My Month in Europe, final segment, Milan and vicinity

Milan and the Lakes Region
I needed a central city to use as my starting base for touring the Lakes part of Italy so I chose Milan.  Unfortunately, Milan is extremely overpriced due to the ongoing conventions and expos which are held there regularly.  For $200/night, I would rather be in the Grand Hotel Pupp being treated like royalty rather than in a two star, run-down hotel in Milan.  The first hotel which I checked into was located in a rundown neighborhood full of graffiti,  sex shops, and kabab shops.  Hmm...there was no mention about these things in the Expedia reviews when I booked the hotel.  After four hours I checked out because of the suffocating cigarette smoke and the relentless street noise.  I wandered a few blocks away and found a more suitable, overpriced, three star hotel.  From here I based my excursions.

My first tour was to Lake Como.  It is well known for its beauty, the village of Bellagio, and of course, the villas of famous celebrities such as George Clooney and Richard Branson.  Lake Como lived up to my expectations.  Truly beautiful vistas and villas.  The next day I toured Lake Maggiore, which was quite similar to Lake Como.  While there, I visited the island of Isola Bella, which is the location of the palace home of the Borromean family.  This palace is architecturally beautiful, filled with an incredible collection of priceless artwork, and surrounded by lush gardens filled with statuary.  There are even a couple pairs of white peacocks living in the gardens as well as an aviary filled with colorful, happily chirping birds.  The owners still live on the top floor, but graciously allow visitors to tour the rest of the house.  Grottos lay underneath of this magnificent palace, constructed solely of shells and river rock.  The mosaics and arches are captivating.  This is a must see venue for anyone traveling to the Lakes region of Italy.

My next excursion was to see the Dolomite Mountains.  Truthfully, I saw more of the Dolomites by plane than I did on this tour.

Of course, while I was in Milan, I toured the sites there.  I visited the Milan Fortress (Castle), La Scala Theater, the Milan Cathedral, and I saw Leonardo DaVinci's painting of The Last Supper.  The Fortress is basically being used as an art museum and it houses one of the three existing copies of Michelangelo's Pieta.  La Scala Opera Theater didn't interest me.  The Milan Cathedral is a fine example of Gothic Architecture.  The spires and statues number in the thousands.  The Cathedral took over 600 years to complete and is now the symbol of MIlan.  The Last Supper painting was faded and hard to see.  The tour guide did a great job explaining the groupings of the disciples and the interactions they were having with each other.  If you want to see it, make sure you have reservations in advance.  Only 120 people per hour are allowed through the church to see it.

Cinque Terre
My final trip was to Cinque Terre, a colorful group of five fishing villages hanging on the sides of mountains on the sea.  These were picturesque and fun to visit.  By this point, I was ready to go back home to Albania.  The flight back reminded me of how nice the train rides had been.  Traveling will never be the same.