Summer in Milan

We're sitting at Milan airport waiting for our flight to Gatwick after spending the last 2 nights here. With a 2 hour delay just announced I thought I would write about our time here while it is still fresh.
Milan has been fantastic. I am a little sad to be leaving tonight. We arrived at midday on Wednesday from Lugano. It's a train trip I had done twenty years earlier, only in reverse. I was on route from Florence to Zurich and was so impressed by the scenery. I remember scribbling in my guide book the name 'Menaggio' as we sped by vowing to return. It was incredibly beautiful even in the dead of winter, covered in snow. Seeing it in summer was just as impressive.
August in Italy is quiet in the towns as everyone vacates for either the sea or the mountains. This worked in our favour as the city was so easy to navigate without the crowds. The streets were quiet and it felt like Christmas holiday period in Melbourne. Our hotel was situated on Corso Sempione and it was a short walk through Arco Della Pace  to Parco Sempione and the Castello Sforzesco.

Our first afternoon we walked along Corso Sempione to the park, through the castle and wove our way through the streets to Brera to meander the pedestrian streets and drool over the apartments.  I had tried to book an apartment in Brera which was a slightly over budget but an amazing position and beautifully furnished. I would definitely consider moving if when I could can afford an apartment around this area. Coming home we caught  the #1 tram, an old rickety tram with wooden benches and slat flooring reminiscent of chilhood tram trips in Melbourne.   
The next morning back on the tram we jumped off at Piazza Cavour and wove our way through the seductive golden triangle!  Fortunately (for our wallets) most of the stores were closed for their summer break but we enjoyed window shopping as the Milanese definitely have their visual merchandising figured out. Every high end shop was so simple, oozing style and definitely created a sense of desire! My favorite store being the furniture store, Nilufor. They had the most incredible bookshelf which we later discover was a Franco Albini. We strolled down Corso vittale Emmanuel II watching the buskers and street performers, dodging dodgy salesmen, crowds (the only crowded street in Milan at this time) and polizi patrol cars to emerge at the Duomo. Here I'll make a little confession. We dared, in Italy, for the first time this trip to bribe Z with lunch at McDonald's. The LF and I refrained but all was not lost on this experience. They have the most spectacular view of the Duomo from their first floor 'restaurant'. Duck in for a drink or toilet break (or bribe your child  *i'll write a post on this once home) to check out the view. With a gallery bribe up our sleeves we visited Pinacoteca di Brera. The gallery houses a vast collection of Milanese artwork from early renaissance to contemporary works... albeit heavily geared towards the renaissance with a lot of biblical references which was interesting explaining to Z, who was quite horrified by some of the images.
Our last dinner in Milan was not quite as I imagined. I did not even realise I held a vision of how it should be until we were seated and I was desperately trying to rewind the last 15 minutes in order to choose a different outcome. I desperately knew the scene I was sitting in was not meant for me!  Instead of being seated at a gorgeous little Osteria in the back streets of Brera sipping a lovely Italian Gewürztraminer and traditional home style Italian fare we had somehow made our way to the 'Lygon Street' strip of Brera, sitting at a restaurant spraying fine mists of water at intervals on the Pommy tourists expiring under the 'extreme' weather, downing large pints of larger while listening to Frank Sinatra, Bonnie Tyler & a bevie of bad 80's tracks. Z had rather loudly insisted on 'this one' and since we had pushed our luck already that day, we buckled. Thankfully once the horror wore off we laughed hysterically and rather enjoyed ourselves. All part of the pitfalls and pleasures of traveling with kids.
On our last day we spent our time at Triennale Di Milano, Milan's brilliant design museum. There were four exhibitions on and they were all beautifully curated, The Syndrome of Influence being a favourite. The building is vast and the detailing beautiful, mosaic floors, huge windows, imposing staircases all set on the edge of Parco Sempione. You definitely need to set aside at a minimum half a day to explore this treasure. We ended our visit with lunch at the cafe in the sculpture garden before heading back for our airport transfer.
Unfortunately, our plane has now been delayed 4 hours so instead of getting in at 8pm it looks like we'll be touching down in the wee hours of the morning. I am exhausted I can only imagine how tired the Z man must feel, poor lad. Luckily we've pre booked a room at Gatwick airport so once we touch down we can roll in to bed, ready for our train trip to Waymouth tomorrow. 
Buonenotte a tutti & grazie mille Milan. xx

PS. Sorry about the font issue again. I'm too tired for any more tonight so it will have to do for now.

So long, Montese

Our last few days in Montese were spent pretty much the same as the first.  Late lazy mornings, hour upon hour by the pool, trying to escape multiple bee stings and the obligatory afternoon spritzing. The rest of our time there seemed to revolved around food.
Marzia very kindly taught us how to make gnocchi.  The three of us sat in her kitchen and watched as she measured, kneaded and chopped the gnocchi into puffy bite sized pieces. We took turns in following her direction and were pleased by our results.  Light, delicious gnocchi which we all sat down and shared, with Enrico & Marzia, for lunch.  Z even had two helpings. A miracle!
We tried an ice-cream sandwich which, despite how it sounds, was pretty incredible.  The bun was a delicious panettone type roll.....a little too sweet for the LF which meant I 'had to' make my way through the lot.
We ate dinner watching the sunset at the Terrace Restaurant, Hotel Miramonti in Montese. One of the best views in Montese. It was an early birthday celebration for the Ladle and we lapped up the time, without children, thankful for Ladle's parents who took care of all three munchkins. The food was fantastic and the lambrusco was flowing.  It was great to have a few laughs with Ladle and the BF for old times sake.  The kids also had a great time attending a concert at the church.  Apparently Little Miss G and the Z man had to sit at the back & cover their mouths to hold in their fits of laughter.
On our last night we were treated to pizza & beer (& grappa) by Fran and Sam, who turned up with enough pizza to feed the entire village!  Thankfully we were joined by Enrico, Marzia, Ladle, BF and the kids to help polish off .....mmm, approximately a 3rd of the pizza.  Marzia had also made two mascapone desserts (or sorry, puddings).  They were AMAZING! One was coffee the other wild berries.  I had a helping of each....ok, 2 helpings of the wild berries. I couldn't resist.
There was also a little bingle outside the supermarket and again a lot of tooting but this time the tooting was coming from the LF, countless parades around the square, humorous trips to the supermarket, a scenic drive to Maserno for spring water and time spent wandering the town with our buddies. It was so good to hang out with Milly & Greta and get to know them over an extended period.  Great friendships were formed.  The Z man really enjoyed having the girls and their cousins, Gus & Isi, to play with.  Thanks guys for fun times and a relaxing visit to the mountains of Montese..... unfortunately I can't get those poolside tunes out of my head (You will never know... Play Hard.... Wake me up!... La La La.....Mi Mi Mi ...... L'Universo Tranne Noi........ Estate ...... and one for Ben Bonfire heart)! Aaaaargghhhhh, I AM extremely grateful I don't have to endure another day of the 'Very Normal People' radio station.  xx

Grazie mille & big hugs to Miss G and her parents, Enrico & Marzia, for having us stay.  We really do hope to see you all in Australia again soon. xxx

Into the Mountains....Montese.

We have been in Montese a small village in the province of Modena for the last 5 days.  It is about 1.5 hours south west of Bologna along narrow, windy roads into the mountain tops.   We have come to spend time with my friend, Ladle, (who's father grew up here) and her family (the Ladle is here with the BF, her two beautiful girls, her parents, her sister, brother-in-law and two nephews...all Inglese!).  I was last here 13 years ago so it has been interesting to see people I met back then and revisit a town I have held great affection for.  Since that time we have had a couple of Montese friends come to Melbourne to stay with us,  Miss G, whose place we are staying in now and Francessca, who runs Los Recicladores.

Days have been slow and mainly spent around the pool.  There is an inflatable elephant slide and donut style trampoline in the centre of the pool to make things a little interesting.  I managed to go down the slide on my side and land with a great splash, legs akimbo, water up the schnoz, laughing underwater while gasping for air. Parents are lethal on this thing (and quite possibly should be banned)! A number of times the lifeguard has blown his whistle and yelled 'Inglese, no!'

The LF and I made a day trip to Siena while Z stayed back with the clan for more swimming and shenanigans (thank you!).  The temperature down there was 39 degrees so we were pleased to retreat to the cooler temperatures in the cave like restaurant at Antica Osteria Da Divo for a long and delicious lunch. I had been to Siena back in January 1992 however it was the LF's first experience. It was way too hot for standing in long summer-holiday queues so we skipped the 'tourist hotspots' & walked the narrow streets in the shade taking in the quieter streets around town. Back in the mountains where the weather is cooler (by a margin it seems...especially at night) we headed straight to the bar in the piazza to meet the clan for a spritz, a little evening ritual I'm becoming rather fond of. 

Miss G's parents, Enrico & Marzia, have been delightful.  They live in the apartment two floors above ours and we have fumbled through, on the little Italian I have and little English they have, to hold some rather animated conversions (quite possibly talking about completely different topics while nodding agreeably at one another).  Enrico comes down each evening to water the plants and tend to his veggie patch out the front of our apartment and Z takes particular joy in running out and shouting 'Ciao Enrico.  Come Stai?'  

We are pretty relaxed here and life is sweet in this small town.  Again it's been great to hear the sounds of a smaller  town, especially around dusk.  Last night we were lulled by choir practice in the apartment block across from ours while we ate dinner and watched the sun set.  It was one of those totally missable 'incredible moments'.......  

another lake....this time Como.

We are feeling pretty relaxed after 3 days here in Pognana Lario, Lake Como. Pognana is a small village located halfway between Como & Bellagio.  I have full respect for the LF getting us here in one piece. There was a point I almost ended up in tears....the road is harrowing!  Swimming, crazy driving,  tight roads, antipasto, gelato, queasy bus trips, ferry rides, relishing the the sounds & smells of small town Italian living, more swimming and abundant love for this place..... that just about sums up the last 3 days.  We loved Menaggio, Bellagio & Verena. So much so that we missed the last bus home from Bellagio one night. A blessing is disguise really. The cab was practically a limo, way smoother and WAY LESS honking than the bus. We have the most incredible views (right across the lake to George's place, I kid you not!).  I could write more about the joys of Lake Como but I am off the lap up the last of our time here.  Tomorrow Montese. Night xx