Mooching in Milano

 Another very warm day in Milano, but as we set off in search of breakfast this morning, it felt as though we were starting to land in the northern hemisphere.

Today is a public holiday (the Feast of the Assumption of Mary) and that, combined with the fact that more than half of Milan seems to be on summer holidays, meant that the streets were incredibly quiet, particularly in the morning. It was beautiful to walk through the city when it was so calm and almost deserted.

We've stumbled across a number of different churches on our walk today. This is the Tempio civico di San Sebastiano, built in the 16th century in thanksgiving for the city being spared the plague. The design is supposed to reflect a Roman votive temple, and apparently special permission was required to build it in the round rather than the usual longitudinal shape.

Lots of lit candles at the chapel dedicated to Mary.

Next in our wanderings, we came to the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, one of the most ancient churches in Milan. It was commissioned by St Ambrose in 379-386 in an area where numerous martyrs of the Roman persecutions had been buried. The first name of the church was Basilica Martyrum.

We loved the feel of this space - roofless cloisters lead to the church itself, and there's a gentleness about the rounded Romanesque arches.

Here's Ambrose himself - one of the most important figures in the Western church. He came to Milan as governor, but was unexpectedly elected bishop by popular acclaim in 374 despite being only a catechumen. In a meteoric rise, he was baptised, ordained and consecrated as bishop on the same day!! He is known for his influence on Augustine of Hippo. Augustine wrote that Ambrose's teaching and example were pivotal in his conversion to Christianity, and in fact Augustine was baptised by Ambrose in Milan at Easter in 387. 

Apparently Ambrose also had a pet lizard ... just kidding! Not sure why this guy is carved into the base of the pulpit in the basilica, but perhaps someone can fill us in.

Next church ... Santa Maria delle Grazie. This is a former Dominican convent and it's where Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is painted onto the wall of the refectory. To see the Last Supper requires making a booking months in advance, so we just admired the exterior casing and continued on!

Here's a photo in case you had forgotten what it looks like!!

We were headed (at Sarah's suggestion) for the Castello Sforzesco in a large park further north. It seemed an endlessly receding quest and when we finally located the relevant park (which looked pretty parched and dry), we lost interest in the castle and had a beer instead. But along the way, we passed this lovely treelined street.

It's been a spacious day, and we've covered a bit of ground. We're gradually getting acclimatised to the heat and time zone - which is good, because the silent retreat starts tomorrow evening.