SwissMissMeg

Last fall, I welcomed my former middle school art teacher and her husband to Lugano. This year, I took a mini vacation to Milan for a visit. Nancy and Rich spend nearly a month each fall in Italy. This year, they are stationed with friends just outside of Venice. They take in the Biennale, meet all kinds of interesting people, and generally live la dolce vita.

As those who have been following this blog know well, Milan is a city I have really worked hard to get to know. It does not always present favorably, sometimes quite to the contrary. Upon first glance, you might be put off by the noise, the grit, and the lack of typically quaint Italian facades. But I’ve lived in Eastern Europe and I know there is often treasure just below the surface if you bother to look.

Finishing my classes on a Friday afternoon, I hopped on the train from Lugano to Milano Centrale. Arriving at the station, I entered the Milan metro, which I would highly recommend to any visitor to the city. Clean, quick, and easy to access (just tap your credit card), the metro will save you a great deal in tired feet and taxi fare. Do keep an eye on your wallet.

Staying at a hotel just a few minutes walking from the Duomo, we paid for our location but it proved a good gamble. Based on past experience of overnights in Milan, I know the Airbnb scene isn’t ideal and that little boutique hotels can often be quite dirty, run-down, and occasionally sketchy. We opted for the Hotel Brunelleschi, which had proven a good fit for my parents last fall. The devil you know and all that. The location cannot be beat, just steps from the Missori metro stop on the M3 line.

I had made us dinner reservations for both nights (another Milan travel tip) based on recommendations. Milan is not the type of city that you casually wander until you find a quaint bistro on a weekend. Reservations are key and recommendations even more so.

We walked the 25 minutes to our restaurant through parks and piazzas, enjoying the university vibe of Porta Ticinese (pictured above). For our first dinner, I chose a little bistro called Rovello 18. Just off Milan’s main shopping street, Rovello 18 is an intimate venue, with velvet cushioned benches and water glasses that read like Miro sculptures. Though I had booked the last three seats at the bar (be sure book at least a month out!), the restaurant had kindly acquiesced and managed my request for a table, should one open up. Never hurts to ask kindly… in Italian 😉 We enjoyed an a feast for the eyes – a primo of a cannellini bean spread with ricotta cheese and spinach as garnish, then a secondo of sea bass and pacherri with ragu. Such a treat.

Beyond a visit to Milano, our trip had a second raison d’être – Anselm Kiefer’s L’Alchimiste exhibition at the Palazzo Reale. I had visited when the show opened in February, so I was only too happy to return with Nancy, the ultimate Anselm Kiefer fan. For those interested in attending, the show closes on September 27.

A master of our time (you heard it here first, folks), Anselm has built a tremendous body of work over his 81 years. Born in Germany’s Black Forest in the final months of WWII, Kiefer’s work balances heavy topics of humanity including the devastation of war, famine, and the meaning of existence. Incorporating raw materials such as straw, ash, clay, and lead, Kiefer creates masterpieces that speak deeply to the soul. Though some of his works may appear simplistic to the human eye – a muted landscape of sunflowers, for instance – his work iterates deeply below the surface.

Rich, a writer himself, shared with me Kiefer’s penchant for the poems of Paul Celan. Further reading has informed me of Kiefer’s connection to Kabbalah. Poetry and spirituality play a role in the exhibition we saw.

I cannot showcase the exhibition without introducing the stunning location of its situation – the Palazzo Reale. Located just across from Milan’s Duomo and folded into the fabric of the Museo Novecento, the Palazzo is an exhibition in its own right.

Built between 1774 and 1778 by architect Giuseppe Piermarini for Austrian rule, this
choice of location is ideal for a show called L’Alchimiste, showcasing 38 enormous canvases featuring female alchemists from Cleopatra to Caterina Sforza to Perenelle Flamel (more on her in a minute).

A survivor of the bombing campaigns of WWII, the space still limps with the results of a devastating fire caused by an errant bombing campaign. The exhibition was situated in (and ostensibly inspired by) the Sala delle Cariatidi. The Hall of Caryatids was named for the 40 striking caryatids (female figures sculptured into architectural columns). Created by Gaetano Callani and Giuseppe Franchi, the marble hall floor features a palette of pale pinks, earthen turquoise, and juxtaposed flecks of ochre and onyx. Observing Kiefer’s choice of palette for this particular exhibition, there is no doubt in my eyes that he took inspiration from the aesthetics of the hall directly.

The crumbling beauty of the Sala delle Cariatidi interior is evermore enhanced by the patina-ed mirrors crowning the interior perimeter. As one pursues the exhibition, you are never sure if you are encountering an additional hall of mirrors, or if you yourself have joined Kiefer’s patina-ed universe.

Kiefer’s fairly loose interpretation of an alchemist and its choice to feature only women truly endeared itself to its audience, which was at least 75% female, by my estimate.

As for Perenelle Flamel, the surname Flamel might ring a bell. Those who have read Harry Potter may recall Nicolas Flamel, the man who discovered the sorcerer’s stone. A real 14th century alchemist, Flamel’s wife Perenelle was never given the recognition she deserved for her own studies of alchemy. The Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner of their time, if I may.

The show was stunning and it was very special to experience it with Nancy, someone who has deeply influenced my appreciate of art museums and art history. Our middle school field trips to MFA Boston were extremely formative for me. Four students crammed into Nancy’s blue Honda civic, barreling down Comm Ave, finding meter parking by the Gardener Museum – her old Mass Art stomping grounds. Wonderful memories.

After the Kiefer exhibition, we walked the streets near the Duomo, treading an expanding circle as we went. I have been creating a Google Map of Milan bookmarks for quite sometime. From vintage stores to stationary shops, it proved the perfect trail for our Saturday wander. We discovered a farm-to-table shop called Parco dei Buoi & Friends filled with delicious treats for aperitivo or souvenirs for friends back home.

On our way back to the hotel, Rich spotted a library in an unassuming neighborhood piazza. We stopped in and discovered that not only did this library contain the actual works of da Vinci, but it was part of a much grander art biblioteca, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana.

This villa houses works by of Caravaggio, Titian, and da Vinci in a haltingly unpretentious manner. We wandered from floor to floor, happening upon courtyards and rooms full of stained glass.

The final library held actual papers by da Vinci, mirrored writing and all. I will definitely return and would encourage anyone seeking a Milanese art experience to do so as well.

Our Milanese getaway was truly lovely. This school year has gotten off to a strong start, albeit at a break-neck speed, and it was wonderful to be with Nancy and Rich to talk about art, philosophy, and writing. I returned to school on Monday with fresh eyes and shared my story with my Italian lunch crew. I posted it below for those interested. Another friend shared that Sant’Ambrogio is the patron saint of Milano. Just connecting the signs 🙂

Due giorni a Milano (please excuse my verb tenses!)

Ho preso il treno per Milano venerdi pomeriggio. Prendo la metropolitana per Missori. In hotel incontro i miei amici di Boston, la mia insegnante di arte di settima elementare Nancy e suo marito Richard. Andiamo a cena a piedi al ristorante Rovello 18. Ho mangiato fagioli cannellini con spinaci e ricotta.

Sabato andremo a piedi a Palazzo Reale per visitare la mostra d’arte di Anselm Kiefer. Anselm è l’artista preferito di Nancy. È un maestro. L’arte è incredibile. Pranziamo e discutiamo della mostra.

Nel pomeriggio visitiamo negozi vintage. Ho comprato il paté di asparagi in un negozio. Abbiamo trovato una biblioteca con opere di Caravaggio, Tiziano e Leonardo da Vinci. Oggi Nancy e Rich sono partiti per Venezia. È stato un weekend fantastico.