Today my cousin would fly back to the USA, finishing her vacation with me in Prague, Rome, and Venice. It's always great to see someone like family or close friends who you have known for a while. It's a different experience than meeting someone and traveling with them for a short trip since you know them more on a personal level, and have history with them. I would be on my own again for the remainder of my trip, meeting new people again until I fly back to the USA.
I took the train in the afternoon from Venice to Milan - the famous city of Italy known for its luxury shopping and fashion, but also for the arts, design, and architecture. I think it's the lesser traveled city of all the main Italian cities, but one that people have recommended to me to visit for a short trip.
I arrived at night, since the ride was about 4 hours and headed directly to the Duomo Cathedral, which is one of the main tourist attractions in Milan (along with seeing the art piece, the Last Supper). It is the largest Gothic Cathedral, and 4th largest church in the world. Since it was dark already, seeing it out in the open square gave it a sort of eerie feel, as it towered over the city.
I met up with my CS host, Giulio (pronounced "Julio") for dinner at a great pizza and seafood restaurant, where it was recommended that I try the basic Napoli pizza, so I ordered the most basic of pizzas with cheese, tomato sauce, and basil. Never had I had a fresher tasting pizza. The cheese and tomato sauce tasted so fresh and natural, it actually felt like I was eating something healthy, unlike any other pizza you try in the USA. We spent the night chatting a little, where I got a little insight on the current economic situation in Italy, with the ouster of Burlesconi, who was replaced by Mario Monti, and the general feel of unemployment all over the country. I also had a brief language and pronunciation lesson in Italian so that I could be understood here more easily. (NOTE: the pronunciation of "CH" in an italian word, if followed by either an "E" or "I" is pronounced with a hard "C", the opposite of what you would traditional say in an english word. Bruschetta is pronounced with a HARD C!) If I'm not good at learning to speak another foreign language fluently, at least I could learn to pronounce things better!
Duomo Cathedral
Regional Trains at the Venezia Train Station
Napoli Pizza!
Duomo Cathedral
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