After breakfast (the best meal the hotel serves), we went by tourbus to Milan. We were surprised at how cosmopolitan it is. Our impression had been that Milan was an industrial city and would be filled with skyscrapers and sleek factories. It is an enormous city, but what we saw were chic designers stores and beautiful tree-lined streets with luxurious old apartments. It was more like Fifth and Park Avenues.

First we visited the Castello Sforzesco, a Fortress of the Visconti family dating back to the 15th Century.

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Inside was the famous Rondanini Pieta of Michelangelo, who also painted a gorgeous and intricate mulberry ceiling, in honor of Ludivico il Moro (Ludwig the Mulberry), because he brought in Mulberry trees to Milan in order to make silk. The pieta is unfinished, reminiscent of the Donatello Madonna in Florence. Michelangelo was quite old when he began it, and he said, in despair, "My hand no longer serves me. From now on, I will get others to write for me, and I will sign my name."

Next, we visited the Cenacolo Vinciano (The Last Supper) of Leonardo. The guide gave an excellent description of the triadic construction of the painting, and we had also been well-prepared by our lecturer two days ago. There is great security and humidity control to maintain the fresco, which has been restored. I had to sneak a picture without flash in the dark.

Then on to the Cathedral of Milan, the third largest church in the world, after St. Peter's and the one in Seville. It's impossible to show or describe the vastness and grandeur of this church. It took several centuries to complete. The stained glass windows were removed before the Allied bombing of Milan, and the church remained intact.

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We passed La Scala, but it is closed for the next year for renovations. Nearby, was the house where Verdi died, as thousands of Milanese gathered outside his sickbed window, singing "Va Pensiero."

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Next came a lunch of veal Milanese at a local restuarant. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't very good.

The afternoon was free for shopping. I tried to get into a pair of Bruno Magli shoes, just for fun. A pair of blue crocodile shoes were 1300€. I left them for O.J. Simpson. Carol got some barrettes for Josie. There were sales everywhere, and downtown Milan looked like the Providence Place Mall, with moussed kids hanging out in packs. If there is a problem with the Euro in Italy, you would never know it.

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We had a fair dinner, but improved it greatly with lots of wine and good friends, with whom we spent the evening chatting.