Milan Rickshaw Tour & Bone Church

On our first day in Milan, we headed straight for the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a major landmark of this bustling city. The Galleria is absolutely stunning and takes your breath away when you are surrounded by it's grandeur and beauty in person. This iconic landmark is well known for several reasons, one being it's the oldest active mall in Italy, it was built in 1865-1867 and was named after the first king of the Kingdom of Italy, Victor Emanuel II.

When the mall was built, it was decided that the ground of the central octagonal space was decorated with four mosaics portraying the coats of arms of the three capitals of the kingdom of Italy: Rome, Florence, and Turin. The she-wolf of Rome, the lily of Florence and the bull of Turin.

The bull of Turin is represented with big genitals, and soon people began to think they brought good luck. In fact, men began to spin around three times with a heel on the testicles of the bull. In addition, women began to touch the testicles thinking that this gesture could improve fertility.

To be honest, I was looking forward to getting a little good luck from spinning on the bull, who couldn't use more luck? Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for the bull, he was being repaired and was inaccessible for us tourists wishing for some Italian good luck.

When we exited the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, we were greeted with views the largest church in Italy, the majestic Duomo di Milano. 

While there are several Duomi (cathedrals) in Italy, I have always thought the Milan Duomo was the most unique. While it is made out of marble , there is something so light and airy about it design, almost like lace. Seeing this fabulous church in person has been on my to do list for a long time, it was thrilling to check it off.

We, of course, had to feed the pigeons on the piazza. I'm not sure if it's actually allowed or encouraged, but if there are birds, we are going to feed them. V was excited and terrified of the experience all at the same time.

Then we headed back to the Galleria to find somewhere yummy to have lunch. We settled on this charming sidewalk cafe since it had traditional Milanese dished Bethy wanted to try, and pizza that Reece and I wanted to try.

Bethy got the Veal Milanese, a dish that is a "must" when visiting Milan. It reminded me a lot of weinersnitchel, which is famous is Austria. 

Reece and I got Hawaiian pizzas. We both love this savory sweet kind of pizza, and this restaurant put an Italian spin on the classic and it was delectable, I ate my entire 8 slices.

The view from our table.

After lunch, it was time for the highlight of the day, a rickshaw tour around Milan. Bethy had booked this fun tour in conjunction with getting tickets to view the Last Supper, it was such a fun, unique way to see the city.

These were are two handsome drivers, Indy and Massimo.

I had the pleasure of riding in the pink rickshaw with Vienne.

This tour was seriously so much fun, V had an absolute blast. She would wave and yell hello to people as we passed by, and she also gave out several thumbs up

We got amazing, up close views of the modern art sculpture, Needle, Thread and Knot. Commissioned by the City of Milan as part of the renovations of the Milan Cadorna railway station, and unveiled in February 2000, the sculpture is made of stainless steel and reinforced plastic. The "knot" is placed in the middle of a fountain on the middle of the square while the sewing needle is on the footpath in front of the train station. According to the artist the needle pulling thread through fabric is a metaphor for a train going through a tunnel. The thread wrapped around a needle also "paraphrased" the city emblem of a snake coiled around a sword. According to the City of Milan it is also meant as a tribute to Milan's influence in the fashion industry and the three thread colors (red, green, yellow) represent the lines of the Milan Metro.

We made several stops, where we would get out and take a quick tour through some of the gorgeous buildings of Milan. Indy was our tour guide and he was phenomenal, he is very passionate about his city.

We made a quick stop at the church that is home to the famous Last Supper fresco, we didn't go inside though, we had tickets to go in the next morning.

The last stop on our tour was at the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, one of the most ancient churches in Milan, it was built by St. Ambrose in 379.

The details of this marble statue blew me away, it was hard to believe I was looking at stone and not fabric and lace.

Throughout our tour, Indy picked all of us ladies roses, it made all of us feel very special. Vienne was enchanted by her sweet, little rose, she cherished it.

Thanks for a wonderful time Indy! We loved getting to spend some time with you in the beautiful city of Milan.

After our rickshaw adventure, Reece and V headed home to get a head start on afternoon nap time, while Bethy and I set out to take a quick look at the San Bernardio all Ossa, also known as the bone church.

We got more wonderful views of the Duomo as we walked passed on our way to the bone church.

When you first step inside the Church of San Bernardino alle Ossa, you are met with a simplistic, elegant oval chapel...

... But when you find your way to the attached ossuary, there you are met with a majestic display of the macabre

In 1145, in Via Brolo, Milan, a hospital was built near the Santo Stefano Maggiore Church. The graveyard, filling with bodies from the new hospital, soon proved insufficient. Not long after, in 1210, a little chamber was built to collect the bones from the hospital, and, in 1269, another small church was constructed near the bone chamber. 

Some have speculated that the bones belonged to martyrs killed by heretics in St. Ambros’ time. The bones, however, mostly seem to have come from the patients of the ancient Ospedale del Brolo (the local hospital), from monks that operated the hospital, and from people who died in prison.

Visitors are allowed to stay as long as they like in the ossuary (just as long as you don't take any videos, I learned that the hard way ....) It's a unique feeling, sitting in silence in such a beautifully melancholy setting. I couldn't help but think about all the individual people who are represented by their bones

Our walk to and from the main part of town from our airbnb was filled with beautiful sights. The architecture in Milan is stunning.

This was the porch of our next door neighbor, a welcome sight after a long day of exploring a big, bustling city.

After we had all indulged in afternoon naps, we set out to get dinner at a fun local spot, Ratana. We had heard this was one of the best places to try the famous Risotto all Milanese,  we always love to try out any dishes or treats that are famous in the cities or regions in which we are traveling. I think this not only fun, and usually delicious, but it deepens and enriches the experience of getting to know a city or place.

There is an amazing playlet, complete with a ginormous circular swing, right outside the restaurant. It was the perfect way to pass the time while we waited for our table to be ready. V was in heaven!

We got a table outside on the patio, so we all took turns taking V to the playground during our meal. But the restaurant also had the cutest toys for her to play with at our table when our food arrived!

From the restaurant's website, 

"At Ratanà Restaurant we offer a modern interpretation of traditional Milanese and Lombard cooking. Chef Cesare Battisti and his staff revisit the culinary traditions of this region with creativity and a contemporary touch.

Menus at Ratanà fuse elements of our local culinary heritage with the freedom of interpretation typical of modern cooking. An uncompromising respect for the produce we use and a tireless search for purity of flavour are our points of departure. Our point of arrival is the finished dish, clearly reflecting the aromas and flavours of its single ingredients."

We got an order of the Risotto Milanese to share, it was creamy and rich and delicious.

For dessert we split a dish of creamy ricotta, fresh figs, saffron jelly, coconut and almond biscuit.