Sforzesco Castle
After breakfast, we took the bus over to Sforzesco Castle Grounds. This was an enormous fortress in a very large park where we met up with our guide right outside one of the entrances into the citadel.
As she led us into the citadel, she told us about the castle before releasing us to briefly walk around the courtyard and visit the bathroom.
Our guide then took inside a room that had the final piece of Michelangelo called the Rondanini Pieta (Unfinished Pieta). This was the last sculpture worked on by Michelangelo and the guide tried to help us understand its significance.
Via Dante, Piazza del Duomo
We were then released to spend the rest of the day exploring Milan. The bus was scheduled to pick us up later that day outside the Scala Opera House. We first walked down the Via Dante which was a pedestrian street where we admired the many stores, cafes, and restaurants. This took us to the Piazza del Duomo where we admired the famous church. We decided not to buy tickets and stand in the long line so we instead enjoyed sitting on the steps and watching the crowds and the birds.
We then walked around the Galleria which was a shopping mall full of very expensive shops.
We also decided to go to the top floor of the H&M department store which we were told would give us great views of the Duomo. It was quite the fancy department store. There was a small balcony in their top-floor restaurant where we were able to see the sculptures on the top of the Duomo better.
Just before the bus picked us up to bring us back to the hotel, we bought some gelato.
Farewell Dinner
After we changed for dinner, we all met in the lobby where the bus took us to the Osteria Delle Corti for a final farewell dinner.
Ride Back to Hotel
On the way back to the hotel, the bus driver turned up the CD player playing old classics and we sand along.
