Milan & Lake Como!

Mi manchi Milano.
It was crazy wonderful beautiful... i love love love Milan.
Where do i even start?



The Chedi... tastefully done and cosy. How is it that the Italians get it right all the time

 

And the food... MY GOD. Wood oven pizzas, cheap and good wines, and a new discovery: Torroncino affogato... nougat ice-cream soaked in espresso... u can imagine the sheer delight.



And how could i forget my favorite... i thought i'd died and gone to tiramisu heaven.



The heart of Milan... trams, people, crazy drivers, rapid Italian, quaint streets, blue skies, men blowing kisses at you, gypsies trying to earn a quick buck... the energy is really incredible.



Duomo di Milano, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world.



Construction started in 1386 and only finished in 1809. It has a total of 3400 statues and 136 spires!



Piazza del Duomo... where it's always vibrant and filled with pigeons.



The famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is home to the big Italian labels and numerous cafes.



Found time to visit Lake Como, a popular town 1 hr away from Milan and famed for its gorgeous shoreline and alpine mountains. It was serene and the people so warm and kind... no wonder that Hollywood celebrities have been flocking here... Did not see George clooney though haha.



Lovely Italians who were so helpful and friendly



View of Como and the snow-capped mountains from the top.



Lake Como thru the clouds.



Had fun wandering around the streets of Como and popping into stores and cafes. I have not felt freedom like this for a long time.



And then it was time for some serious shopping back in Milan. Ok I lied. I went shopping every single day because it is physically impossible to walk away from the shops. I swear. How do u say no to gorgeous shop windows like these?



Too bad i did not find anything that caught my fancy in the usual big name stores. A couple of colleagues really went crazy in Prada, Gucci, vuitton, Miu miu, etc because of the low prices and generous tax refund!



I found Zadig & voltaire, Comptoir des cotonniers and Anteprima too... it was paradise under one roof.



Che bella... Milano!
Wait for me... I'll be back one day.