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Travel Photos...Italy 2014, Page One
Lake Maggiore and Milan
In April/May, 2014, I spent about 5 weeks exploring the Northern part of Italy. I stayed in six cities: Milan, Turin, Genoa, Florence, Padua and Verona. From those cities I was able to do day trips to a variety of locations, like Venice, the Cinque Terre, Siena, Pisa, Lago di Garda, Lake Como and Lake Maggiore.
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This is Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore. It has a famous garden which occupies about half the island, and it was featured in one of Monte Don's episodes on Italian Gardens.

This is an over-the top garden, filled with statuary and terraces.
Bavena on Lake Maggiore. This lake is only about an hour's journey by train from Milan, so it is a convenient day trip from that city.
This is a veiw of the lake shore from Isola Bella. There are local buses running from little towns like Stresa to Bavena.

Just remember to buy your tickets beforehand at Newsagents or Tabacchis, and then validate your tickets on the bus. You never know when the inspectors will pounce!
This is a shot of Isola Superiore, from Isola Bella.
The enclosed courtyard of the Basilica di San Ambrogio in Milan.
On my very first visit to San Ambrogio, the normally empty courtyard was filled with buyers and sellers of a flower market. An excellent use of this charming space.

I have been to Milan before and have previously uploaded photos of the usual sights, like the lovely facade of the Duomo and the famous shopping arcade close by. This time I will just include photos from the 2014 visit, concentrating on new loactions in Milan.
This gorgeous mosaic is the centrepiece in the Basilica di San Ambrogio.
There are fascinating details in the architecture of San Ambrogio, such as this intricate set of capitals.
Milan has a good public transport system, and the fares are quite reasonable. There is an extensive Underground network which covers a large part of the city. Buses and trams run frequently.

Most of the major tourist attractions are within walking distance of each other, if one is relatively fit. However, it is easy to catch public transport to all these venues.
The Brera Art Gallery in Milan has a good collection of paintings. The next four images are part of that collection.

This is the "Marriage of the Virgin", by Raphael.
"The Virgin with Child and Saints", by Piero della Francesca. The kneeling figure is the Duke of Urbino. A mysterious egg hangs above the Virgin.
A triptych by Carlo Crivelli in the Brera. Some of the features in this triptych, such as the keys of St Peter, are actually sculpted in bas relief, and then painted.
The Pieta, by Giovannie Bellini in the Brera.
There was a long tradition of making faithful copies of great masterpieces.

Did Leonardo's "Last Supper" look like this before it started to deteriorate?
The magnificent interior of the Cathedral of Milan. All the columns along the Nave have statues as part of their capitals.
The interior of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, in Milan.
The Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore in Milan. It has a large number of beautiful frescoes.
This depiction of Noah's Ark is just one of the many frescoes in San Maurizio in Milan.
The Basilica of San Maurizio in Milan.

If you wish to see more photos from my 2014 trip to Italy, please click on the link below, and then select another page of images.
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