Home from the holidays, Italian edition

[nineveh_uk]

One day I will go on a holiday and come back less tired than when I went away*. It is a long time since I have just gone for a day at the beach, which is silly as I enjoy a day at the beach. On the other hand, filling every waking minute does mean that though not a lot of reading gets done, I am thoroughly mentally refreshed by concentrating on doing things outside the daily grind, which is excellent. Likewise excellent is that I now possess grappa, a sort of pistachio version of Nutella, and a silk scarf. The broken/sprained little toe is less excellent. Fortunately after the first bout of sudden agony, a sticky bandage and exchanging sandals for lace-ups reduced it to a nuisance rather than a major inconvenience, and it improved during the week so I am now fairly sure that it is only the tendons. Also less excellent was the Italian air traffic controllers’ strike, something that really makes one appreciate the value of flying with BA who seemed pretty good about making rearranging things their problem.

Anyway, it was good fun. I saw lots of interesting things including impressive art** and beautiful scenery, 8 dead bodies***, and numerous churches, enjoyed some better weather, ate some excellent food**** and ice cream (top marks to the bergamot and marron glaces flavours), drank cocktails, took a plane, train, bus, underground, but not alas tram. It was a bit cloudy for much of the time (except with good timing when I was on the duomo roof) so I am not at all tanned and did not swim, but I hope I have managed to synthesise a bit of vitamin D to see me through until May.

Photos

Milan cathedral, in supreme wedding cake style.


On the roof


Milan cathedral spires, with the Galleria Vittoria Emmanuelle (the temple of consumerism), and the Alps.


Here is an evil duck on the cathedral.


Here is Lake Como in the sunshine.


In a thunderstorm


Villa Balbianello on Lake Como. A gorgeous building and gorgeous setting. They do weddings there, some of which involve people dressing up as Star Wars characters. I would like to know more about the life of the last owner (who bequeathed it to FAI, the Italian National Trust), who was a department store tycoon and traveller/explorer who died aged 60 and never got to retire there.


Here am I on a lake ferry.


*Except I won’t, resembling Saint Augustine in this “but not yet” attitude if nothing else.

**We remembered about booking for the Last Supper too late for the ordinary tickets so had to do a guided tour, but it turned out to be very good tour that was well worth the extra. And it is a very impressive painting.

***Mostly clothed, with bits of hand, foot, and skull (with hair) sticking out. I find bodies as relics supremely weird. I find myself wondering who washes the vestments and re-clothes the bodies? Somebody must. However incorruptible the flesh of saints, natural fabrics fade, and that cloth doesn’t date to the 1930s, let alone the 1530s. It is not the flesh and bones themselves that I am squeamish about – I have seen dead bodies in other contexts, fortunately for me none of them people that I have known - and it isn’t really squeamishness, but a complete “I don’t get it” on the symbolic side.

The video art installation of 18 minutes of Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth mostly blacked out, on the other hand, I thought was fascinating.

****Milan in particular was astonishingly easy to find good and well-priced food in.

Comments

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

I love the evil duck (and the cathedral in general. It's always fun when places like that offer the chance to go up to the roof and survey the area). Sounds like a lovely, if busy, holiday!

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

You look happy and relaxed, and Lake Como looks beautiful. I'm sorry you didn't get to swim! Next time, maybe.

[tudorpot.livejournal.com]

Lovely pic of you. I loved my trip to Italy.

[azdak.livejournal.com]

It looks glorious! I'm very taken with Villa Balbianello. I'd always thought weddings were improved by a general absence of stormtroopers, but clearly I was wrong.

[white_hart]

I'm glad you had a good time, though much sympathy on the toe.

[helenajust.livejournal.com]

It sounds wonderful. You may feel physically tired but I'm sure your brain feels refreshed by all the different and fun experiences.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

If there is some sort of Tower with a View when I am on holiday I will always endeavour to go up it.

[biascut.livejournal.com]

That is very much my parents' approach to holidays. As I was terrified of stairs-you-can-see-though as a child, many of our family holiday memories are of me with gritted teeth and tears in my eyes, dragging myself up Yet Another Lighthouse with wrought iron stairs.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. That does not sound much fun. I didn't get to go up many towers as a child because my parents worried that my younger sisters would contrive to fall off one.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Next time indeed! Though the lake was quite chilly, so unless on a blazing day it might be swimming in the hotel pool in front of it.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Italy is a great place for a holiday - I have now been 6 times and it has been delightful on each occasion.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Yes, the benefit of an intensive holiday is that it really forces your brain to think about other things, and I definitely did that!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't want stormtroopers at every wedding, but now and then they add a certain something. Villa Balbianello was great. It was built by a C18 Cardinal as a literary/good life retreat - his attitude to life in general might be indicated by the fact that he never got round to consecrating the chapel.

[antisoppist.livejournal.com]

Italian air traffic controllers' strike You are Tim Keith.

That is an incredibly wedding cakey cathedral. Like Wells but with twiddly bits. I hope your foot is feeling better. I don't think you can do anything for broken bits of feet even if you have broken them so keeping comfortable and carrying on enjoying Italy sounds extremely sensible. It looks lovely, even if more the "change is as good as a rest" sort of holiday.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I had forgotten that! I don't mind being Tim Keith, I think.

There was one bit when if it continued like that I was going to need to carry on on crutches, but fortunately that passed and I merely took the metro a bit more than usual. Probably you are supposed to keep them up and rested more than I did, but it doesn't seem to have suffered for it. I have learned my lesson about not leaving the open suitcase somewhere stupid in future.

[tree_and_leaf]

That is an excessively evil duck!

I'm glad you had a good time though I'm sorry about your foot.

[caulkhead.livejournal.com]

That duck is proper scary, especially its little grabby wings. Evil Vampire Ducks - who knew?

Much sympathy on the toe. I managed to break mine on the last day of my holiday last year, and was very glad I hadn't done it before.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It is annoying, but definitely getting better.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

In my book of "Life in the Freezer" there is a photograph of a carnivorous duck with its bill, head and neck slick with scarlet blood from eating a seal. Until last week that was the scariest duck I had ever seen - not any more!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Clearly it is the origin of Count Duckula!

A couple of weeks ago my sister broke her toe performing a stunt that I asked her to do a second time. I feel a lot more guilty about it now than I did then.