DAY 2 (25th November 2023)
Central Milan Walkabout and A Cold Night in San Siro Stadium
Whatever jetlag that was remaining in our bones had all but evaporated by the morning of the second day in Milan. While PN and I enjoyed our “home-cooked” breakfast (read: pre-packed food brought from home), RS went out to explore the early morning streets of Navigli. He came back with reports of a good assortment of breakfast fare. Safe to say, we won’t go hungry in Milan.
The day lay ahead of us, and the highlight would be the AC Milan-Fiorentina football game at the iconic San Siro Stadium. While I have not been the biggest fan of Serie A by any means, Stadio San Siro was still a must-go as it is one of the only stadiums in the world that houses two huge European teams – AC Milan (the red half) and FC Internazionale Milano (the blue half). The game was supposed to have been at 1500hrs but was rescheduled to 2045hrs, which meant that we had the whole morning and afternoon to walk about.
Arco della Pace
This was the second of the three arches remaining in Milan. We took a tram from our AirBnb place to the northern side of the city which took just 34mins. With Google Maps as our consultant, we boarded the tram at the designated place and wound our way to the Arco della Pace and started our day there. The great thing about the public transport in Milan is that you can just pay with your credit card. Directly. (Bro. Ray: We sorta noticed that no one else paid for the fare – maybe ‘cause it was a Saturday?)
Our stop was a short distance away, but the crisp and fresh morning air made it an easy walk. The arch was hard to miss, standing at least 4-storeys tall in the middle of a huge open area. The name is translated “The Arch of Peace”, built in the 19th century originally by architect Luigi Cagnola, but was only completed 30 years later by Francesco Londonio and Francesco Peverelli during the rule of Napoleon III.
Castello Sforzesco
The immediate area was an open park named Parco Sempione, which we had to walk through to get to the next place on our itinerary. On the way there, we caught sight of the Statua Equestre di Napoleone III and stopped for a few photos before proceeding. Right outside the gates of the Castello Sforzesco was a stall selling Vin Brule, or hot red wine (which was added with star anise, cinnamon, cloves and others according to their own recipes). We had to try – but for me, drinking and inhaling the fumes at the same time was a complete disaster.
Now We Know
Here’s a fun fact about statues or sculptures (according to legend): If the horse is depicted as having both its front legs in the air, it means that the rider died in battle. If only one front leg is lifted, that means the rider got injured in battle but if all four legs of the horse are on the ground, it means that the rider died outside of battle.
The castello, or castle, one of the largest in Europe, was first built in the 14th century, and had seen its structures destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed again, repurposed and redesigned over the centuries due to war and other events. Many buildings, forts and courtyards were added over the centuries as well, giving the whole place such a grandiose feel.
We didn’t think that we would be here almost the entire morning, to be honest, but the numerous museums contained within were huge – one labyrinth led to one corridor which then led to more exhibits and more corridors! Each section carried a specific type of exhibit, and it is virtually impossible to take all the photos of the items on display.
Pinacoteca di Brera
Our next stop was the Pinacoteca di Brera, which was a short 900m walk away to the east. We made a brief stop at the Chiesa del Carmine to take some pictures and also to look at some street art. Pinacoteca di Brera is essentially an Art Gallery, which houses paintings by Italian artists from the 13th to the 20th century. The paintings were from the different eras and done in different styles, mostly depicting Christian-based themes, examples of which are the several other versions of the Last Supper, Crucifixion and significant events in the Bible.
Some of the street arts on display
We didn’t think that we would be here almost the entire morning, to be honest, but the numerous museums contained within were huge – one labyrinth led to one corridor which then led to more exhibits and more corridors! Each section carried a specific type of exhibit, and it is virtually impossible to take all the photos of the items on display.
Stadio San Siro
We did the gentlemanly thing and sent PN back to via Magolfa. We rested a bit before putting on heavier clothing for the anticipated cold night at the open-air stadium. With our e-tickets in our phones, we took the subway, which was understandably packed to the brim with AC Milan fans.
Imported fans with scarf and all
I was mightily impressed with the incessant singing coming from the right side of where we were seated – the ultras were seated there. But not to be outdone, there was constant vocal support from the much smaller Fiorentina contingent in purple to our left as well. The game would end 1-0 in favour of the home side, but there weren’t that many chances to score for either side throughout the game. Still, to be able to catch a full match in this iconic stadium was really amazing, especially for RS who had never been to a stadium to watch a game – friendly matches not counted! (Bro Ray: Next stop Anfield, bro?)
Summary for Day 2
As with most big European cities, the public transport is top notch. Our tram, bus and subway rides were mostly uneventful and easy to use, which we took to get us to the north side of Milan. We didn’t walk all that much from one place to another, but the amount of walking within Castello Sforzesco and Pinacoteca di Brera was a lot more. Our traverse is as per the map.
