Bergamo

Today we went to a small village called Bergamo. At least it was small years ago. Now it seems that there are many tourists there, and many of the shops that line the streets cater to them. The town is actually rather big now, having extended well beyond the walls that protected the city when Venice ruled the region. This means that there are many hills to walk up and valleys to walk down if you choose to walk a bit beyond the tourist center. Of course, there were interesting churches and small, charming streets to walk down. I take many photos because I hope to study the architecture a bit closer, and hopefully design better environments for films and games. Many of the details that I have seen will help me create better illustrations, models, and such.

It so happens that the family of my kind host is from Bergamo, or at least had set up roots here. He told me a story about how the family was originally from Sardina, but sometime in the early 1900s they moved to Bergamo for the healthier climate, as recommended by a doctor in regards to a sickly aunt or other family member. 

Sforzesca Castle

Today we visited a new site, the Sforzesca Castle. It used to be the home of the rulers of Milan, the Sforza family. Now it is a nice grounds to visit and explore that includes many museums. We arrived in the afternoon, perhaps too late, and we only saw a handful of the exhibitions before we were kicked out at closing time. It was interesting enough to see different sculptures and suits of armor through the ages of Milan. At the end of the sculpture museum was one of the last works by Michelangelo, an unfinished Pieta. Because it was unfinished, it was interesting to see aspects of the process of marble sculpture, like how he changed the position of the head completely; one could see on the side of Mary's head, in her scarf, where he had originally wanted to place an eye, but later decided on the final position, with her head at a ninety degree turn.

Another interesting portion of the museums was the section on musical instruments. There were many pianos of different shapes and sizes, as well as many instruments in the violin family and guitar family. There are only so many table pianos and violins one can look at before they all start to look the same. However, I was very surprised that by the end of the exhibition, there was a room that covered early electronic music from the 50s and 60s. There were big, wall sized computers that consisted of transistors, switches, and vacuum tubes. They even had a score by an Italian composer named Bruno Maderna who composed music on these machines. It was unfortunate that they were closing and kicked us out while I was looking at this part of the exhibition.

Whether I enjoy those musical experiments or not (some I do, and some I don't), I find it very interesting and important in the history of music. I am always very excited when I see coverage of modern and contemporary art, especially in the old countries that are so celebrated for their earlier history. Everyone should realize that history is happening right now, and people who are making art today, no matter how strange you might think it is, are fundamentally the same thing as all the old masters, just with different methods, instruments, and ideas.

After walking exploring the Castle Sforzesca, we walked through a neighborhood called Brera. It was charming, just as all the small neighborhoods. The neighborhood was based around the art school as the focus. Because of this, there were many small art galleries lining the streets, and many cafes. After all, where should young art students gather and hang out besides smokey cafes?

At the end of the street was another church. What I found especially interesting about this church was that there was a plaque on the wall of the adjoining religious housing that Mozart had lived there for two months in 1770. 

Navigli

In the evening we went to a new neighborhood, Navigli. It is a neighborhood that straddles either side of a canal in Milan. The whole system of canals was once very useful, especially for trade, but now the ones that have not been covered over are simply decoration. There are not even gondoliers who might row a romantic couple along the canal. But at least it is still pretty. There were many restaurants and stores that offered outdoor seating. The first place we stopped was a beer specialty bar. Regardless of the chalk menu above the bar being in Italian, I still would not have been able to make sense of any beer flavors, even if it were in English. It was still fun to try different flavors. My favorite was the one that most resembled Guinness.

We later found a nice restaurant to sit and eat, but since we were getting bitten by mosquitos every second, the decision to move indoors was made. The two course dinner was great, and I especially liked the lamb.

Instead of eating dessert at the restaurant, we walked along the canal, and found a gelato store, where I had stracciatella, which is ultimately chocolate chips in vanilla. This was a good way to end the night.

Foolishly, I did not take any pictures, so I will have to return to photograph the location. 

Parco delle Basiliche

After a late start, yesterday I was taken to a different neighborhood on the other side of Milan. My host told me stories of growing up in the neighborhood, and even showed me the bedroom window of his youth. The number 36 was still on the building, as he remembered. It was a thin tree-lined street with a welcoming feeling. The trees were tall and thin, and the trees on opposite sides knew that they should bend in towards the street in order to become a canopy offering shade to to the Milanese.

I was told of story about walking to school and having a neighboring girl always waiting for him so they could walk together. Apparently there was nothing romantic between the two, because when the girl revealed that her boyfriend did not like this walk she was taking with someone else every morning and had to stop, she had little hesitation to cut off their morning routine.

Being a fanatic of ancient and medieval churches, we saw three in the neighborhood. I heard more stories of alleys and tunnels that served as shortcuts on the way to school 50 years ago. The old Romanesque architecture was impressive, but I was also surprised with some elements within the churches. One church, dedicated to St. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, was especially old and interesting. It was built after the ascendancy of Constantinople, and although one was badly damaged and almost unrecognizable, there was another Byzantine-style mosaic of Jesus and the apostles that was in wonderful shape. 

Another interesting feature deep within one chapel was the body of (presumably) St. Ambrose, lying in state, as it has been for over 1600 years. This was more impressive because in many churches that claim to have a body of a venerable saint, the body is so far away and obscured to the public eye that one with doubt might not believe that any body was there at all. However, St. Ambrose was in a glass coffin and people were free to walk up to a meter close to see the body.

After visiting another church, San Lorenzo, we also walked through the Park of the Basilica, which was a long park with churches at either end, both of which we visited. 

There is one interesting thing that I am noticing and reminds me of my last time in Italy. There is a lot of graffiti on the walls, and throughout the parks and squares where we visit, there are many young people who look like hippies. They gather in large circles and you can spot them from their ratty and dirty clothes, dreadlocks and/ or half shaved heads, scraggly beards, scribbled tattoos, and the smell of funny cigarettes. There are many hacky-sack enthusiasts and future circus jugglers practicing their art.

Another fashionable group that I have seen are those who are helping the 80s fashion return, with a 21st century twist. What I used to call step haircuts are prevalent here, especially amongst women, where the hairline just above the ears is shaved all the way down, and the top is allowed to grow and flow in whatever manner. I remember always being reprimanded in high school because as an act of pseudo-rebellion, I refused to cut my hair in an acceptable fashion that would comply with the dress code.  

The apartment

(photo of the apartment building I'm staying at)

I have been very burnt out by New York for the past few years. I always complain about wanting to move, yet I never do. One of my most common complaints is the noise. Where I live, savages from the neighborhood come out of their caves and believe that everyone within earshot wants to hear their music, and so they play it as loud as they can so everyone can join in their festivities. Another problem is that car alarms frequently go off, and no one bothers to turn them off, or kids and other savages hit cars on purpose to make a sort of car alarm symphony. Sometimes people scream and choose to fight on the sidewalk, or trash trucks move slowly up the street growling and beeping while leaving a wake of garbage behind them.

When I walk around other parts of the city, neighborhoods that I might think are more pleasant, I realize that the same problems persist, and thus it seems like the only way to escape such madness is to leave the city all together. And so I was really looking forward to getting out of New York for a few weeks and enjoying the peace and quiet of another town. Perhaps Milan is too big and busy to be called a town, but my ignorance just wanted something different. If I were more capable of objective thinking, I would consider that Milan is a large city, and that it would certainly have all the noises and madness of other large cities. But I am not that intelligent.

So it was a wonderful surprise last night when the car alarms of the Bronx were substituted with house alarms in Milan. Perhaps someone was really robbing some apartment, but the alarm kept going. And going. And going. I have recently learned to zone out certain things from my mind. It helps me cope with the ridiculous noises that I have to put up with in New York. And so I was able to do the same here in Milan. However, when an alarm continues to sound for several minutes, it is easier to relegate the screaming tones to background noise than if the alarm is turned off, then sounded again. The later happened four times last night. After the first alarm was turned off after 5 minutes, I thought that I would be able to fall asleep peacefully. A couple of minutes later it sounded again. I think that it is actually the startle of first hearing an alarm like this that jars the soul and causes the greatest anguish, just as when the alarm is turned off, a tremendous serenity overtakes the soul, and I become grateful for the peace I now have, and the peace that existed before the whole mess. It also surprises me, the defeat that I must acquiesce to when I hear the third and fourth attack of the alarm, and I no longer become startled of angry, but rather submit to the idea that this the truly how the world works, and who am I to expect any better?

Eventually I fell asleep, and I don't know how many more times the alarm sounded, because I did not awaken until late the next morning.  

Duomo

In a short while we were at the Duomo. It surprised me because it did not have the Renaissance design that I would expect in Rome or Florence. Instead, the architecture was clearly Baroque in nature, and very ornate. I was assured that this was a result of the church taking so long to finish, and that while the facade was Baroque, the interior retained a very gothic shape and design. It was very neat to see a large cathedral like this because I had not been in Europe for several years, and although I had seen so many churches on my last trip, it is always fun to see new things, especially if it is after so long. 

The cathedral is at the center of the Piazza, and there are many more interesting buildings framing the square, including the Galleria. It has a very impressive gate in the shape of a triumph arch that leads into the covered space. The shape of the whole space is basically a cross, with stores along the sides, and the roof is glass that brings in an interesting atmosphere, and the center of the cross, there is a glass dome that is impressive. It might sound silly, but my first acquaintance with the Galleria was in a car racing video game, in which you drive through the Galleria. Seeing this in real life was a more fascinating experience.

Walking a little bit further, past the Galleria, we came upon another smaller square where La Scalla Opera house was. It was very nice to see, but it did not surprise me that of the fifteen or so operas on the summer schedule, the newest one was more than 75 years old. I suspect I can't expect them to play my own operas just yet.

After that, we got lost in the small streets of the neighborhood. That was a lot of fun, and reminded me of all the charm that being in an Italian city should be for tourists. Many of these small streets have since been closed to automobile traffic (which were probably too small for many cars in any case), so were perfect for walking. After wandering these streets to find our way back to where we had originally come out of the subway, we decided that we were too worn out to walk back to the apartment, so when we found a subway station, we went in, and headed home.  

Arriving in Milan

When I was finally settled in Milan, I figured that it would be too much of a hassle to try to nap now and expect to be comfortable after a short nap, so I decided to try to stay awake, live through the first day in Milan, and after a good night's sleep, all my brain and back pains would go away, and I would be acclimated to the time change. After a light breakfast, I lied down in my bed with my eyes closed. My mind felt like it was so disoriented and damaged that even though it was obvious I needed sleep, it would not allow me sleep. I was wrong, and two hours or so later, I awoke from a nap, feeling no better than earlier. I couldn't be bothered with silly discomforts, so we went out for a stroll to see the cathedral, and that general neighborhood. it was about four subway stops away from where we were, so I asked if they minded walking the distance to the Duomo. I know that not everyone has a passion for walking through cities like I do, so I typically concede to take the train. They did offer me a compromise, though and we walked the distance of one train stop.

The reason I like walking through the city streets to get from one place to the other is that I feel like I get a better idea of the people and the place where I am this way. You get to see the people walking the streets, and the typical layout, shape, and contents of the neighborhoods. Walking over the streets and sidewalks, I feel the shape of the streets, the hills, and composition of the concrete and bricks. One thing that I decided early on was that, counter to many people's judgements, this city is not so ugly as people had told me. Certainly it does not have the sites of Rome or Florence or Venice, but how many cities do? Just as a woman who does not look like a supermodel can still be pretty, a city that does not look like Venice can still have its charm.

We were walking down a main street that leads straight to the Duomo in the center of the city. Many of the buildings that line the streets seem to have a nineteenth century feel to them, much like the buildings in New York. The people walking the streets also seems to also have an element of New York attitude. They walk fast, and if you dare to walk slowly in front of them, they will push past you, but in a polite way. If you happen to stop at a red light at a corner and no cars are crossing, you will also see people walk past you to cross.

Traffic is fun to watch, too. Cars zoom by, but whenever the light first turns green, a group of motorcycles always zooms by first. While the light was red, each of them was sliding in between the cars, making their way to the front. It makes me want to buy a motorcycle.

One interesting phenomenon was the presence of bookstores. In New York, so many have failed and gone out of business for any number of reasons. But there are so many little bookstores along each street, perhaps one every two or three blocks. And they are not like the mega-sized stores that are the final ones standing in New York, but they all seem to be small, independent stores, taking up only a few hundred square meters, if that. It is my habit when traveling abroad to pick up a book or two in the local language. I am not sure which I should get in Italy, but I have a guess.

After a few blocks, I had agreed to take the subway the rest of the way, but they said we could walk back. The station and the train was clean, and not too crowded in the afternoon. Perhaps although it was the center of the city we were headed to, it was not so much the business center, and lacked the hustle and bustle and savagery that I expect in the New York subway.