Fall Break, Days 1 and 2: Milan

During my semester studying abroad, we had a ten day break from classes in November. My friend Morgan and I wanted to put that time to good use, so we developed an ambitious plan: we were going to travel through Italy for ten days, starting in Milan and ending in Naples. During those ten days we would visit seven cities, traveling mostly by train. Although we were exhausted by the end of the trip, as we walked about ten miles each day, getting up early and going to bed late, it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. We began our first couple of days in Milan, flying into Bergamo and taking a bus to the city. We were lucky to find a nice Airbnb close to the city center with very welcoming hosts who told us what we should see in the short time we planned to be in Milan. After storing our bags at the apartment, we walked to our first destination, the Duomo. We stepped into a beautiful church on our way there with an incredible painted ceiling. This was one of the first lessons I learned in Italy: don't forget to look up. 

Finally, we made it to the Duomo just as the sun was starting to set. The Duomo is the largest church in Italy and the third largest church in the world. Its construction began in 1386, and wasn't finished until 1965. We started by exploring the interior of the church:

We were also able to get tickets to walk on the roof of the church, which has some of the most amazing sculptures I have ever seen. We were lucky enough to get up to the roof just in time for the sunset, which was a spectacular way to end our first day in Milan. 

Before walking back to the apartment, we walked through the beautiful Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the world's oldest active shopping mall, located right next to the Duomo. 

The next day, we woke up early and took the subway to Sforza Castle, a place recommended to us by our hosts. The castle was built in the 15th century by the Duke of Milan, and is now home to many museums. Unfortunately, Morgan and I arrived too early and none of the museums were open yet. Luckily, we found an amazing park behind the castle, Sempione Park, where I captured some beautiful photos:

We returned to the castle a little while later, and walked through several of its museums. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to see everything, as we had to catch a train to Venice around midday and the museums contained a vast array of artifacts.

After Sforza Castle, we quickly took the subway to the train station and caught a train to our destination for the next few days: Venice.