Big City Grays

Hello to you on what will probably be a Saturday morning. I can’t keep track
Today I am writing in a little 2-star family lodging place we’ve stayed in for years. The Ascot Lodging Malpensa. The prices never go up because they never reinvest in the place, but they are lovely to us and have a great little pizza place around the corner, and it always feels a bit like coming home, a shabby, in need of re-doing, pretty clean, rundown home, but home. Our room is Italian Family style, with a king-size bed, and two single beds – just in case. We have had lots of fun stories over the years as we’ve reconfigured from a big group – a small group- a mixed group, and this time- just Lew and I. We put daughter Kelley out of the car for her flight in Milan( gonna miss that girl ) this morning for her flight home and pick up brother Bill on tomorrow’s AM flight. Since Milan is three hours from where we are staying, we just lodged ourselves near the airport, and spent a day “doing Milan.” Big city, lots of things to say in a short bit, BUT… a few observations.

Traffic is as intense as usual, maybe up a notch due to having to make instant decisions on roads you can’t read, with traffic signs one can’t interpret. But, Google didn’t fail us, and we got around. The people here wear a lot of black, abit more urban, about 2 out of 3 have on some/mostly black, unlike the riviera area near Soglio, which is full of bright sunny outfits, some quite fanciful.

So, Milano; fashion center, industrial, commercial, busy, blonde, and quite cosmopolitan by comparison to small towns. I think that it’s the result of all those decades-centuries of German/French occupation, as compared to the entirely different-appearing southern Italians who were close to the Turks, Greeks, and everyone other great civilization, apparently, sticking the Italian toe into the Ionian Sea as the South does. The sky is peasoup gray, up north, at least here, and now. The northerners share the high mountains, and the air here feels crisp, not tropical like Chiavari does…

We decided to see if we could get in to see the Last Supper, tickets carefully and jealously guarded by tour groups and limited to 18 ppl at a time for viewing. We found it- Leonardos masterpiece – at least, in the Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie, adjacent to the church of the same name. It’s been awarded a UNESCO site designation for the many celebrated artists who designed small side chapels that were used to house the dead of the various celebrity families over time. The church itself reminded me a bit of cathedrals with its central nave and two sides all with vaulted ceilings, side chapelini, ( new word) towering dome, and sides – probably built like a cross, but hard to tell from either the street or inside. It was our one big chance, but… we are apparently not worthy of a DaVinci painting. We left some candles burning for a friend.

Unfortunately, the next available appt is October 04th. I suspect we won’t get to it. It was amazing just the same to be in the church, which I took several photos of. It is itself grand, open, and darkly covered in centuries-old paintings before they discovered how to paint light, soaring ceilings, totally decorated and since I am praying in all the chapels for my sick friend, I am paying attention.

The large square in front reminds me a lot of Boulder, with the artists all around, street musicians playing electronic accompaniment to his trumpet, a few beggars, scads of visitors. There were many of the school children, looking glowing in their little uniforms- white shirts, and blue pants or skirts or combinations of those two – those kids are so beautiful to see. The birth rate here has been low for a long time, and what children there are seem to be totally adored and fawned over, kissed and kissed again, and mostly well behaved.

Milan is very busy growing, and I got several pictures of interesting buildings to send off to Jason Ruby, our daughter Lisamarie’s guy- our architect partner-in-law. It seems that Milan is optimistic about the future, and lots of money is showing up for commercial monuments – looks like a bit of a competition for dramatic new buildings. Apartments and some commercial buildings are attempting green growing on the top floors, greenery overflowing, sprouting from the sides of high-rises as well. We saw little to no single-family homes until we got into nearby towns, then there was some sprawling that included the coveted parking spaces.

Just got a text in that brother Bill and Kelley, both going in opposite ways to and from Italy, met in Newark tonight between planes and sent a photo. What is the chance? How fun is it to be in such a world?

October 01. We found Bill exiting the airport luggage. He made it with barely a hitch. As we get settled into our place near the sea, it is nice to be back in the sunny southerly towns off the riviera. Not the high arch of the rich and famous, but the small town of Cagorno, ten minutes from the Ligurian sea. Why do they call each little spot a different name — the Ionian Sea, Sea of Marmora, for a few more — when they all live within the same body of water, the mighty Mediterranean, do you suppose?)

We found a fixer-upper, perhaps, and when I ask our family members who is desirous of playing a part in owning a building in Italy, everyone seems to clutch their throats and gasp. It’s almost livable, really it is.
Time for tea.