Milano

From Torino, Milano is an hour away by train. Our train left at midday on the way to Milano. I’d driven through Milan thirty years ago but didn’t see anything, so I was looking forward to seeing the city. When we arrived, the rain was coming down hard and by the time we made it to our apartment, we were soaked. We had tickets that night to see Italy/Norway at the San Siro, and I was frantically looking up whether our seats were covered. The San Siro is one of the world's most famous stadiums, but it has seen better days. Our seats were indeed covered, but somehow our plastic, uncomfortable seats were still soaked, and rain somehow falls on you. This was the last game of qualifying for the World Cup. Norway was in the driver's seat, as anything short of a 9-0 Italy win would see Norway qualify for next year's World Cup. The Italians still have a chance but will have to do it the hard way in next spring's playoffs. Italy started the game well and led 1-0 at half, but Norway took over the game in the second half by scoring four times. By the end of the game, the San Siro was nearly empty but for a few thousand Vikings in full voice watching their country qualify for the first time in a generation.

The next day we woke up to a bright blue day and spent the day exploring the city centre. The Duomo is impressive, even if the square in front was under construction for the upcoming Milano/Cortina Olympics. I was able to get tickets to see The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. The history of the painting was very interesting, as were the efforts to preserve it during the relentless World War two bombings.

On our last day in Milan, I found a tour that took us up into Switzerland for the day on the Rhaetian Railway to St. Moritz. The Bernina Line was opened in 1904 and is a UNESCO-protected railway connecting the mountain town of Tirano, Italy, to St. Moritz, Switzerland. Reaching a height of 2,253 metres above sea level, it is the highest railway crossing in Europe and the third-highest railway in Switzerland.