Farewell Venezia…

I think it’s safe to say we’re caught up on sleep now. We both slept like babies last night and got ourselves ready without rushing. We even had time for breakfast and cappuccinos and still made it to the train station before our platform was announced.

Venice was pretty good to us. Matt referred to it as a real-life Atlantis. He feels Venice’s beauty is seen best from the water, and I get what he means. It’s amazing to think about how it was constructed (basically on stilts) and how long it has been around. In hindsight, they’d probably build it differently now, and a lot of money and effort are being pumped into keeping it from sinking and flooding.

We were warned a lot about watching our backs in crowded areas and on vaporetto boats, but we didn’t really see or encounter anything suspicious. I forgot to mention we met our first unpleasant Italian yesterday. It was at a shoe store. I tried on some very eccentric Laura Vita fashion sneakers, but they were a little too tight and not very comfortable. The store associate insisted they were not tight and seemed highly offended that I didn’t buy them. He gave us the cold shoulder after that.

Other than that guy, everyone else has been a delight, especially hotel staff. The Venice Times was our first of two hotels on this trip, with the remaining accommodations being Airbnbs. We chose it because of its proximity to the train station and the Ferrovia vaporetto stop. I didn’t want to take suitcases on a boat or rely on a boat to make the train. So far, it has been our smoothest train-to-hotel transition.

Also worth noting: yesterday Matt kept referring to gondolas as bungalows. Not sure how the mix-up happened, but he didn’t immediately believe me when I corrected him until I told him bungalows were those huts in places like Tahiti or Bora Bora. Also, for anyone planning a trip to Venice, I would not prebook a gondola. They are cheaper in person. Some websites charged the same price per person as we paid for both of us in person for the same length ride.

Another good thing to know about Venice is that, because of how crowded it gets, tourists have to pay additional fees and register with the city. The fees aren’t much, but the fines are hefty if you don’t comply.

Train time!

The train to Milan required us to sit next to some strangers. Delightful folks, but clearly their first time in business class (yes, my pinkies are up as I’m writing this). One of them asked me whether we had to pay for beverage service; they were very excited when they found out the drinks and snacks were included.

The last stop before Milan was Brescia, which I had never heard of before today. Not many people got on or off. However, we saw a big red warning sign on the monitors saying the train was stopped for police intervention and they would keep us informed. They didn’t. But the train ended up proceeding as normal, so I guess the problem was minor.

We arrived in Milan on time and opted for a taxi to our Airbnb so we wouldn’t have to think about public transportation yet. I had almost forgotten that today is National Liberation Day in Italy. The city was filled with marches, flags, and anti-fascist remembrance marking Italy’s liberation from Nazi occupation and Fascism—especially meaningful in Milan as a center of the resistance.

Around the Duomo, that blended with modern protests—pro-Palestinian groups, anti-war activists, and political demonstrators—turning the piazza into a sea of banners, chanting, and civic energy where history and current events collided.

As a result, the Duomo metro stop was completely closed, so the taxi was the right decision since that was our stop anyway.

After dropping off our bags, we set out on foot for our 3 p.m. visit to Milan’s Duomo and terraces. The Milan Cathedral is the symbolic heart of Milan and one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world. Completed over centuries (although it looked like it was still under construction today), it reflects layers of Milanese history, from medieval ambition to Napoleonic-era ceremonies.

Its forest of spires, marble façade, and rooftop statues make it both a religious landmark and a civic icon, while the piazza in front has long been Milan’s gathering place for celebrations, protests, and historic moments—as seen today.

The stained glass in the Duomo isn’t just beautiful for the sake of being beautiful—it was meant to tell stories. Those huge windows show scenes from the Bible, with saints, prophets, martyrs, and the life of Christ, and they basically acted like visual scripture back when many people couldn’t read. It was a way of teaching faith through imagery instead of text.

The statues once again have me feeling a type of way. IYKYK. I won’t get into any more details here. But I’ll just say—it’s a gorgeous cathedral with great views, and because of the holiday, it wasn’t very busy.

Afterward, we strolled around the shopping galleria right next door and swiftly got in line for panzerotti at Luini, a popping lunch spot more efficient than Chick-fil-A. It came highly recommended by my good friend Luca, who is from the Milan area and was also our class guide back in 2010.

The food here is really putting the States to shame. I wish I could take it all back with me. I may or may not have also split a Sicilian cannoli with Matt. I don’t know if it’s all the walking or the portion sizes, but there is no guilt or self-loathing after meals. We just keep moving.

Of course Matt had to have a soccer jersey from one of his not favorite teams. Another one for the collection, I suppose. A few shops later, Matt also had a brand-new outfit.

People seem really drawn to him. I think with his sunglasses on, he gets mistaken for an athlete. One store associate today even asked if he was a powerlifter.

Nope. Just good genes… and now good jeans.

Side note: if you had dropped me into this city without telling me it was Milan, I still think I would’ve known by the fashion alone. People here are just… put together. Effortlessly. Even the casual outfits look curated. My own efforts, while respectable, were not exactly operating at local standards. I’m out here trying to make leggings and a travel capsule work, while Milanese women look like they stepped out of a campaign shoot on their lunch break. Matt, on the other hand, somehow looks like he could blend right in. I may have brought him to Italy, but Italy might be keeping him.

For dinner we went to a restaurant near the Navigli area called El Barbapedana. I ordered an appetizer called gnocchi fritto, which was bread-like, soft, delicious bites served with thinly sliced ham and lard over the top. It was melt-in-your-mouth good.

Our server told us the lard is aged in Carrara marble, which I had seen on Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. Never thought I’d actually be eating it. Of course, we followed it up with Milanese risotto.

Side note: sometime in the last 24 hours, Matt and I have both been absolutely chewed up by either Venetian or Milanese mosquitoes. My money is on Milan, but Matt insists Venice. We may never solve the case. There’s definitely something different about Milan though—mosquitoes are apparently enough of a problem that some restaurants keep their front doors closed like they’re defending the homeland. Also, there are these mysterious little dust bunnies floating through the air everywhere, which at first I thought were literal dust tumbleweeds, but now I’m wondering if Milan just has airborne confetti.

All in all, a great—but busy—day.