Home is Wherever My Crazies Are: Castello Sforzeco

The Sforza Castle was one of the largest Citadels in Europe housing well over two thousand military personnel at one time. Built in 1450, the Castle has some impressive towers a few drawbridges and a nice gloomy moat to boot. Beloved and I found it after dropping the kids back at the hotel to dry out from the downpour and we decided to go check out the sights.

I had no intention of doing anything else in Milan except we sat next to a British couple at a posh tea parlor and they were telling us which sights they would recommend visiting. She mentioned seeing the castle, and was kind enough to show me where it was on our map. They were going on a romantic Italian week away from the UK, and had tickets to see the Da Vinci and to see the Opera the following evening.

Seeing as the museum which holds Da Vinci's The Last Supper was such a popular tourist destination people were expected to reserve tickets months in advance... so we didn't get to see it. I know it would have led to us looking up the thousands of parodies done of this famous masterpiece like the dogs on velvet or the Simpsons. No need for such tomfoolery.

Besides...didn't want this to prompt another discussion about the Illuminati...No, really it WOULD have been lovely to see in real life. It reminded me going to see the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. You can't go to see the most famous paintings in history and expect a life-changing experience. You can expect crowds lines photographers and a painting about the size of an 8 1/2x11 piece of paper. I was more impressed with the Impressionists at the Musee d'Orsay and the Bosch exhibit at the Prado. They're not quite as stingy about those masterpieces. But whose to say this may have been a stunning thing to have seen live. If you have seen it and feel like I've missed something, please share.

Here we talk about limitations for travel. It doesn't really create happy bonding memories for children if you are constantly harassing them to get moving, get up, let's go, stop complaining, we're almost there, you're missing out, etc etc. It's the reality of traveling with children. I also need to remember that while I look forward and see not nearly as much time as they have in front of them, they can make decisions when they're older and making their own money if they want to spend it on traveling. Our job is to make the experience of traveling overseas a one of happy memories, safety and comfort. If they don't get to see the museum of Sforzeco than maybe they will go again for a semester away or after college.

Our first day jaunt. It was breathtaking...

Just an awesome display of Middle Aged engineering. I love drawbridges.

The coolest drawbridge!

No you don't look matronly at all

The architecture had almost Chinese feel to it with these round squat towers.

Dancing in the Rain

This must have been the opera that the British couple was seeing. No one was allowed inside. We tried.

Italian flag and an EU flag. Because you can't have one without the other! ;)

Lovely color combination

Cobblestones. While looking absolutely lovely in the rain they are truly murder on the feet. When traveling in Milan you must wear good (ie, not stylish and purely American- which will call you out as foreign as a Canadian flag on your backpack ;)-they will save your feet. ) sneakers.

Sculpture Hall. I always have Beloved pose in reference to the statue. He couldn't bear exposing himself ;) notice hand placement.

So I had to remind myself of that as we were scurrying back to bring the kids to the castle.

flower market

book vendor these are covered with sheets during storms and then plywood at night

The United Nations Walk. NATO hosted a multinational conference in Milan this year right before we arrived.

The United Nations Walk

rain rain go away come again another day

i heart this photo of my men

call me lame but yes this was me taking pictures from outside the Sforzeco museum. Good on them for making the exhibits so easily viewable from the outside.

Almost like being there. Almost.

Courtyard.

Archway

Again this looked almost Asian.

Stunning religious paintings

On a side note, we have been watching Band of Brothers with the two older kids every night on disc. When they invade Germany and start taking over some of the German officers homes and Nazi headquarters. There was this same gold detail in the ceilings of these military officer's headquarters.