I just returned from my first visit to Italy - I have enough inspiration to paint for some time!
My adventure started with flying Alitalia and being served Limoncello, which I had never had prior to that but had quite a few times throughout the trip.
It’s a liquor made from the peel of the lemon…... which is mainly produced in Southern Italy, especially around Naples, Sorrento, Capri and the coast of Amalfi (Amalfi is on my list for my next Italian visit!).
It is made from the zest of lemons (just the peel not the white part). The lemons grown in the area mention are especially good for this drink because it's a little cold for growing lemons so their peels are very thick. Everywhere there is a small space you'll see lemon trees growing.
To make it the peel is soaked in vodka until the oil of the lemon is released, then mixed with simple syrup, and served very cold.
Questo e’ delizioso!
Since I had never been to Italy before and I speak very limited Italian (actually zero) I went on a tour with Perillo. It was a group of 28, our guide Tony was excellent and it was well organized. Would travel with them again.
We landed in Milan and were transferred to our hotel - we never touched our suitcases the whole time, they were always delivered to our rooms and picked up from them.
We spent the evening getting settled and then i walked around the neighborhood looking at shops and having my first gelato!
The biggest interest in Milan for me was the Duomo and the adjacent upscale mall in the Galleria.
The Duomo - the Milan Cathedral, was started in the 1300's and took six centuries to complete.
They both were beautiful.
This photo is not mine but shows the whole square, the main piazza of Milan, including the Royal Palace, the Duomo and the Galleria.
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the oldest (and I'm sure most beautiful) shopping malls in the world. It was built between 1861 and 1877.
I've developed a real interest in mosaics (am going to Philadelphia to a workshop with Isaiah Zagar in August) so was glad to see a lot of them in Italy.
Photo of a corner of the Duomo and the entrance to the Galleria.
The interior of the Duomo - the largest church in Italy and fifth largest in the world.
We took a day trip to Luguano and Como, seeing the beautiful Lake Como.
What I like most of the photo above is catching the pigeon in flight. I would take LOTS of photos of windows during this trip. For most people it's the only place they have to grow flowers.
Next post - From Milan to Venice.
Ciao
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