12-14. March-Off to Italy!

Sylvia’s sister was able to get us tickets for an opera performance in Milan at La Scala: The House of the Dead by Janacek.What an exciting opportunity! We left on Friday afternoon and saw the mountains in glorious sunshine (when not going through  tunnels, Mt. Blanc’s being 7 miles long!).  We arrived in Milan when it was dark and got hopelessly lost, but once there we loved our little Hotel Atena on the 2nd floor (there is a sign downstairs-the rest of the house is used otherwise). A restaurant around the corner had true Italian food.

Most Photogenic Roof ever!

Saturday was a full day: first walking on the roof of the Duomo which, with all its spires and buttresses, looks like a small world in itself (oh, so many photos taken there!). Uli claims that this is the closest you can get to actually being in an M.C. Escher picture. Then viewing the Last Supper by Leonardo followed by some other romanic churches with old frescos and mosaics. After that we needed a good strong coffee, Uli enjoys these!

At the end of the day we were in a small art gallery/library where the building was as stunning as the art. After changing for the opera we had a small bite to eat and went to La Scala. It was a breathtaking performance and the theater looks very elegant. We were thrilled we had this opportunity! After the performance we ate a big ice cream bowl.

Sunday we decided to take some smaller streets back home and enjoy the Aosta Valley. We saw old Roman streets, medieval towers and villages as well as a castle in the afternoon. The view from Forte di Bard was breathtaking so I am sharing a photo of it here:

We had sunny weather throughout the trip and so much to see and hear-what a great weekend!