Prada, Gucci, and Versace– Oh My!
Buongiorno a tutti!
Another weekend, another trip. And let it be noted that I am so So SO tired, but it’s okay. To quote my friend Sam, “You can sleep when you’re dead.” I took my aching body and sat on a train for 3 hours so I could spend my weekend in Milan. It’s a city I’ve always wanted to go to, and to top it all off, it was fashion week. I wouldn’t say I’m a fashion guru at all, since my wardrobe basically consists of a t-shirt, shorts, and my Birkenstocks. But since all my friends felt the need to dress cute, I tried my best to not look like a complete fashion faux pas.
Let’s talk about that Duomo for a quick second. My friends and I are walking into the city center, and we turn the corner and there it is. The magnificent and absolutely gigantic Duomo. I have a feeling I wasn’t expecting much because when I finally did see it, I was completely taken aback. Not just by its sheer size, but the detail that covers every square inch of its outside walls. Just upon quick observation, I could see and appreciate how much effort and work went into creating such a church. And with beauty comes tourists. The line to get in was a little unreal. It was twisting and turning all throughout the piazza in front, and we were all worried that we weren’t going to be able to go inside. But, we took our chances and bought tickets.
TIP #1: Buy a pass. I forgot the exact name for it, but for 11 euro, you can go into the Duomo, on its terrace (via the stairs), into the museum, and into another church. Or for 13 euro, you get all the same stuff, but you can take the elevator. I’ll talk about them later, but save your two euro and take the stairs. They ain’t bad.
While waiting for the line to die down a bit, we walked amongst the shops. And this experience was truly scary. I could basically hear my credit card crying because I wanted to buy every single thing I saw. Right next to the Duomo, there is this street that leads to this outdoor building that consists of not one, but TWO Prada stores, a Gucci store, and a Versace store. It felt nice for a solid two seconds to pretend that I could afford any of that stuff, and then I remembered ‘Oh wait Clare. You are incredibly poor. Keep walking girl.’ I went into the stores because I hate myself, and I love to see myself cry. Just kidding. Kind of.
Story Time #1: I went into the Prada store and fell in LOVE with these sunglasses. They were $400. You know, that’s total chump change. Basically, I knew I wasn’t worthy enough to even touch them. One of the salespeople was eyeing me because he could just smell the poorness on me, and there was no way he was going to let me touch those glasses. But no one tells me what to do, so naturally, what do I do? I put them on. And they felt so nice on my face, and I looked so cute. Oh the sheer pain I felt when I had to put them down and walk away. And when I finally did walk away, the salesperson honest to god grabbed them, wiped my poor people sweat off of it, and rearranged it back on the shelf. I had a good laugh about it, but I was dying on the inside. It’s fine, I’m fine.
After witnessing a woman purchase two purses for a grand total of $2,500, I knew I had to get out of there. But before walking out the doors, I made a vow that one day I am going to walk back in there and purchase those sunglasses and maybe even a matching purse. Just another thing motivating me to work harder in school. (Hey Mom. Hey Dad. I promise I’m doing school stuff. I’m gonna go purchase this 80 euro bag first though.)
Anyways, continuing on, we went back to the Duomo and waited in line. My friend timed how long our wait was, and he said it was only 9 minutes. Felt longer though because every 3 seconds, we had a guy come up to us asking if we wanted to purchase a selfie stick or trying to tie bracelets around our wrists.
TIP #2: If this happens to you, and it will, just say “No grazie” over and over again until they leave you alone. I wish I counted how many times I said it, but honestly it was at least 50 times. Also, there are men who will literally throw bracelets at you and then chase after you saying you have to pay for it. Just pluck it off you, drop it on the ground, and walk away. It’s a little rude, but it’s also rude of them to throw things at you. ALSO, DON’T LET THEM TIE THE BRACELETS AROUND YOUR WRIST. They will do it, and then make you pay for it. So, just say no and keep walking.
We went into the Duomo and walked around. Incredible is all I have to say. The ceilings were so high, the paintings so detailed. Everything was over the top, but it all seemed to work together. With the pass, you also get to venture down into the archeological area. At first, it just looks like a lot of rocks, but some of those rocks were graves in which they found hundreds of bodies. It’s worth checking out. We then went outside and began our ascension up the 250 stairs. Okay, it sounds a lot worse than it actually was. Yes, once I reached the top, I was out of breath, but I have also been consuming more carbs than a normal person should, and I have not seen the inside of a gym in maybe three months. So, you’ll probably fare a lot better than me, trust me. Also, the view alone is so worth a bit of sweat. You could see everything. The piazza, down the streets, over the tops of buildings, everything.
I’m really not even going to try to describe it because I will definitely not do it justice. I would climb those stairs over and over again if they led to views like this. And if you keep walking (and up a few more stairs), you get to the terrace and UM OMG. One part was under construction, but it was still one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. The picture below received 100 likes on Instagram, a true monumental moment in my social media history. You are guaranteed some incredible pictures and even better memories. One memory being I witnessed a girl dropping her phone, it falling down the slope of the roof as you see in the picture, and slipping into the construction area and right off the Duomo. It was really traumatizing to witness, and I felt so bad for her. So beware of your belongings people!
Story Time #2: Okay, so we leave the terrace and walk back down to the flatter roof part. We are just about to descend the stairs back down to the bottom when all of a sudden, out the corner of my eye, I see someone. It didn’t register in my mind who exactly this person was, but I’ve definitely seen them before. And then, I remember and let out a shriek, “It’s Michael Phelps.” I’ve never seen the look of horror cross someone’s face so fast like it did on his face. He’s been spotted, and he was not happy about it. My friends and I kind of chase after him because, you know, he’s just a 25 time Olympic gold medal winner. And kind of one of the most famous athletes of today. He was with his fiancé and baby, so I understood the hope of not being spotted, but kind of hard not to notice you when you’re wearing a bright purple shirt buddy. Next time, go with a subtler shirt, so you blend in with the crowd better. I started to feel really bad because he was not feeling this sudden attention, so I kind of left him alone and just stared while the rest of my friends took pictures of him. “OF” being the important word because he wouldn’t let us take pictures with him. Anyways, he finally freed himself from our craziness. Regardless of his attitude, it was a surreal moment. How often can you say that you were chilling on the roof of the Duomo in Milan and you suddenly meet Michael Phelps? Probably not often.
Milan was a dream and more. It’s pace and lifestyle are so different from Rome. It was a much faster pace and way more modern, which makes sense seeing as Rome is basically one big archeological site. Not that Milan doesn’t have it’s history, but I noticed people care less about that and more about it being the fashion capital of the world. It definitely lives up to its title. Ciao for now Milano, I will be back one day to buy loads and loads of Prada.
Arrivederci i miei amici! <3