Art and rain

An exciting weather forecast put paid to our plans to venture away from the cities and into the mountains this weekend. I have started to create a little wish list before we go (I think a mere 7-8 weeks away) and on this list was another sight-seeing weekend around Milan.

5 years ago when we were here I had a lovely day by myself, biking to the Brera gallery (the major Milano art gallery) and wandering around the rooms gazing at paintings I knew nothing about by painters I mostly hadn’t heard of. So it seemed timely (considering our Florence experience) to repeat it. This time, however, I sensibly left the boys to have a boys day and merrily caught the underground in to the gallery.

It’s lovely to consider how far I have come in a few weeks – to track the progress of stepping outside of comfort zones and gradually realising that I can now catch the underground without fear of getting lost or choosing the wrong stop or being mugged. It is great to feel the overwhelmingly unfamiliar become almost casual.

Anyway, the boys headed off to the castle and the small Aquarium and I hit the gallery.

It is a very large gallery, much like the Uffizi. Many many rooms of often enormous paintings. The religious themes are by far the common themes and I don’t think I need to see many more paintings ( from a particular era) of Jesus on the cross, Mary with the Christ-child or the adoration of the Magi (when the wise men came to see the baby Jesus) for some time. The other great theme is the martyrdom of the many saints. The scenes are violent and it seems we have spent a good long time doing lots of really really horrible things to each other – lots of severed heads, flagellation, shooting arrows into people and of course, later, war. I managed, as a bonus later in the day to go to the modern art gallery which was possibly more enjoyable.  Still life scenes of luscious vegetables, candlesticks and vases. Lovely scenes of children playing with animals or people working the fields.  Portraits which capture a sense of how the artist felt about the subject and gorgeous mountain scenes with lovely friendly cows who were not trying to hurt anything or anyone.

Today we have had a day with friends in a town near Bergamo. It has, as forecast, poured most of the day. We had been invited to lunch and it was a great day to spend in someones home enjoying good food and good company. They have a son exactly the same age as Silas called Damiano (Damian). After a long lunch we went for a walk up their local hill (they live semi-rurally) in the rain (with snow falling on the nearby hills).

Rory, Gwilym, Walter, Damiano, Paula, Jane and Silas

The boys had borrowed gumboots and they skipped and explored and stomped and shouted their way around the walk, happy as anything with sticks and mud. Beats the galleries anyday. On arrival back at the house, we had a simple dinner made sweeter with lego and a friend to play with.

Rory, Damiano, Jane with Gwilym behind and Paula

I think that is what we are missing – friends to play with and people to visit/hang out with. But we are also getting to that count down stage when every day is a day closer to heading home and we need to make the most of our time here. So the tick list goes on. But, for now, the art galleries can wait til next time.