MILAN ITALY – One last day of tourism in Italy. Maria has finished her meetings so she was able to join me visiting Villa Necchi, Pinacoteca di Brera and shopping on Via Spiga and Via Montenapoleone. One this is clear: these Milanese do design and retail like no one else.
So here are my captures for the day, tank with my Leica M9 and 24mm Lummilux lens.
On this day one year ago: a sick day. I’ve cropped this to be one of my favorite headers for this site.
MILAN ITALY – My favorite way of exploring a city is to strike out on foot exploring without fixed itinerary. I ended up today in the Porto Nuova area, a large area of new construction. The architecture is pretty good. The planning includes a big underground parking lot (the automobile is the enemy of Milan) and a large pedestrian area (greatly needed in Milan). I like it. But I generally like construction sites. According to our dinner companions this project has been highly criticized by the Milanese. All images are with my Leica M9 and 24mm Summilux lens.
You know the color that egg yolks turn where they meet the whites in hard boiled eggs? That’s the color of Milan. Here it is.
Final, the bridge that connects the two halves of our host’s apartment.
On this day one year ago: Leaving Capri.
MILAN ITALY – Well here we are on July 4 and no Independence Day celebration. This seems odd – we were on Capri at this time last year and there is always a big 4th of July celebration there. Oh well . . .
More Milan Tourism. This one is from a triumphal arch built in honor of Vittorio Emanuele II and Napoleon. Milan was briefly under French rule during the Napoleonic era. By the way I borrowed friend’s Leica 18mm lens today and shot with it extensively. Unfortunately it’s outstanding. Distortion free. Amazing detail. Very flair resistant. Not a trace of purple fringing. I’m going to need one of these. Also shot film, which I’ll post later.
The fountain in front of the Sforza Palace, which is largely draped for renovation.
An odd entrance to a courtyard. I guy came up and asked me in Italian if I know what it is, but I was clueless.
The Basilica di S. Ambrogio from the 10th (!) century – the site has been a Christian Church since Roman times. A lovely, simple red brick structure. those guys knew how to build. I took a lot of details on film.
Finally some graffiti. This 18mm lens rocks.
On this day last year: On the funicular, Capri.
MILAN ITALY – Today was my day for the usual stuff in Milan. I started the day tracking down Villa Necchi, an early 20th century house that starred in the film “I am Love”. I found it; it’s open by appointment only; I made an appointment for Friday so more on it then. I also scoped out Pinocateca di Brera’s hours – Maria and I will spend Friday morning there. The light was pretty good in the late afternoon so I shot the Galleria, the wedding cake Duomo, some architectural detail and a shopping street. That’s pretty much it for Milan. But I actually have a confession to make. I stumbled on a really good Leica dealer today. They had an M3 in excellent working condition for a great price so I bought it. Together with two rolls of film. I’ll be supplementing my Milan posts with film shots once I get home and have it developed. Cool, huh?
Anyway here are my digital shots all taken with my M9 and 24mm Summilux.
On this day one year ago: Capri Literary Festival. (No kidding.) Here’s Dona Tart:
SILS MARIA AND SOGLIO SWITZERLAND – Well . . . we’ve saved the best for last. We took a short bus ride from Sils Maria down the valley to a trail head (we did this to make time for a more ambitious walk on the mountain) and walked to Solgio. Solgio is a hill town – it’s simply breathtaking. I’m using this post as mini gallery of the day’s walk (which was quite ambitious), rather than trying to edit, which is hopeless without a bit more distance on my part in terms of time a space. All images taken with my Leica M9 and various lenses:
On this day last year: Empire State.
ABOVE SILS MARIA SWITZERLAND – We’re staying in the lovely town for two evenings taking long hikes into the ever-present mountains. Taken with my M9 and 90mm Elmarit lens.
On this day one year ago: The Appalachian Trail. Still hiking.
ON THE TRAIL TO SILS MARIA – We had some rain along the way here – one of two rainy days on the trip. A little rain is a good thing because otherwise we would have been carrying out weatherproof layers in vain. The view from the trail back toward St. Moritz taken with my Leica M9 and 24mm Summilux lens.
On this day one year ago: Pool Warren Connecticut.
