We then went to see The Last Supper, which is where our tour ended. A group of us went back to the Duomo where we went to a place called Luini and got calzones for lunch. I had tomato mozzarella and it was the best calzone I have ever had. After lunch, some of us went on top of the Duomo. The view of the city was awesome from this perspective and you could see the Alps in the distance! We shopped around the markets set up in the street before heading back to the hotel. At night, we all went out as a group and I had a great time with everyone!
Sunday morning, a few of us went back to the Duomo to see the Epiphany parade but we got there late and it ended a few minutes after our arrival so we did a little shopping before heading back.
This about sums up my experience in Milan so far. I am excited to see what happens these next few weeks!