Il Duomo
by croisbeauty
..... In 1389 Simone da Orsenigo was dismissed and Nicola di Bonaventura was summoned from Paris. Nicola designed the huge pierced windows of the apse, but he too was dismissed only a year after. Italian and foreign master craftsmen followed one another. The latter two worked permanently in the cathedral workshop from 1392 on and left their imprint in the use of the so-called flowery Gothic style known for its flamboyant decorative patterns.
In the 15th century, when Francesco Sforza came to power , art in Milan was absorbing French and Tuscan influences. In that period he great Giovanni Antonio Amadeo won the competition called in 1490 for building of the drum. He completed the drum by 1500 in a pure Gothic style. Meanwhile the flowery Gothic was gradually losing momentum, beaten by the new more plastic treatment of form advocated by Filarete, Luca Francelli, Francesco di Giorgi and Leonardo.
In 1482 a master called by Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Pellegrino Pellegrini, also known as Tibaldi, was named mastermason. The great spire of the cathedral was finally erected between 1765 and 1769 and the facade, based on Pellegrini's idea, was put up in the beginning of the 19th century. .....
the passion of football
by willy_wonka
football (soccer) is a religion around here! it just so happened that i was in milan for one of THE biggest events of the football year, the european champions league final! played between liverpool vs AC milan, the duomo square had huge tv screens set up, and was jam packed with fans.
sadly milan lost on penalties after what was a thrilling match. the end result was this... flares being thrown into the crowd, bottles being smashed, a bit of a riot happening!
the plus side for me was that crying italian boys would hug me for sympathy! hey, a girl ain't gonna complain about that is she? it's not every day wonks has boys throwing themselves on her!
Dolce&Gabbana
by Stylist about Dolce & Gabbana
the best designers ever. Fantastic fabric and style. Colors. Clothes made for real women. inspired by the Sicilian women.
Dolce&Gabbana-fantastic clothes. stylish and trendy.Superstars like Madonna, Jennifer and Kylie wears it. always hot & trendy.
D&G: underline, ultra trendy clothes. more alternative, and stronger theme than the main line.
&Jeans-casual, the least expensive one. lots of knitted sweaters. buy everything!
the quality of the pant are the best unfortunately, very expensive. &Jeans are the cheapest line.
Cocktails under zero degrees!
by draguza about Ice Bar
Located at the heart of Townhouse 12, one of the most luxurious hotels, the bar is made from blocks of ice cut from the Torne river in Sweden.
To drink from a glass made of ice
To experience the enchanted glacial atmosphere
The sofas and other furnitures lovingly created from the same frozen material The staff will dress each guest in specialized clothing (including warm lap gloves) enhancing the unforgettable "ice experience"
You can reach Milan very...
by Savo
You can reach Milan very easily by train, car, or plane.
If you're travelling by car, once you get inside Milan it's better for you to park it in some parking lot and use the busses: traffic can be VERY heavy.
Trains are good but, you know, in Italy they're ALWAYS late.
Linate Airport is close to town. There's a connecting bus (number 73)
Malpensa Airport is about 40 km outside the town: don't even dare to think to catch a taxi! There are busses and a special train which are much cheaper!
The tube is the fastest way to go somewhere in the town. There are 3 lines.
Otherwise you can catch the bus or the tram.
The tickets must be bought before catching the bus at the kiosks and almost all the tobacconists. The ticket price is 1500 lit and it lasts for 75 minutes.
Hint: don't care about the time table you can see at the bus stop (at least during the day time): heavy traffic rules.
around the castle grounds
Castello Sforzesco
Palazzo Reale as seen from the Cathedral roof
Castello Sforzesco
