Italy - Day 37 (Milan)

I ran to Catolica University today which is where Chiara works.  Catolica is the largest Catholic University in the world with over 40,000 students.  Beautiful campus!

Not far from Catolica was Old City.  Interesting buildings and history.  This is a point where 5 streets come together, hence the 5 Vie campaign.

Following up on Corey's graffiti comment, I was surprised to see the graffiti, er, I mean "art" right on the beautiful door.

 Beautiful lighting on the run home...

New discovery, not far from our place.  Added to the list of places to visit.

Looking up the canal by our place

 I decided to stop and stretch on the other side of the brick wall by our place where the concerts were the night before.  I was struck by the vast amounts of trash left behind, but also by the countless workers that were already out and about cleaning it all up.  Every single morning I have encountered countless workers sweeping up trash and street sweeping vehicles.

Notice in the shot a couple of blokes who enjoyed the concerts so much, they made it til' morning!

Once back to the room as I was tiptoeing in, I was surprised to notice lights on in the kids fort, which still sat in the middle of the living room / dining area.  I peeked in and there was Caden playing Mind Craft.  We decided to head up the street to see if our McDonald's carried the donuts he had been coveting.  I told him it was okay to wear his PJ's, as they looked like shorts and no one was out.  As soon as we stepped foot on the street he said the cutest thing, ""I am shy to the city in my pajamas." :)

We made it to McDonald's and strangely enough, they didn't open until 10!  We stopped at a local pastticeria and he picked up a couple of muffins for his sister, which once home, he set out nicely on plates and delivered them to his sisters in bed.

The kids and I joined Corey at Bocconi later in the morning...

Corey sporting his Italian purchased shirt and shoes.  I think he looks authentic.

Me and my crew approaching Baconi.

 Massimo took us for coffee and croissants at Gatullos, one of the best pastticerias in Milan.  My croissant was pistachio = flaky croissant filled with a pistachio cream and topped with pistachios.  Yum!

Massimo, Corey and Gia in action

 Massimo gave us a tour of the amazing art gallery and the Bocconi facilities.

This emu is covered in playing cards

The glass facade makes for stunning light

The auditorium where each seat flips down and appears to have its own heating/cooling system on the floor.

 The kids and I took a quick peak at Massimo's office before heading off.  While looking at the map of Milan in Massimo's office, Gia commented, "There's a red dot.  That's where Jesus lives."  To which Lily replied, "I don't think Jesus lives in Milan Gia."  And Gia's response, "Well he does.  My teacher showed me where Jesus lives and it is the red dot."  Enough said.

From here, the kids and I caught the train back to the heart of the Navigli District and hoofed it over to l'Hub for my and Lily's sewing class.  This was another great early morning run discovery.

The class was AMAZING!  Caden and Gia sat quietly with their iPads for 2.5 hours while Lily and I were instructed by Sylvia how to thread our sewing machines, do different stitches, and make a bag!  We will return tomorrow to make a skirt.  We both loved it!  Lily declared it her best class ever!  And of course it didn't hurt that our teacher was sweet, cute, and trained in one of Milan's best schools for fashion design where students make all sketches by hand instead of using computers and create their patterns by hand.  She designs couture evening gowns on the side - one of Lily's dream jobs.

Lily was a natural - helped by her previous classes with Neema :)

The final product!  And I am not exaggerating when I say Lily did every bit of it!

 For my bag, we made a button!  Yes, made a button!

Fashion designer in the making, Lily Francis Angst

 The final products...

Lily's bag

My bag

Our practice stitching, which we were also very proud of!

We made it home around 5.  Full day!  Then we headed out to dinner at this cool little restaurant called Porckys with just 3 tables where the chef/waiter/owner are one in the same.  Francesco was such a nice guy, as was his assistant Alberto.  Francesco's wife is a professional ballerina who spends a lot of time in America.

Due to the hot day, the restaurant was a bit warm, but the food was amazing.  Francesco played music videos while he cooked, which kept the kids engrossed.  We have a couple of Italian songs / videos that are our favorites.  Very catchy, which we all try - and fail miserably - to sing!  Francesco had photos of the two singers with him when they dined at his restaurant.  Such a fun experience.

We had the place to ourselves

Selfie attempt

Francesco stepped in as cameraman

 Gia and Lily had pasta bianco, Caden had pasta bianco with sage and bacon, and Corey had meat filled ravioli.  For the second course, which is worth noting we were totally full when it arrived, I had salmon, which Lily helped me eat and Corey had pork.  Really excellent!

Just a tad bit warm when you are nearly sitting in the kitchen.  Food so good, we didn't mind a bit!

This is the yummy pasta they used.

The Masters

We made a quick grocery stop on the way home and purchased bubble gum for a bubble blowing contest.  Lily is gaining on me quickly, but I am still reining champion :)