During spring break, Samantha and I stayed at a hotel in Milan for a week and went on day trips to Turin and Lake Como from there. After we returned to Florence, we went to Livorno with our friend Jen.

Milan

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We walked so much on the first full day. I burned about 1,000 calories and reached a new highest step count. On the way to the beautiful Duomo of Milan, we walked through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a shopping mall with awe-inspiring architecture. For lunch, we ate calzonetti, small fried calzones at Luini Panzerotti. The dough wasn’t as crunchy as I expected, but the calzones were good nonetheless.

As we walked around, I noticed a castle in the distance and led us toward it. (Who knew that it would be the Castello Sforzesco at Parco Sempione?) Samantha and I then walked along Via Montenapoleone, where there were many high-end stores, so we could cry over beautiful garments outside of our budget.

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The next day, we took the metro because we were unwilling to walk as much as we did the day before. Milan’s subways were so clean, and the metro cars had digital screens indicating the next and current stops. We visited Sant’Ambrogio church and walked through a farmer’s market and a flea market before arriving at Armani/Silos.

If I had known the magnificence of the Armani museum beforehand, I would have gone through the exhibits thinking about a blog post. There were many garments on display, many of which had beautiful, intricate details. On the top floor, there was a digital archive space where visitors could go through the design process of different garments on a touch screen.

Our next stop was Parco Sempione. When we walked through the Castello Sforzesco and saw a familiar fountain outside its walls, we laughed after realizing it was the castle we saw yesterday. There were bumper cars and train rides in the park, but they were only for children.

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On our last full day in Milan, we were disappointed by the dry and garbage-filled Navigli canal. However, I led us to a park (Parco Don Luigi Giussani) where we sat on the swings. (I’ve noticed during my time in Italy that an especially tall tree indicates a park is nearby. I rarely see tree-lined streets.) We wanted to play on park equipment since the day before but there were always children using it.

On Tuesdays starting at 2pm, admission to the museums at the Castello Sforzesco is free. Samantha and I went back to Parco Sempione and looked at exhibits of ancient art, decorative arts, armory, furniture, wooden sculpture, and archeology. After we looked at musical instruments, we returned to the hotel to take a nap. That night, we walked along Via Paolo Sarpi, Milan’s Chinatown. Milan is very urban and modern; it reminded me of New York in many ways.

Turin

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If you want to avoid a touristy atmosphere, Turin is a great city to visit. Until Samantha and I reached the Palazzo Reale, there were no selfie stick vendors. Another point of interest is the Museo Nazionale di Cinema, also known as that really pointy building. I had a hard time taking a good picture of it until a spontaneous walk to Monumento Nazionale al Carabiniere.

Spontaneous is a good word to describe my day in Turin. Curiosity and impulsiveness led us to Piazza Carignano, an easygoing spot to sit down and have gelato; Piazza Carlo Alberto; Chiesa di Santa Croce; and Skate Park Valdo Fusi. We had a lot of fun walking around the skate park and climbing on things. Turin looked like a great place to live.

Lake Como Area

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After enduring an hour-long bus ride of motion sickness-inducing twists and turns from Como, Samantha and I arrived in Bellagio. We then walked to Pescallo, a hamlet on the opposite side of Bellagio, where we met with Mich from Bellagio Water Sports. Mich led a kayaking tour along the coast to the tip of Bellagio where Lake Como split into two “branches.” The water was calm because it was the off-season and there weren’t many speedboats. Unfortunately, the water was still cold so I couldn’t soak my feet in the water as I kayaked. I highly recommend kayaking in Lake Como because you get to see lakeside sights you can’t see easily on land.

Samantha and I took the ferry to Varenna, where we had lunch and walked around. The narrow stairwells in Bellagio, Pescallo, and Varenna reminded me of a coastal town one of my favorite anime was based on. (There’s a Crunchyroll article comparing the anime to its real-life counterpart with a link to Etesuke Sougou Untensho, which has more images.)

After seeing a sign that said Castello di Vezio was only a 15-minute walk, I foolishly suggested that we go there, not knowing what a hike it was. Like the steps in the area, the trail to the castle was covered in stones. I could feel the uneven path underneath my boat shoes, which were inappropriate for the terrain. Despite the arduous trek, Samantha and I had great views of Varenna, Lake Como, and neighboring towns in the mountains. Despite the physically demanding activities, we enjoyed our day in the Lake Como area.

Livorno

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Livorno is a gorgeous port city in Tuscany. I learned of this place on the day we went to Pisa after realizing that the destination listed in the terminal sign at Firenze was the last stop of the route: Livorno was that last stop. Tuscany’s largest aquarium was there, too, so that was another reason to go. The Ligurian Sea was so clear and blue. Acquario di Livorno had so many fish and sea creatures. It was the first aquarium I’ve been to where the octopus wasn’t in a dark tank. However, the octopus was still shy because it stayed in a bottom corner of the tank.

After lunch at Osteria del Mare, Samantha, Jen, and I walked to Fortezza Vecchia and Fortezza Nuova. Fortezza Vecchia was inaccessible, but Fortezza Nuova was turned into a park. We looked over the fort and relaxed in the green space. After leaving Fortezza Nuova, we learned that we were walking in Quartiere La Venezia. The many bridges and canals made sense. We then walked through a street market where people sold crafts and passed by a few churches in the process.

After seeing the Cattedrale di San Francesco, we headed towards the train station. On the way, we visited Parco Pertini where animals used to be exhibited: only chickens, ducks, geese, and what I think are pheasants or turkeys were there. A large enclosure where ducks, geese, and chickens lived was infiltrated by pigeons through a hole in the net above. Livorno wasn’t very touristy either.

Take time to appreciate the wonderful things around you!

Crafting into the sunset,
Virginia

If you’re interested in studying abroad, check out the Queens College Education Abroad office website.