We can understand many of the values and priorities of civilizations if we look at their architecture and art. Our visit to Milan, Florence, and Rome renewed my appreciation for the Italians’ efforts to preserve culture and heritage.

Milan, the city of fashion and design

Milan is known as the city of fashion and design. However, the city impressed me with its efforts to preserve its heritage and innovate with future-oriented architectural designs.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a luxury shopping centre, took my breath away. It is the most beautiful and oldest shopping mall in Italy, with its impressive glass dome and handmade detail against the walls. It houses brands such as Armani, Prada, and Versace, whose headquarters are also in Milan.

I loved the detail and symmetry in the architecture of Milan Cathedral. Similarly, the modern and futuristic Porta Nuova area excited me. There are, among others, the Bosco Verticale luxury apartment blocks with trees and plants. They demonstrate that a building can be a home for trees, birds, insects, and humans. 

The architecture of the future will hopefully include similar environmentally friendly designs.

Florence, the city of art

The high-speed train to Florence at 300 km/h was quite an experience. Florence is considered the Renaissance birthplace. The whole city, with art and architecture by artists like Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, felt like a work of art to me. Our visit was during Easter weekend with masses of tourists, but everyone’s excitement and positive energy were welcome.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is impressive. It has distinctive Renaissance architectural features of symmetry, domes, columns, pillars, and triangular fronts used repetitively. The cathedral’s dome is still an engineering marvel and impacted other religious buildings.
We enjoyed the many street artists in Florence. The city radiates creative energy and attracts different kinds of artists from all over the world.

Our visit to the central market in Florence, with its many homemade, local, and fresh products, was a highlight.

In Florence, we rented a hybrid car to Tuscany, the region between Florence and Rome. However, I will tell you more about our Tuscany experience in my following letter.

Rome, the Eternal City

In Rome, you walk with reverence and respect since Rome had its origins in 753 B.C. The impact of the Roman Empire is still visible in Western art, architecture, technology, literature, language, and law.

Since I visited Rome in 1995, archaeologists have made many historical discoveries. The area around the Colosseum looks very different, with many more excavations. The Colosseum finished in 80 A.C., is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built. It could handle 80,000 spectators who watched gladiatorial competitions and public spectacles.

The Vatican is an independent state with its beautiful St. Peter’s Basilica. During our visit, the Vatican City prepared for a Holy Mass on Sunday, 24 April, led by Pope Francis.

The queues were too long to visit the Pope’s chapel, namely Sistine Chapel. The chapel’s paintings took Michelangelo five years to complete. For those people who are too impatient for long queues, I can recommend the Netflix movie, The Two Popes. It is very informative and contains beautiful footage from the Vatican City and Sistine Chapel.

Preservation of culture and heritage

The restoration and preservation of the cultural treasures place significant responsibility on the leaders of Rome. However, tourism also creates jobs and income. We also made our tourism contributions in exchange for gelato ice cream and pizza. These Italian treats had to serve as encouragement for tired bodies and sore feet.

Our Italian visit was our way of celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. We are thankful our life paths have crossed and for the privilege of being able to walk many foreign paths together.

Cari saluti

Emsia