Quite the juxtaposition in the Piazza del Duomo on my first visit by myself.
This is the main piazza (city square) of Milan, named after and dominated by the Milan Cathedral called the Duomo. The piazza is rectangular and one side contains the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade which is Italy’s oldest active shopping mall and a major landmark of Milan. The Galleria is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy. It was designed in 1861 and built by architect Guiseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1867.
The most famous international fashion names have prominent store fronts on the bottom floor- Gucci, Versace, Prada, among others. The floor is beautiful and there are symbolic references to Milan and other surrounding areas and prominent cities in Italy. A little surprising (but why should I be surprised at this) is that Burger King has a prominent spot on the second floor of the Galleria, and as you look out from the center of the Galleria, McDonalds has a large sign marking its location just outisde the Galleria.
As I was taking in the sights and sounds of the Piazza and the Galleria, I was struck by the diversity of the people walking by. Groups of nuns chatting and nicely agreeing to stop for photos with tourists, tourists striking poses with the Duomo in the background, and aspiring models practicing their struts. I managed to capture one photo with all three: nuns, tourists and models!
