Milano

Milan Milan Milan! This weekend we had such a phenomenal trip to Milan. Our professor for the second half of the semester showed us around the city where she grew up. We had an early morning and very long day on Friday. Once we arrived, we hit the ground running.

Our first stop was a small firm that was incredible. We had the best tour and history lesson that I have experienced. This firm was one of the first firms in Italy and it started out with the design of furniture and other useful gadgets. It was very neat to hear about since our tour guide was the daughter of the architect. The visit was very intimate and personal which was inspiring.

Next on the to do list was an architecture tour of the city which was incredible. The city of Milan is one of the most amazing cities I have been to. It is a mix of old and new which makes it unique in contrast to many cities in Italy like Florence. Personally I enjoy modern design so it was neat to see all of the modern buildings in the newer part of the city. There were apartment buildings that were basically a living building, there were trees and plants all over the building, it seemed so futuristic.

Our third and final stop of the day was at a very unique furniture showroom. Many of the pieces were found and collected and others were designed by the designer. This showroom was very 80s in terms of its design and colors. It was very different than what we normally see these days but it was very interesting.

On Saturday we visited more furniture showrooms which were impressive. These showrooms had some very well known and famous chairs, sofas and so on which we were able recognize. We even had the opportunity to sit in them which is really exciting for us designers, it’s not everyday you get to sit in a Corbusier lounge chair. We also got to see some interesting furniture made of unique materials. It is amazing what you can do with certain materials.

For lunch our professor took us to get famous street food which was delicious. It was like a fried panini with pesto, tomatoes and mozzarella, it was amazing. After lunch we went and walked on the high line which allowed us to see the city in a different light. We got a 360 view of Milan, it was a site to see.

For the rest of the day we had free time and I decided to go on top of the duomo which had an even better view of the city. The duomo in Milan is one of the most amazing structures I have ever seen in my entire life. It is just mind blowing that these structures were built back in the day with such little technology and they are so intricate and detailed. You could see everything from up there. You could also see more detail of the structure up close. It was an amazing experience. Milan is definitely one of my favorite cities, I wish we had more time there however I am sure I will be back.

Every weekend I get to check something off my bucket list and it is an amazing feeling. This weekend Milan is checked off. It was such a cool experience to see Milan but it was an even better experience to get to see it with our professor. It was interesting to see her perspective of the city and it was fun to see her get excited to show us around. It was a memorable day to experience Milan with her.